Representation as indwelling: Contextualizing Michael Psellos’empsychos grapheacross artistic, liturgical, and literary theory

Abstract

Through terms that articulate the arts as the results of divine possession or inspiration, the writings of Byzantine thinkers repeatedly expressed the manner in which representation was believed to operate as a form of divine indwelling occurring beyond the skill and originality of the artist, writer, or performer. Beyond ideas of naturalism or style, the literary, visual, and performance arts arose through the event of divine participation. The goal of this article is to contextualize the concept of empsychos graphe, as articulated by Michael Psellos, within a longer and broader history of similar concepts across literary, liturgical, and artistic thought.

“A Hand of Ivory”: Moving Objects in Psellos’ Oration for his Daughter Styliane. A Case Study

“…As often noted, Psellos was particularly sensitive to the potential ontological ambiguity of unanimated matter (Betancourt, 2020;Papaioannou, 2006). It is therefore not surprising that materials play such a role in emphasizing the attachment bond with Styliane and the dearness of her memory.…”