History, ruin and sacrament : the breaking of images and the breaking of the bread

Abstract

The current renewed interest in the phenomenon of iconoclasm (a form of ruination) is a symptom of the re-thinking of the image in a medium-aware milieu. When the medium is attacked in iconoclastic acts, images endure and circulate more vigorously. In this article the focus is on the ambiguous historical moment of destruction; on the impending blow; on the hammer or sword in mid-swing – on the breaking of images as a moment of the dissemination and endurance of historical meaning. The metaphorical power of the ruin to evoke not only loss, but also completion or fulfilment, is exploited here to intimate a systematic distinction between allegory and symbol. Through the performative interpretation of a number of art works which stage ruination, destruction, deterioration or violence, the historical processes of the emancipation, transformation, translation and re-mediation of images is related to conflicted understandings of the meaning of history. I endeavour to show how diverse beliefs about the mystery of the meaning of history are related to the ways in which the world is made to signify in nuanced artistic ways, either allegorically or symbolically.

Die hernieude kontemporêre belangstelling in die verskynsel van ikonoklasme (‘n vorm van ruïnering) is ‘n simptoom van die heroorweging van die beeld in ‘n medium-sensitiewe omgewing. As die medium aangeval word in ‘n ikonoklastiese handeling, oorleef beelde en sirkuleer dit meer drasties. In hierdie artikel is die fokus op die dubbelsinnige historiese oomblik van vernietiging; op die voorgenome slag; op die hamer of swaard terwyl dit swaai – op die aftakeling van beelde as die oomlik waarin historiese betekenis oorleef en versprei word. Die ruïne se metaforiese vermoë om nie alleen verlies nie, maar ook volheid en voltooiing te suggereer, word hier gebruik om aspekte van ‘n sistematiese onderskeid tussen allegorie en simbool te laat deurskemer. Deur die performatiewe interpretasie van ‘n paar kunswerke wat ruïnering, vernietiging, aftakeling of geweld voorstel, word die historiese prosesse van die vrymaking, transformasie en re-mediasie van strydende beelde, verbind aan konflikterende insigte oor die betekenis van die geskiedenis. Ek onderneem om aan te toon hoe uiteenlopende aannames oor die geheimenisse van die betekenis van die geskiedenis, nou verbonde is aan die genuanseerde maniere waarop kunswerke òf allegoriese òf simboliese betekenis genereer.