SYSTEMATISATION OF THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF THE INTEGRATION OF CHRISTIAN ICONOGRAPHIC IMAGES IN CLOTHING DESIGN

Abstract

The article provides a theoretical and art-historical analysis of the phenomenon of using Christian iconographic images in contemporary clothing design as a complex cultural and religious phenomenon. The relevance of the topic is due to the active involvement of religious symbolism and iconography in the sphere of secular fashion in the context of globalisation, secularisation and commercialisation of culture. In this work, fashion is considered not only as a sphere of utilitarian design, but also as a space for the production and transformation of cultural meanings, within which Christian iconography undergoes processes of recontextualisation. The research methodology is based on a combination of general scientific and specialised methods and an interdisciplinary approach. Particular attention is paid to the conflict between the sacred nature of the icon as a theological image and the utilitarian function of clothing as an element of everyday use. Key theoretical positions are analysed, in particular L. S. Neale's concept of «fashionable religion», the idea of the dichotomy between the sacred and the profane in the works of M. Eliade, as well as the theological interpretation of the nature of the icon in the works of Y. Krekhovetsky, etc. The thesis about the inevitability of desacralisation in the case of direct transfer of the iconographic image into the utilitarian space of clothing is substantiated. The scientific novelty lies in the development of the author's conceptual model of the interaction between sacred iconography and the fashion system. For the first time, five basic theoretical approaches to the interpretation of religious images have been identified and systematised: from ontological-theological opposition to philosophicalethical loyalty. It has been established that the most ethically and artistically balanced design strategies are those based on associative, symbolic and ornamental reinterpretation of iconographic principles without direct citation of sacred images. The results obtained form the theoretical basis for further art historical and empirical research on the interaction between sacred iconography and contemporary clothing design.