Artwork analysis of anastasis fresco at khora south chapel and its interaction with the architectural program

Abstract

In this article, it is aimed to analyze the Anastasis fresco in the south chapel of the Khora Monastery and to examine the relationship of this work with the architectural program of the building. First of all, the Chora (Khora) Monastery, where the work is located, is examined in terms of its architectural qualities. After giving information about the artist and "ktetor" (patron) of the art-work, the mythological origin of the Anastasis theme, which is the subject of the work, is examined. The original aspects of the technique used in the making of the Anastasis fresco are revealed. The iconographic analysis of the work is based on the method developed by Erwin Panofsky. In this context, while examining the Anastasis fresco, first of all, its formal analysis is made and the relations between the figures in the composition are examined; In the second stage, the characters represented by the figures and the transferred concepts are tried to be revealed in the light of theological and allegorical information. In the third stage, while examining the meanings of the work in the conditions of the period; It is also compared with the works produced in the recent period with a similar theme. Finally, the interaction between the architectural and iconographic programs of the building is discussed.Khora Monastery has a layout in which the architectural program and iconography are intertwined and even the architectural elements are determined by iconography. For this reason, it can be examined as an original example of Byzantine Art leading to Renaissance. Located on the Apse half dome of the Khora South Chapel, the Anastasis fresco handles the resurrection theme, which has an important place in the Christian literature. Considering the entire iconographic program in the chapel, the resurrection scene is the main theme. The fact that the Anastasis fresco takes place in the parekklesion also symbolizes the expectation of immortality / resurrection of the patron of the Khora Monastery, Metokhites, whose tomb is located here.