Hello Fellow Iconographers: 
This summer I have been working on developing the school of American Iconography. When I say “school” I mean it in the Benedictine sense of a committed community of people who study, pray, and work together united by common goals and principles. We would be working, using artistic skills and prayers to further the work of God’s Kingdom, here on earth. In this school, God would be the teacher! Putting together a reading list would be a good start, so do email suggestions on that.
I’d like to share with you some of the goals and objectives I am setting for myself for the next three years. Please think about where you might participate and in what ways you can contribute. Volunteers, ideas, and suggestions are welcome!
Icon Goals 2017-2020
- Exhibit Iconographic Imagery at museums, universities and seminaries.
- Run Icon writing training classes, giving talks, and participating in symposiums.
- Book and video documentation to provide future development of online Icon writing classes.
- Complete Icon commissions in churches and for private collections.
- Participate in Symposiums or panel discussions on art and theology.
- Collaborating with seminaries and universities to make Icon writing an integral part of a fine arts curriculum.
I see these goals as laying a groundwork for future advanced workshops, and to creating a coherent system of training Icon writers.
I see Icon writing as an important activity to the future of our culture. Our thoughts and prayers together can be effective in creating an ethical and responsible society. Perhaps there are others already active in this area. If so, please contact me to being a conversation about how we can work together.
Happily, a similar effort is happening currently in Romania. The following quotes are taken from a blog post of the Orthodox Arts Journal : 2015 “The New Romanian Masters: Innovative Iconography in the Matrix of Tradition”
” Iconography, a recovered artistic language
It would have been impossible to imagine a public conversation on icons and their veneration a quarter of a century ago in communist Romania. It would have been impossible as well to imagine iconography taught in a public school and the technique of painting icons at the department of Fine Arts….Today it is a common gesture to order an icon for your house or to offer an icon as a present. Four of the twelve Orthodox faculties of theology in the country have created departments of sacred art, preparing iconographers and specialists in the preservation of medieval iconography; and many of their graduates have become proficient in painting icons and frescos….the icon has become a common presence in homes and offices.
The most remarkable aspect of this revival is that the abundant iconographic demand and the high number of skilled iconographers gave rise to a competitive ambiance that led to an obvious advance in the quality of iconography and, subsequently, to a new iconographic movement.
“… As with any profession, the new iconographers and church painters demonstrate an uneven value; it is not enough to learn the technique and follow the Byzantine herminia (the painter’s manual) to become a skilled and appreciated iconographer.
Important to Iconographic training:
1. A thorough education in classical art.
2. A personal spiritual life….a spiritual dimension is a necessary ingredient to painting an icon. Painting an icon is not a mere artistic activity but a facet of the larger spiritual growth, both personal and part of the community in which the iconographer lives.
3. They do not imitate but innovate within the canons of tradition. Probably the most interesting value gradually assumed by the iconographers of the new generation is that they cherish artistic originality and freedom of expression. They do not accept to create in a mannerist way and to reproduce the masters of the past while making a concession to a common, popular taste. Paying attention to the smallest technical and theological detail, they strive to avoid not only religious kitsch but also religious clichés. After assimilating the skills, the Byzantine canon, a rich documentation and a general knowledge of the medieval art, some of them have been able to define their own style. And this fact has allowed them to rethink classical iconography and innovate in terms of style, colours and composition as well as to find new themes and become “hagiographers”. All these elements have led them to reach an unprecedented quality of the iconographic act in which they commit themselves to artistic originality”
I think the first two paragraphs of quotes above are inspiring. The last three paragraphs can help to define a best practices manual that can be applicable to the American School of Iconography.
“An Icon is therefore is always either more than itself in becoming for us a heavenly vision or less than itself in failing to open our consciousness to the world beyond our senses.” St. Dionysus Aeropagite.
I will be attempting to collect and notate sources of Iconographic references that will help define this American School go Iconography over the next couple of years.
Thank you for your patience and contributions!
That’s all for this month, have a blessed Labor Day,
Christine Hales Icon Website Fine Art Website
American Association of Iconographers 