“Frozen out of Liturgy”: Orthodox Christian Aesthetics as Method in Modern and Contemporary Art History

College Art Association of America Conference

Feb. 2025

At a moment when it seems that religious doctrine has little remaining import in the art world, this paper proposes we use the Orthodox Christian notion of Beauty and its ethical dimension, recently explored by an Orthodox theologian Timothy Patitsas in Ethics of Beauty (2019), as guiding methodological device that allows a better appreciation of the religious sensibilities of modern and contemporary art. I argue for the relevance of the Christian aesthetic category of the Beautiful in approaching works of art from the modern and postmodern periods.

To emphasize the stakes of such a methodological experiment, I argue that some of the most enduring preoccupations in the history of art are instances of trauma, what Patisas calls moments of “anti-theophany.” Illustrating but two such cases are the notion of “negation” in Modern art, as theorized by T.J. Clark, and the observations of “theatricality” in 1960s’ Minimalism, recounted by Michael Fried. Departing from staunchly materialist readings, Orthodox aesthetics calls us to appreciate some instances of modern art as participating in the age-old human longing for the spiritual.

The methodological implications of such an approach are two-fold. First, it lays the ground for a productive re-introduction of the categories of “Beauty” into the field of contemporary art scholarship without denying its uncertain standing in the field today. Second, it allows us to both challenge the conclusions of secular contemporary art writing and appreciate it for its insights that ring true beyond their sophisticated theoretical frameworks.

* This presentation was delivered at the 2025 CAA conference in New York City. The panel titled "Reconsidering Religion in Modern and Contemporary Art: Methods and Approaches" was organized by the Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art (ASCHA). A special thank you to the organizers and presenters.