La Teología Escolastica (ie. Scholastic Theology)

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[Exclusive Print]

La Teología Escolastica / Scholastic Theology

by Jose Gabriel Alegría Sabogal

“I originally found the image reproduced in the article, ETTLINGER, L. D. 1953. "Pollaiuolo's Tomb of Pope Sixtus IV" Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld lnstitutes, XVI, pp. 239-74. p.39. The full work can be consulted in the following archives here and there.

It is part of a series in process tentatively called the Permutations of Theology, where different allegorical figures have been constructed in order to depict the changing stages of theological thinking through Christian history. 

Scholastic Theology refers to the rigid thomistic thinking with a strong tendency to circular reasoning and self-fulfilling exempla that became the rule during the central middle ages. Traditionally, it included four levels of exegesis or biblical interpretation, but the manuscript of the Musée Condé includes six levels. 

In this medieval illumination, Theology is shown holding the sun in her hand as a mirror of God's light, and ruling over the vision of the wheel as seen by the prophet Ezekiel (which would become the Ophanim order of angels in judaic angelology), that holds in its center the Holy book, and is combined with the four animals of the Evangelists, also identified with Ezekiel's Cherubim or tetramorph. As such, this wheel constitutes a fantastic "mystical device" that I think could accurately represent the systematic character of medieval scholasticism. 

Despite its aforementioned rigid character, which is expressed in the hierarchical composition and the fact that Theologia carries a sword, I wanted to grant beauty and serenity in my re-rendering of such a fascinating image, a truly iconotextual image that was meant to serve for both mnemotechnic as well as contemplative purposes." — Jose Gabriel Alegría Sabogal

12” X 16” - Printed on absolutely gorgeous, thick, and highly-textured Hahnemuhle William Turner 310 GSM (cold-pressed 100% cotton) paper-carton.

Limited to 150 hand-numbered copies.