Cultural codes in the iconography of St Nicholas (Santa Claus)

This paper examines some aspects of the cultural codes implied in the iconography of St Nicholas (Santa Claus). The argument posits the iconography of St Nicholas as a vessel for capturing meanings and accumulating them in the construction of public culture. The discussion begins from the earliest d...

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Main Author: Małgorzata Haładewicz-Grzelak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Tartu Press 2011-06-01
Series:Sign Systems Studies
Online Access:https://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/sss/article/view/15737
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spelling doaj-31e90cf17ca3430399f3bdf50dfd82622021-04-02T13:33:40ZengUniversity of Tartu PressSign Systems Studies1406-42431736-74092011-06-0139110.12697/SSS.2011.39.1.04Cultural codes in the iconography of St Nicholas (Santa Claus)Małgorzata Haładewicz-GrzelakThis paper examines some aspects of the cultural codes implied in the iconography of St Nicholas (Santa Claus). The argument posits the iconography of St Nicholas as a vessel for capturing meanings and accumulating them in the construction of public culture. The discussion begins from the earliest developments of the Christian era and proceeds to contemporary depictions (imagology). The study is conducted on the basis of a representative selection of renditions of Saint Nicholas, including 350 pictures of medieval representations (Western and Eastern Christianity), folk extensions and secular representations and it is theoretically grounded in the Tartu School of semiotics.https://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/sss/article/view/15737
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Małgorzata Haładewicz-Grzelak
spellingShingle Małgorzata Haładewicz-Grzelak
Cultural codes in the iconography of St Nicholas (Santa Claus)
Sign Systems Studies
author_facet Małgorzata Haładewicz-Grzelak
author_sort Małgorzata Haładewicz-Grzelak
title Cultural codes in the iconography of St Nicholas (Santa Claus)
title_short Cultural codes in the iconography of St Nicholas (Santa Claus)
title_full Cultural codes in the iconography of St Nicholas (Santa Claus)
title_fullStr Cultural codes in the iconography of St Nicholas (Santa Claus)
title_full_unstemmed Cultural codes in the iconography of St Nicholas (Santa Claus)
title_sort cultural codes in the iconography of st nicholas (santa claus)
publisher University of Tartu Press
series Sign Systems Studies
issn 1406-4243
1736-7409
publishDate 2011-06-01
description This paper examines some aspects of the cultural codes implied in the iconography of St Nicholas (Santa Claus). The argument posits the iconography of St Nicholas as a vessel for capturing meanings and accumulating them in the construction of public culture. The discussion begins from the earliest developments of the Christian era and proceeds to contemporary depictions (imagology). The study is conducted on the basis of a representative selection of renditions of Saint Nicholas, including 350 pictures of medieval representations (Western and Eastern Christianity), folk extensions and secular representations and it is theoretically grounded in the Tartu School of semiotics.
url https://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/sss/article/view/15737
work_keys_str_mv AT małgorzatahaładewiczgrzelak culturalcodesintheiconographyofstnicholassantaclaus
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