Conceptions of iconicity and their historical reorientations: Pippa Skotnes's horse skeletons and the topos of the Annunciation

How has art practise historically displayed, enhanced and interrogated its contemporaneous definitions of the nature images? The focus is on contemporary South African artist, Pippa Skotnes's horse skeletons, in resonance with a constellation select Renaissance Annunciation paintings, to highlight impact Eucharist "real presence" early modern, modern post-modern notions what images have been assumed be. My comparative interpretation diverse works distinguishes their peculiar image functions from systematic historical perspectives. I show that, advent most sophisticated type image, artistic refining own performative ways. my interpretations these image-aware meta-artworks, that Incarnation Christ as Imago Dei, well changing understandings Christ's act institution Eucharist, gradually radically transformed west. furthermore argue knowledge, through research indigenous Southern traditions Khoisan/|Xam, contributes lost dimensions her work, augments current art, at time when plenary experiences time, cultural density, are appreciated. For me, work artistically performs Paul Ricoeur's philosophical assumption continuous persistent reorientations ancient sacred symbolism natural world remain root of, infinitely augment, conceptions 'figurative' (Ricoeur 1967:10-18) - or by extension, are. In artist's beauty complexity simultaneous geographical been, staged. Like "bone books" splendidly contribute process differentiating articulating discursive conceived