Re-Creation of the Icon

A classically trained iconographer, Lynette Hull, draws fascinating parallels between contemporary and ancient icons in a tech-obsessed age.

 

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Source

Iconic Icon Supplements: The Symbols of Icons

Θησαυρος της εκκλησιας  (Treasures of the Church):

One of the biggest difficulties Western Christians have in appreciating icons is a lack of understanding.  I have previously discussed some of the theology behind iconography, but in this post I will discuss another big difficulty: the symbolism of iconography.  Even if one can understand the theology of the icon and why one should venerate it, it is still difficult to venerate something that seems to be such a strange mess of non-understood symbols.  This post will hopefully clear up some of that difficulty so that others can better understand icons and venerate them more worthily…

Read on here.

And from the conclusion:

I hope this post has been interesting reading, and I hope that it assists you in better understanding iconography and thus better venerating the holy images.  I am sorry for any mistakes or misinformation in this post.  Thank you for reading, and God Bless.

St. Luke, Iconographer of the Theotokos, pray for us!

The Resurrection of Christ

 

Icons Open the Window to Heaven

‘Visual Scripture’ reflects the beauty of the faith.

The National Catholic Register:

Even in Catholic circles, icons suffer from insufficient understanding. These  images are often regarded as a mere style of art from Eastern Orthodox churches.  What they are, however, are glimpses into eternity with roots in antiquity.

The word “icon” comes from the Greek word eikon, which means “image.” The artist (referred to as an iconographer) is said to “write” an icon because  it is intended to be visual Scripture. The icon is most often a painting, but it can also be carved, cast in metal or done as a mosaic. It usually portrays  Jesus, an angel or a saint…

Icons use a language all their own to reveal a deeper meaning. The invisible spiritual dimension is conveyed through symbols. Jesus always has a cross in his  halo. Mary has three stars on her garments to show she was a virgin before, during and after the birth of Christ. A profile image means those depicted have  not reached salvation yet, such as Judas in the Last Supper or a shepherd in the  Nativity. Saints, on the other hand, face forward, as do images of Jesus,  because we will see him face to face in heaven. Icons of Christ and other holy  images remind the viewers to reflect on the lives and virtues of those depicted…

Read more here.

 

Russian Businessman Donates 70 Icons Worth around $1m to the Church

The property developer Sergei Shmakov has spent over a year tracking down the works, which were removed from Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution and during the first world war.

The Art Newspaper:

A Russian businessman has donated more than 70 icons with an estimated value of Ru 30m (around $1m) to the Russian Orthodox Church. Property mogul Sergei Shmakov has spent over a year tracking down the icons—which were taken out of Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution and during the first world war—at auctions, antique stores and flea markets abroad. The icons include a rare mid-18th-century icon, St John the Theologian in Silence, which depicts the apostle with his fingers over his lips and an angel peering over his shoulder as he contemplates the gospel he is composing.

At a ceremony on 4 October, the Russian culture minister Alexander Avdeyev praised Shmakov for his donation. “Your help is a matter of great patriotism,” said Avdeyev. “You could have spent your money on something else, on developing your business, for example, but you are returning to Russia not only sacred, but cultural treasures, works of art.”

The culture ministry said that Avdeyev had accompanied Shmakov on some of his travels abroad in search of the icons…

More here.

 

Just for Nice

Russian Icons on Display Outside Russia for First Time

In Rome:

 

Our Lady of Sorrows – Softener of Evil Hearts

Writes Stuart in a timely, welcome and rather refreshing post:

… I’m sure most of us will immediately sense that the above Icon is our Lady of Sorrows, and be very familiar with the seven sorrows that pierced the heart of Our Lady. Perhaps like me, you have spend time reflecting and meditating on her Sorrows, whilst praying through the powerful Scripture passages. For those not quite as familiar her Sorrows begin with the Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34-35);  The flight into Egypt (Matt 2:13);  The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 3:43-45); The meeting with her Son on the Way to Calvary (Luke 22: 26); Our Lord’s Death on the Cross (John 19:25); 6) Receiving His precious body in her arms. (Matt 27:57-59); And our Lord’s body being placed in the Tomb (John 19:40-42)

Yet perhaps we are not quite as familiar with this specific beautiful Icon known by our Orthodox brothers and sisters as the Softener of Evil Hearts. Perhaps we are even less familiar with the heart swelling depth of reverence and beautiful liturgy found in the Akathist to the Mother of God.  Below is the beginning of the Akathist, called The Apolytikion.

“Soften our evil hearts, O Theotokos, and quench the attacks of those who hate us and loose all straitness of our soul.

For looking on thy holy icon, we are filled with compunction by thy suffering and loving-kindness for us, and we kiss thy wounds;  we are filled with horror for the darts with which we wound thee.

Let us not, O Mother of Compassion,  according to the cruelty of our hearts, perish from the cruelty of heart of those near us, for thou art in truth the Softener of Evil Hearts.”

The beauty of the Eastern Tradition of Icons lay in the harmony, colour and composition and their very apparent flatness, leads us on into the stillness. Unlike Western art we cannot immediately seize their meaning, so we must allow the meaning to come to us. One needs disengage the mind, and begin to see with the heart.   Holy Icons exert a calming influence, allowing us to stand (or sit) peacefully before them, so that we may be drawn into the stillness and then into contemplation.

It is here that we are freed for a few moments from the worries and concerns of everyday life, and from the materialistic world that surrounds and impacts us all, as we are drawn deeper and higher towards the spiritual world.  Perhaps this is why Icons are known as doors to Paradise. And with the Softener of hearts Icon, it is our Mother who leads us deeper in prayer and into contemplation of the divine mysteries of our Lord.

The whole post is here.

Russian Icons Discovered in Egypt

Conservators say Sinai’s climate helped preserve art and artefacts.

Fantastic! The Art Newspaper reports:

Researchers attribute the unique climate of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula as a leading factor in the preservation of a treasure trove of Russian icons and liturgical objects recently found in St Catherine’s Monastery. The discovery of around 100 Russian icons and decorative objects dating from the 16th to 19th century at the Unesco World Heritage Site was reported in Russia last month. Almost all of the works were unknown to scholars, according to Natalia Komashko, a research project manager at Moscow’s Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art and Culture.

St Catherine’s Monastery is famous for its library, which houses one of the world’s largest collections of ancient manuscripts and codices, as well as for its sizable collection of sixth-century icons that survived the wave of Byzantine iconoclasm that destroyed most at that time.

Condition and climate control

Komashko said the climatic conditions at Sinai played a significant role in the preservation of the icons. “In order for an icon to [remain in good condition] for as long as possible, it must have stable temperature and humidity [levels]… There is no problem with this [at] Sinai, which has unique natural conditions for the preservation of icons.”

She said that the icons, which were on view in the Chapel of the Burning Bush before being hidden away in the sacristy several decades ago, showed signs of light restoration. “They were cleaned of their slightly darkened original coating and re-coated with a very distinctive lacquer,” said Komashko. She noted that the icons kept in the sacristy remained in almost perfect condition, compared with those housed in the monk’s cells and used daily. These suffered from wear-and-tear and paint loss and were crudely restored in the 19th century.

From Russia with love

How did this ancient monastery come to be a repository for such a large number of Russian treasures? According to scholars who have traced the links between Russia and Sinai, the first recorded Russian pilgrim to the monastery was a 15th-century monk. He was subsequently followed by a stream of Russian merchants and officials, all of whom came bearing gifts. The monks also sent emissaries to Moscow from 1519, and continued to send envoys into the 17th and 18th centuries. These envoys returned to Sinai laden with gifts, some of which came from the tsars.

The recent expedition to Sinai, headed by Komashko, included other researchers from Moscow including staff from the State Tretyakov Gallery as well as the State Research Institute for Restoration. Previous expeditions conducted by the Andrei Rublev Museum in 2004 and 2005 sought to catalogue Russian works in the monastery’s churches and sacristy. Komashko said that there may be more Russian works yet to be discovered within the monastery’s walls as researchers are not allowed to enter the sacristy and the monks might not be able to distinguish Russian items from other works of art.

The Russian Orthodox Church also participated in the most recent expedition and will be publishing a photographic book about its results.