The Apophatic Theology and the Sacred in the Poetry of Dmitrij Prigov

The article considers the poetic production of Dmitrij Prigov, one of the most prominent representatives of Moscow Conceptualism, and focuses on the references that can be found in Prigov’s works to the apophatic or negative theology of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, one of the early Eastern Chur...

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Main Author: Alice Bravin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Firenze University Press 2024-01-01
Series:Studi Slavistici
Subjects:
Online Access:https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/ss/article/view/14494
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author Alice Bravin
author_facet Alice Bravin
author_sort Alice Bravin
collection DOAJ
description The article considers the poetic production of Dmitrij Prigov, one of the most prominent representatives of Moscow Conceptualism, and focuses on the references that can be found in Prigov’s works to the apophatic or negative theology of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, one of the early Eastern Church Fathers. Through several examples, taken from cycles of poems from the 1970s and 1990s, the article investigates Prigov’s poetry through the lens of apophaticism and explores formal experimentations as well as stylistic strategies related to apophatic rhetoric. Theological, philosophical and sacral models are detached from their original context and used by the artist in a very unconventional way. Moreover, in the apophatic tradition Prigov discovers ideas that are fully applicable to his own understanding of poetry. The essay also discusses the relationship between art and religion in Prigov’s view and his idea of the sacred in art.
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spelling doaj.art-95c529e56da54151997791b4f6cf3bca2024-01-30T14:57:08ZengFirenze University PressStudi Slavistici1824-761X1824-76012024-01-0120210.36253/Studi_Slavis-14494The Apophatic Theology and the Sacred in the Poetry of Dmitrij PrigovAlice Bravin0University of Udine The article considers the poetic production of Dmitrij Prigov, one of the most prominent representatives of Moscow Conceptualism, and focuses on the references that can be found in Prigov’s works to the apophatic or negative theology of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, one of the early Eastern Church Fathers. Through several examples, taken from cycles of poems from the 1970s and 1990s, the article investigates Prigov’s poetry through the lens of apophaticism and explores formal experimentations as well as stylistic strategies related to apophatic rhetoric. Theological, philosophical and sacral models are detached from their original context and used by the artist in a very unconventional way. Moreover, in the apophatic tradition Prigov discovers ideas that are fully applicable to his own understanding of poetry. The essay also discusses the relationship between art and religion in Prigov’s view and his idea of the sacred in art. https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/ss/article/view/14494PrigovPoetryApophatic TheologyPseudo-DionysiusSacredReligion
spellingShingle Alice Bravin
The Apophatic Theology and the Sacred in the Poetry of Dmitrij Prigov
Studi Slavistici
Prigov
Poetry
Apophatic Theology
Pseudo-Dionysius
Sacred
Religion
title The Apophatic Theology and the Sacred in the Poetry of Dmitrij Prigov
title_full The Apophatic Theology and the Sacred in the Poetry of Dmitrij Prigov
title_fullStr The Apophatic Theology and the Sacred in the Poetry of Dmitrij Prigov
title_full_unstemmed The Apophatic Theology and the Sacred in the Poetry of Dmitrij Prigov
title_short The Apophatic Theology and the Sacred in the Poetry of Dmitrij Prigov
title_sort apophatic theology and the sacred in the poetry of dmitrij prigov
topic Prigov
Poetry
Apophatic Theology
Pseudo-Dionysius
Sacred
Religion
url https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/ss/article/view/14494
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