Category: Catholic

Seeking God

Dear Fellow Iconographers:

Holy Cross Monastery Icon
Icon class at Holy Cross Monastery

For Lent, I have been re-reading “Seeking God”, The Way of Saint Benedict by Esther DeWaal.  In thinking about Icon Writing, teaching students, and community formation, there are many thoughts and concepts within the “Way of St. Benedict” that are worth bringing forward to the formation of an Icon writing community. A quote from her book from St. Benedict’s prologue:

“The Lord has himself given us the time and space necessary to learn and put into practice the service love that He continues to teach us.  In this school of His let us hope that following faithfully his instructions nothing distasteful or burdensome will be demanded of us, but if it has to be so in order to overcome our egoism and lead us into the depths of true love, let us not become disheartened nor frightened and so ignore the narrow path in spite of its tight entrance-that path which leads directly to the fulness of life”.

As we move forward, please email or send your thoughts or suggestions about community formation as Iconographers.

Christine Hales’ Icon writing class Holy Cross Monastery Chapel

While in Icon classes we need to teach the principles of imagery research, drawing, composition, and paint application, the spiritual life is also an important part of the process. The recent Icon retreat I taught at Holy Cross Monastery was a wonderful time of combining both as we entered into the prayer rhythm of the Monks and ate our meals and prayed with regularity and holy community as well as creating beautiful Icons of the face of  our Savior.

I think everyone went away deeply happy, rested, and with their own Icon of Christ to complete the Lenten process of prayer and fasting.

Icon writing class Christine Hales
Holy Cross Icon writing class with Christine Hales group photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anne Marie Prono, Architect and Iconographer, was in the Holy Cross class and shared with me an article about how she brought Icons to children in Queens.

Twelve Ethical Principles of a Christian Sacred Artist

The above link is a new post by Iconographer Deacon Paul O. Iacono that is very worth reading, in that its intention is to articulate some of the principles inherent in creating sacred art.

This month I am so grateful and happy that  CIVA- Christians in the Visual Arts, published a piece I wrote about Icons entitled “American Iconography”.  Hope you like it!

This month, I have given two Icon writing retreats one in Sarasota,Florida, and one in Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY, photos follow:

Icon Class Christine Hales
Icon class Sarasota

 

And here is the Sarasota Church of the Redeemer new Iconographers :

Sarasota Icons
Church of the Redeemer, Sarasota, Iconographers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two last notes: Miroslav, an Icon board preparer in Serbia has reached out to me regarding receiving orders for Icon boards.  His prices seem competitive, even with shipping, and I will be sending him an order in the next week or so. Here are some photos of his work, and he also does just gessoed panels in regular sizes, so let me know if any of you are interested in ordering one of his boards.

Miroslav Icon Boards
icon boards by Miroslav

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last, but not least, I will be teaching an Icon writing class at Morningstar Renewal Center in Miami Florida, April 13-15 for Holy week with a special presentation on Good Friday with Stations of the Cross Icons in the garden.  Please join us if you can.

Sending you all prayers for a Holy Easter and joy in Icon writing,

Christine

My Icon website    My paintings website

Why Icon Writing and not Painting?

Dear Fellow Iconographers:unknown

Wherever I go, giving talks or workshops about Icons, there is always one question people ask:  “Why do you say Icon writing and not Icon painting”?  Most of you who have had class with me know the answer in a general way, but because it highlights some important issues, I want to clarify even more what we mean by “write” instead of “paint”.

Discerning and describing the difference between a religious painting and an Icon is the heart of the matter.  When you think of beautiful religious paintings, like Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, or Raphael’s Madonnas, or Da Vinci’s Madonna of the rocks, or countless other beautiful religious paintings- what are the differences between them and an Icon?  And why does it matter?unknown-1

Icons are images that contain Spiritual power and grace.  They do this by the combination of prayers, Traditions of the Church, sacred geometric composition, Scriptural narratives and the intention of the Iconographer to convey the Saints in the light of the Holy Spirit operating within them.unknown-2

Icons are meant to be Scripture in visual form.  In the readings at Church this past Sunday, about the Transfiguration in 2Peter 1: 16-21, just after God’s audible voice tells us “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”, Peter says ” And we have the prophetic word made more sure.  You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morningstar rises in your hearts.  First of all, no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

So, in that Scriptural passage is a clarification of the difference between an Icon and a religious painting – the religious painting has more of the artist’s personal interpretation and is less strictly following the Word of God. Michelangelo’s painting style is called “mannerism” and is emotive and expressive of more than just the Scriptural scenes depicted. This  development from the Renaissance onward,  has contributed to the marginalization of God’s Sovereignty in the contemporary world and culture.  THAT is why we make emphasis on “writing” , rather than “painting”so that we can bring forward, through the Icon, a more God-centric perspective, from an earlier time and attempt to become disentangled from the Humanism that we have unconsciously absorbed from our culture.unknown-3

There is a great deal more to say and document about this important shift perspective, and as always, I point the reader to Egon Sendler’s excellent book “The Icon, Image of the Invisible. Elements of Theology, Aesthetics, and Technique” for a more thorough treatment of the visual, and theological principles involved in Icon “writing”.

Perhaps in the next blog we can look at the issue of Pictorial space in an Icon- other key difference between religious paintings and Icons.

Just wanted to mention some interesting Icon Links to you all:  Icons and Their Interpretation is a blog I recommend if you are interested in the meanings behind the old Icons.  It is a site dedicated to the study of Greek, Russian, and Baltic Icons.  Here is a link to their recent post about the Icon “Let All That Has Breath Praise the Lord”.  It is a lovely Icon and really shows the Iconographic language and method of illustrating  Scripture.

Also, another useful link is that for the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Massachusetts.  They have a variety of changing programs and exhibitions and I’m sure some will be of interest.

Last thing to mention for this blog is three Lenten Icon writing workshops I am offering before Easter – you are invited to any of these:

May God continue to bless the work of your hands, and keep you in His ways,

Christine

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