Natalia Belevtseva, Senior researcher, Alexander Solzhenitsyn House for the Russian Diaspora (Moscow)
pp. 172–199
The article offers a description and a theological and artistic interpretation of a piece of textile painting (tablecloth) by Sister Joanna (Reitlinger), well-known icon painter of the XX century. This artwork is represented as a symbolic picture of the world, created on the basis of some religious and philosophical views combining the elements of ancient mythology with the Christian concept of the universe. The images of animals inscribed into the segments of the tablecloth are analysed in detail in terms of iconography and colour treatment. The author interprets them as a phenomenon of harmony between the spiritual and material origins.
Keywords: Sister Joanna (Reitlinger), textile painting, iconography of animals.