A Christmas Journey: Lessons from the Nativity Icon
As we joyfully concluded my latest icon writing class, the crowning achievement was a breathtaking depiction of the Nativity. Beyond the demonstrations and questions, the process became a conduit for spiritual revelations about the Nativity Icon during our retreat. The shared exchange of thoughts and questions revealed the profound spiritual wisdom residing within each class member. I am so grateful for the divine synchronicity that brings such beautiful souls into my classes, contributing to a shared journey of growth and revelation in the span of just four days.
In the spirit of post-retreat reflection, my thoughts turned to the iconic journey of the three wise men. Weary yet resolute, they traversed long and perilous roads, guided only by a celestial star lighting their way to Jerusalem. Their journey, fraught with challenges, reached its culmination under the brilliant radiance of the star directly above, revealing the long-promised redemption in the form of a humble baby nestled in a manger. This divine encounter brought the wise men to their knees in worship and adoration before the embodiment of God’s power and glory.
The resonance between the wise men’s Christmas journey and our own spiritual quests is striking. As we usher in the festivities of 2024, I pray that we may emulate the wise men, offering our heartfelt praise and worship in response to the wonder of the incarnation.
Drawing inspiration from Sarah Young’s “Jesus Calling” (pg. 372), let our perseverance along God’s ordained path be sustained by His strength. Miracles, though not always visible to the naked eye, become apparent to those who live by faith. As we navigate our individual paths, let us watch and wait, expecting miracles and acknowledging that living by faith grants us the clarity to witness divine interventions.
In this festive season, my heartfelt Christmas prayer for you is to embrace the faith-driven approach of the three wise kings. May your Christmas be filled with the warmth of faith rather than mere sight, positioning you to experience the unfolding glory and power of God in your life. As 2024 unfolds like a gift waiting to be unwrapped, may you draw nearer to Him than ever before, embracing the Christmas spirit with anticipation and receptivity. May your Christmas be blessed with joy, peace, and the wonder of His love.
There are so many exciting principles we modern icon painters can learn from medieval icons. The secrets of Sacred geometry and painting are profound, but no less important are the concepts behind medieval iconographic paint application.
St, Nicetas with Deesis and Selected Saints, 15th Century
The simplest statement that icon painting is the consecutive application of layers of colored paint applied on the white surface of a wood board that is primed with gesso- white chalk and animal glue.
This notion of “consecutive layers of paint” is a hallmark of medieval painting because beginning with the Renaissance and the use of oil painting, the Renaissance painter used modeling- application of shadows- thereby obviating the need for the consecutive layers to achieve a modeling effect of figures and shapes.
Holy Trinity Icon by Andrei Rublev
Icon painters can use a few layers, or many, depending on the time available and the effects needed. Although early Christian artists used encaustic (wax) as their painting medium, from the ninth century onward, egg tempera was the medium icon painters used, almost exclusively.Egg Tempera
Egg Tempera
Egg tempera painting consists of painting with dry powdered pigment using egg emulsion as the binder to cause adhesion of pigment to the gessoed surface area. This dry powder was often found in soil and stones finely ground as well as in some plants, roots and insects that could be boiled or pressed to release specific colors.
“Of crucial importance are the choice of the right pigments, the ability to mix them properly, and the application of each consecutive layer when the one below it is quite dry so that the fresh, wet paint does not mix with it.” A. Yakovleva, “A History of Icon Painting”.
Which Pigments were used in Early Icons?
Studies show that vermillion, red ochre and lead red were the reds commonly used by early iconographers. Light yellow ochre, yellow sienna, lead tin yellow, and auripigment were the yellow pigments used, natural ultramarine (obtained from azurite) and indigo for blue, malachite and glauconite for greens, charcoal for black, lead white, umber, hematite were the browns and various ochres depending on what was naturally available.
Christ Pantocrator Icon, Svanetia, 13th Century
Three Ways of Mixing Colors
I find it so interesting that the three ways that medieval iconographers mixed their colors could have such a significant effect on the final results of their work. The first method of mixing colors was simply to mix a powdered pigment with the egg emulsion. (egg emulsion is usually the yolk of an egg mixed with a small amount of water, and a very small amount of vinegar or alcohol as a preservative.) Some of the pigments lent themselves to being ground to a fine powder, but others could only be ground to larger crystals and this variety of textures was put to good use in the third method.
The second method of color mixing is called optical mixing. This consists of relying on the different color layers to mix optically. This is achieved when rays of light hit the surface, they penetrate through the layers of color and reflect back the impression that it is one color when in reality it is the combination of all the color layers together. This gives the viewer a very rich viewing experience and is what allows the icons to have a jewel like appearance. Egg tempera excels at being able to deliver this effect. For this to happen, the artist needs to apply the layers very thinly in order for this imperceptible color mixing to occur.
The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, 13th Century. Georgia
The third method employs the use of the rougher pigments with larger particles to be mixed for the lower layer of the icon. This allows for subsequent layers to settle into the lower layer in irregular and interesting ways. This method unites the upper layers and lower layers of color, allowing for the appearance of visual harmony. A combination of all three methods is used by the experienced iconographer.
I hope this explanation of medieval color mixing has been helpful. Sometimes we need to go back to basics and understand nuances in order to achieve the results we want in our icons. If you would like to pursue the topic further, here is some reading you may appreciate:
“A History of Icon Painting”, L. Evseyeva, Moscow Publishing but available on Amazon
“The Materials and Techniques of Medieval Painting” Daniel V. Thompson, Dover Publishing
Interesting Links For Iconographers:
These are from Dorothy Alexander, an Iconographer in California!:
A gold sale? Yes, this is very rare because of a factory overrun on 22kt loose leaf gold and continues through 8/31/23 only. Use the code: SUMMER23 when you check-out. I ordered from them before; for this sale I purchased the 22 kt loose leaf gold (which I use for backgrounds) and it shipped quickly. Here is their website: https://www.goldenleafproducts.com/order-22k-gold-leaf.html (THIS LINK WAS MORE THAN A MONTH AGO, SO NOT SURE IF THE SALE IS STILL GOING ON BUT THEY ARE GOOD GOLD SUPPLIERS)
Russian iconographers in a Greek monastery in California – this article (https://orthochristian.com/113398.html) takes you to the Life-Giving Spring Monastery in Dunlap, CA. It is a very interesting description of the lives and work of iconographers.
My Next Online Icon Writing Class is specially prepared for celebrating Advent where we will be painting an icon of the Nativity. Dec 5-8 on Zoom, each session is recorded for playback. Read more here.
That’s all for this month. Icon writing is a commitment to a life of prayer, study, and blessing the community with our work. May you all be blessed and guided by the hand of God. Our work is even more important especially in these difficult times.
“O Almighty God, kindle, we beseech Thee, in every heart the true love of peace, and guide with thy wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth, that in tranquility they dominion may increase till the earth is filled with the knowledge of thy love; through Jesus Christ out Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, amen.” A Collect for Peace from the Book of Common Prayer.
You might wonder, why an article on the Nativity icon in October? It seems to me that the element of joy is mightily endangered these days with all the news of climate change disasters, war, etc. And joy is one of the strongest defenses we have against the spiritual forces of this dark world. “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 Also, The Nativity icon is a marvelous example of the way icons make Holy Scripture visible in iconographic form.
The Feast of the Nativity of Jesus is one of the most joyful days of the Orthodox Church. It ranks right next to the greatest holiday, the Resurrection of Jesus. The Feast of the Birth of Jesus is also known as the “Incarnation of Christ”, God taking on human form out of His immeasurable love for us. We also call this joyous feast Christmas, so, in preparation, here is the Nativity Icon explained:
“And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12
Icon of the Nativity
The icon of the Nativity tells the story of Christ’s birth as relayed through the Holy Scriptures. It also shows that all creation is taking part in Christ’s birth. As God gave His only Son to us, the angels give thanks with their song; the heavens give the star; the Wise Men give their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh,the poor, humble shepherds give their praise and amazement, the earth gives the cave, and humanity gives the Virgin.
“In its content the icon of Christ’s nativity has two fundamental aspects: first of all, it discloses the very essence of the event, the immutable fact of the incarnation of God; it places us before a visible testimony of the fundamental dogma of the Christian faith, underlining by it’s details both the Divinity and the human nature of the Word made flesh. Secondly, the icon of the nativity shows us the effect of this event on the natural life of this world.” L. Ouspensky, “The Meaning of Icons”
The Story of Birth of Christ Made Visible
The Holy Icon of the Nativity reminds one to praise and glorify the Birth of Christ. The celebration of Christmas each year serves to remind each and everyone of us of the joyful news that Christ came for you and me.
“The traditional Orthodox icon of the Nativity tells us what the Bible tells us, and does so in a very clear, vivid, effective manner, by means of forms and colors. “Ouspensky
The story of the Nativity of Christ is beautifully told in the Holy Scriptures. The story is found in Matthew 1:18-25 and in Luke 2:1-20. No matter how often the Birth of Jesus is told, we can experience the wonder of it anew through the responses of the angels, shepherds, and wise men in this icon.
A Timeless Story
Mary and Joseph, who were expecting a baby, travelled to Bethlehem to register for the census. Since there was no room at the inn, Joseph found a cave-like place where they could rest. This place was used by shepherds to protect their sheep in stormy weather. It was here that Mary gave birth to Jesus. The baby was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in the straw in the manger.
Opposite the Wise Men is the scene are the humble shepherds with whom heaven enters into direct communication, amid their everyday working life. An angel proclaims the glad tidings. A young shepherd plays a reed instrument. This scene reveals that the music of the humans was added to the hymn of the angels. Above the shepherds is the heavenly choir of angels. They are giving glory to God. The angels serve two purposes in the Nativity of Christ. They give glory to God and announce the good news to all mankind.
Birth of Christ, 18th Century, Russian Icon
That night the shepherds were out in the fields guarding their sheep. Suddenly, there was a bright light which startled the shepherds. The light was so bright that it turned the night into daylight. An angel appeared and said:
“Fear not for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior; which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12).
Angels Praising This Wondrous Event
Then a larger group of angels appeared praising and glorifying God in their songs, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). The angels came to glorify God and also to bring glad tidings to men. The shepherds were awed. They didn’t know what to do, but they listened to the angels’ message. They decided to leave their flocks of sheep and go to Bethlehem to see for themselves what the angels had told them. When they got to Bethlehem, they found Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus. They fell to their knees and adored Jesus.
“Kings of Distant Lands Will Come”~ Psalm 72:10
On the other side, the Wise Men came from the East for they knew of the coming of Jesus. They had seen a star that told them that a new king had been born to the Jews. A long ray from this star symbolizes heaven and points directly to the cave and the child they were looking for. The Star led them to Jesus and Mary where they fell down on their knees and worshipped Him. They gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
“A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
Russian Postage Stamp, 1995
This Holy Icon is an icon with many scenes. First, it stresses the importance of the Theotokos, the Mother of Jesus, who is placed in the center of the icon, and is the largest figure in the icon. In this icon, she is reclining with crossed arms. The Christ Child, just above her in the center of the icon, is in swaddling clothes and is lying in the manger. In the background is the dark cave where He was born. In the cave are an ox and a donkey guarding the newborn Babe. Even though the Gospels say nothing of the cave, this information is from Holy Tradition. Neither do the Gospels speak of the ox and the donkey, but all icons of the Nativity include these animals. Including the animals in the icon fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 1:3, “The ox knows his master, and the donkey his master’s crib; but Israel does not know me, and the people have not regarded me.” The long ray of light from the star points directly to the cave. This ray comes from the star and travels to all parts of the world. It teaches that this bright star was not only an astronomical happening, it was a messenger from heaven announcing the birth of Jesus.
Icon Details
On the upper left hand side of the icon are the angels. The Wise Men, just below them, who were led by the star, bring their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus. These Wise Men, men of learning, have to accomplish a long journey to see the miracle from heaven, and they are of various ages.
One is without a beard. In those days, young men did not wear beards. The other Wise Man has long hair and a long beard, which indicates that he is much older. These details teach that regardless of age and appearance, the Good News was given to each and everyone.
In the lower part of the icon are two more scenes. In the right hand corner are the two women Joseph brought to take care of the Christ child. They are bathing Him just as any baby is bathed. The humanity of Jesus is clearly shown in this setting.
Opposite the bathing of Jesus scene sits a sad and worried Joseph. He is not part of the central group of the Christ Child and the Theotokos, and is not the natural father, but the betrothed of Mary. As Joseph sits troubled by doubts, the devil, disguised as an old man, is tempting Joseph to doubt the virgin birth. Satan is telling Joseph that virgin birth is impossible. He’s telling Joseph that he’s a fool if he believes this. This story comes to us from Holy Tradition. The sad Joseph shows us not only his personal predicament but the dilemma of all mankind the difficulty of accepting that which is “beyond words or reason.”
The tree, which is in the middle of the lower part of the icon, is a symbol of the Tree of Jesse. This tree refers to Isaiah 11:1-2, “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him.” King David was often mentioned as the son of Jesse and Jesus was from the House of David.
The Holy Icon of the Nativity reminds one to praise and glorify the Birth of Christ. The celebration of Christmas each year serves to remind each and every one of us that Christ came for you and me. And that’s the Good News!
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My hear leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7
Online Advent Icon Writing Class, Egg Tempera and Gold Leaf
Ethiopian Orthodox Icon of Mary Feeding the Christ Child, 15th century
Holy work, writing/painting icons is both an art and a spiritual discipline. In both cases, there is no substitute for experience. The best teacher can only show the way, but the student must practice many, many hours, ask questions, and get feedback from the teacher and their community as the long process of icon training unfolds through the years. One must be always studying, learning, praying.
TEACHING
Even the best teachers don’t have time to teach the ethos, spiritual discipline, and spiritual worldview necessary within the context of an icon writing class. I constantly find myself trying to squeeze this into class sessions but there are always so many painting demonstrations and other topics needed to cover that there just isn’t enough time. For that reason, I am including some key concepts here in this month’s blog that I hope will be helpful and give the reader time to meditate, contemplate, and journal about them. Each individual iconographer will have their own areas of concentration and skills that need attention- there is no right or wrong answer, but instead the slow development of a spiritual mindset and worldview that will enhance one’s Godly service in this area.
Russian Icon, 17th Century, Mother of God
Many of you are already familiar with the Divine Rules of an Iconographer, but I will include them here as they embody an ethos of combining love and work:
DIVINE RULES OF AN ICONOGRAPHER
• Before starting work, make the sign of the Cross; pray in silence and pardon your enemies.
• Work with care on every detail of your icon, as if you were working in front of the Lord Himself.
• During work, pray in order to strengthen yourself physically and spiritually; avoid all useless words, and keep silence.
• Pray in particular to the Saint whose face you are painting. Keep your mind from distractions, and the Saint will be close to you.
•When you choose a color, stretch out your hands interiorly to the Lord and ask His Counsel.
• Do not be jealous of your neighbor’s work; his /her success is your success too.
•When your icon is finished, thank God that His Mercy granted you the grace to paint the Holy Images.
• Have your icon blessed by putting it on the Holy Table of your parish church. Be the first to pray before it, before giving it to others.
• Never forget:
the joy of spreading icons throughout the world. the joy of the work of icon writing.
the joy of giving the Saint the possibility to shine through his/her icon.
the joy of being in union with the Saint whose face
you are revealing.
Saint Benedict Icon written by Christine Hales
WORK IS A HOLY GIFT
And so, our thoughts and attitudes while working are so important to the sacredness of the icon we are creating. “Each thought, each action in the sunlight of awareness becomes sacred. In this light, no boundary exists between the sacred and the profane.” Thich Nhat Hanh
Work is a holy gift. In his Rule, Saint Benedict states that all tools of the monastery are sacred and worthy of reverence. What are the sacred tools of the work we do?
“Just in the way the desert mothers and fathers reminded us that our cells can teach us everything, so can the work that we return to day after day be a place of inner transformation….As I listen for what the work needs at this stage and how it wants to come to birth in this world, I discover my own places which need releasing or ways to express my ideas with more clarity…Then consider whether it is possible for you to remember why you do the work. Can you do it out of love, recognizing that transformation occurs even there? Are there ways to bring love to things you find challenging and reframe them so that they rise like music and lift up your creative heart?” Christine Valtners Paintner , Abbey of the Arts.
This and the image above, attributed to:Beatus, 9th century Illuminated Manuscript
I’ll close for this month with one more quote from Christine Valtners Paintner, Abbess of the virtual Abbey of the Arts, Ireland; “What difference would it make if you truly believed that your work makes a difference in the world, that the world needs what you have to offer…God invited each one of us in every moment to respond to our unique call.”
May God continue to bless the work of your hands, and hearts,
Renewal in Liturgical Art- Encompassing Differing Worldviews in One Faith
A world view is a pattern of ideas and beliefs. Everyone seeks answers to the questions of “why are we here? What is the meaning and purpose of life? Is there a difference between right and wrong? Is there a God? Do our actions have consequences? Is there a connection between this visible world and an invisible one? Our world view helps us to make sense of our being, our God, our purpose in this world. The Christian worldview has a narrative of all history, as told in the Old and New Testaments.
What is our world view as Christian artists and Iconographers? For each of us this may be defined differently with fine nuances, depending on our denominational affiliations. The Eastern and Western Churches evolved from the same beginning, yet have grown to have differences in art, liturgy, theology, etc.
So, finding common ground, much as our forefathers and mothers all experienced in the early church, is a worthy goal for Sacred Art makers of today.
Christian Renewal
The renewal of the mind involves a transformation of the way a person thinks and lives, which can be achieved through the power of the Holy Spirit as we reflect on God’s word. By being transformed in this way, believers can discern what is good, acceptable, and perfect according to God’s standards.
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think>”. Romans 12:2
I’ve researched some very good books on related subjects and have gathered some thoughts for you. I include at the end of this article titles and authors of each book mentioned here.
Liturgical Art Renewal
Our goal, as iconographers, is to help others to see the sacred more deeply proclaim the Gospel more faithfully and pray together more honestly, using our eyes, our hearts, and our minds. And our hands.
An icon mediates or contains the Holy Presence
“The artist’s task is not merely to record but also to present the result of the encounter as it is shaped by that disciplined imagination…One can be in a kind of dialogue with the thing being observed or between the thing imagined and that which is produced.
Christian worship is aided immeasurably by our sense of sight. In worship we see each other and gain a glimpse of what it means to be the body of Christ.” Beauty, Spirit, Matter, Icons in the Modern World., Aidan Hart
“The spirit which knows God naturally comprehends divine beauty and seeks to delight in it alone. . .To contemplate divine beauty, to delight in it and partake in it is a requirement of the Spirit and is its life and heavenly life.” Theophan the Recluse (1880)
The icon is a radical way of seeing and therefore suggests a radical way of acting. When we look at an icon we are seeing as a saint sees.
An icon is not merely a painting of a religious subject but a crystallization of a whole culture, a culture which worships God and therefore venerates the material world that He created as a gift.’
Art is something essential to the shaping of faith and religious experience.
Sacred art is always abstract, in that word’s literal sense. In that it draws out the essence of its subject. It uses stylistic abstraction to suggest these invisible realities….Sacred art typically reveals the union of the inner with the outer, the invisible with the visible. Iconographic depictions of great suffering, such as the Crucifixion, keep this suffering united to love and hope. They show that the suffering is genuine, but they also show that this suffering is on the road to the Resurrection. An icon always joins opposites.
An icon brings the good news into the world by showing the face of Jesus Christ: God became man. Moreover, through Christ, the icon reveals to us the true image of humanity transfigured and deified; it is the image of the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom that is to come and that will restore the harmony now marred by sin…if an icon depicts a saint, its real purpose is to bring us face to face with someone in whom God’s goodness shines forth.” Irina Yazykova
“Eyes of fire perceive each thing as the outer sign of an inner fact, or the local sign of a distant power. For such eyes nothing is lonely matter, all things are caught up in a mysterious, ultimately divine whole that challenges understanding over a lifetime. Eyes of flesh focus on the thing itself, eyes of fire on facts but still more intently on their participation in a larger meaning by which they are raised.” An Art of Our Own, the Spiritual in Twentieth Century Art, Roger Lipsey
Books and Related Links
The Substance of Things Seen, Art, Faith, and the Christian Community by Robin M. Jensen
An Art of Our Own, the Spiritual in Twentieth Century Art, Roger Lipsey
Beauty, Spirit, Matter, Icons in the Modern World, Aidan Hart
Eyes of Fire, Christine Hales
An Excellent Series of Talks at the Cathedral of All Saints Divine, Albany NY, by Brynna Carpenter-Nardone :
One of the difficulties with creating icons or works of art depicting Jesus is that we don’t really have any eyewitness drawings or paintings from people who actually saw him while he was alive.
Legend has it that Saint Luke was commissioned to paint a portrait of Mary and the Christ Child and that was the first eye witness portrait of Jesus.
We know that early Christian art had to be symbolic because until 313 when Constantine legalized Christianity, Christians were being killed and persecuted for their faith so it was dangerous to be carrying or sharing images of Christ.
Ancient Panel paintings derived from the Egyptian panel paintings of gods and goddesses, therefore, the very early Christian panel paintings have similar compositions and figures replacing images of Egyptian gods with Christian imagery . As Christians found NEW WAYS OF VISUALIZING THE DIVINE, specifically in mosaics, Icons, and mural paintings for monasteries, icon panel paintings began to flourish.
The theological significance that Christians gave to their icons was in many ways more exalted than the ancient Egyptians had given to their sacred images. As the Christian movement spread, naturally, each culture depicted Jesus as looking like them. To the Chinese, he looked Chinese, to the Indians, he looked Indian, to the Africans He is black, and so forth. The icons of early Christianity were expressions of beliefs and Biblical stories.
Early Christian artists were concerned with representing Christ, God made man. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only son of the Father. Early Christians had faith that they saw God through Christ.
The early panel paintings of Roman Egypt, and through them, the early icon panels, are the seeds of the development European painting. This influence can be seen as late as post Renaissance artists like Michelangelo, Raphael, and a whole host of more modern artists like Rembrandt, El Greco and many more.
While Icons exemplified a new understanding of the liturgy, with the central focus on the Eucharist, this not something you could say about religious paintings after the renaissance. Part II of this blog will cover sacred art and icons from the 7th century onward.
In the fourth century there was a move away from statuary. Icon painting, illumination, and mosaics became the primary methods of representing the Divine. Icons proliferated at this time, with many different styles of depicting Christ.
The fifth century is the age of great visions in Church decoration, and by the end of the century, Icons were impacting church decoration in a major way. At this time there arose many versions of Christ on portable panel paintings and evidenced in the Church of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul,
CHRIST IN GLORY. In the image of Jesus we have a vision of Christian spirituality and the universal, the human, the life of the spirit.
PANTOCRATOR The image of Jesus bridges worlds, between the human and the divine, between heaven and earth.
GOOD SHEPHERD– A long lasting Symbolic image of Christ
Sacred Geometry
Sacred Geometry: Greek artists and mathematicians believed the golden ratio to be the unifying principle of the universe and to be responsible for the beauty within design and sound. It’s a deep subject that I won’t go into here, but I have written about it in more detail in my book, “Eyes of Fire”, for those who are interested.
For now, I will tell you that the golden ratio produces an order of such great intelligence that it was considered sacred by those who knew it. An important aspect of the golden ratio is that it has an integrated relationship with unity. The circle, often found in nature, is many times used in art to represent God. It is a form without beginning or end.
Iconoclasm
By the seventh century, theological debate arose over the belief that the icon was incarnational- its holiness deriving from the fact that because God had assumed physical matter, the icons could be a valid representation of God’s presence also. The iconoclastic controversy arose at this time with heated debate and at times whole sale destruction of icons if they were perceived to violate the second commandment. It requires the second council of Nicea in the ninth century to resolve this issue. Icons were intimately connected with the origins and growth of Christianity itself.
A lot has been written about this period of iconoclasm, and it is a controversy that seems to repeat itself in the Reformation in Europe in the 1500 and 1600’s. For the 6th and seventh century destruction of religious images preceded the split between the Eastern and Western churches, each of whom developed a unique approach to religious art from that period onward. The Roman Church preferred statuary and romantic paintings as church decoration and the Eastern Church developed a flattened, symbolic use of visual images in the Icons.
It’s interesting to note that the Celtic Church in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany also had an ultimately disunifying encounter with the steady movement forward of the centralized Roman Church by the 7th century. Monastic life under the rule of St. Columba was much more stringent than the Rule of Saint Benedict and became increasingly unpopular. The Synod of Whitby in 664 sought to resolve the conflict and this resulted in a steady decline of the Celtic church.
I’m not a historian by any means, and I only study history in relation to the development of art and culture, but the simultaneity of these two conflicts is interesting. Please comment below with perceptions or redirects that may make a contribution to our understanding of the conflicts involved in creating religious art. Many of you are from Russia, Ukraine, Greece, and other countries with perhaps a different perspective of the history of Christian art. It would be fascinating to pool together our knowledge and perceptions over the course of time and be able to share that with our communities and coming generations of sacred artists.
Next month will be Part II, moving forward from the Nicean Council and Saint John of Damascus’ brilliant defense of icons to present day developments in religious imagery that builds up the church. I feel that a thorough understanding of the history of Christian art will be an invaluable aid to those of us creating icons and religious imagery today.
That’s all for this month, May God continue to bless the work of your hands and give you holy inspiration to create icons and religious paintings that build up His holy church.
This Monastic spiritual practice of prayer, Scriptural reading, and meditation, although usually undertaken with a Bible and a prayer journal, can also be used very effectively with Icons as well. Sometimes this is called “Visio Divina”. Because Icons are meant to be Holy Scripture in visual form, they add a level of understanding and identifying with the Scripture and are particularly helpful with visual people in meditation.
Many icons easily lend themselves to this practice of meditation, for example, many of the Festal Icons of the Orthodox Church: The Nativity of Christ, The Baptism of Jesus, the Annunciation, The Resurrection, Crucifixion, Lamentation, Pentecost, The Entry into Jerusalem, and several others beautifully illustrate Holy Scripture and provide meditation opportunities for the liturgical year.
Crucifixion Icon written by Christine Hales
One of the main purposes of Lectio, or Visio, Divina is to promote a personal communion with God while also studying Scripture. It’s not primarily intended as a theological analysis of Biblical passages but rather as a means of personally entering into the scene or Biblical passage and asking God what He wants to teach or show you in this prayer and meditation. It can be a very personal interpretation that sheds light on areas of our lives that need us to grow in our understanding of them.
Transfiguration Icon Written by Christine Hales
The roots of this kind of Scriptural meditation go back to Origen in the third century who thought of Scripture as a Sacrament. The practice was handed down through many generations of Christian leaders, including St. Augustine of Hippo. Saint Benedict of Nursia encouraged his monks to practice Lectio Divina in the sixth century. During the twelfth Century the practice of Lectio Divina was simplified to include four main parts:
First, The Reading of a Scriptural passage (or, choose an Icon AND a Scriptural Passage).
Second, meditate on the passage and the icon. I suggest that using journaling thoughts and prayers to be very helpful tools in this process.
Third, pray, talk to Christ, ask questions, pour out your heart to Him, ask for His direction.
Fourth, Contemplation and Meditation. Spend time in silence with the Icon before you and allow the peace of the silence to be a space where you can just rest with God. Again, after contemplation, journaling is very helpful.
Saint Benedict Icon Written by Christine Hales
Saint Benedict created a Rule for his monastics that included three main things: Liturgical Prayer, manual labor, and Lectio Divina- the slow, careful reading of Scripture, meditating and pondering of the meaning.
In the twelfth Century, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux thought that Lectio Divina guided by the Holy Spirit the keys to nourishing Christian spirituality.
Russian Orthodox Icon of “Entry into Jerusalem”, fifteenth century
As time went on, many other monastic orders emphasized the importance of Lectio Divina to the spiritual life and this has continued with the second Vatican Council in 1965 and then again in 2005 with Pope Benedict and then Pope John Paul II, who used a questions and answer format: “One condition for Lectio Divina is that the mind and heart be illumined by the Holy Spirit, that is, by the same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures, and that they be approached with an attitude of ‘reverential hearing.”
In our times, Lectio Divina has spread to lay people and has been widely adopted in the Anglican Tradition as well.
The famous Henri Nouen was instrumental in bringing meditation with icons to the fore in Western Christianity, reminding us that for well over a thousand years Icons were the liturgical art of both the West and East, in the undivided Church. His book, “Behold the Beauty of the Lord” is a classic and details his deepening experience of living with four icons in particular.
Face of Christ Icon by Andre Rublev 15th century
“WhIle staying at L’Arches in France, someone had put a reproduction of Rublev’s icon of the Holy Trinity on the table of the room where Henri was staying. “After gazing for many weeks at the icon,” Henri wrote in Behold the Beauty of the Lord, “I felt a deep urge to write down what I had gradually learned to see.’” Quote from an online article by Jim Forest, a good friend of Nouen’s.
Icons played a major role in Nouen’s spiritual life and development, no doubt with the accompaniment of prayer and reading of Holy Scripture. There are many books on the subject, for example, “Lectio Divina-the Sacred Art-Transforming Words and Images Into Heart Centered Prayer” by Christine Valtners Paintner, PHD, “Meeting God in Scripture: A Hands on Guide to Lectio Divina”, by Jan Johnson, and many more. Connecting this ancient practice to Icon writing and praying with icons is helpful in growing our connection with God through our work.
Recently, while teaching an online Icon writing class, I shared some prayers and quotations I have long cherished from Esther De Waal’s excellent book, “Seeking God, The Way of Saint Benedict.” Afterwards, I started reading again her book, “The Celtic Way of Prayer” which inspired me to compare and contemplate Byzantine culture and Icons with Celtic Spirituality and Celtic icons.
The Celtic Way of Prayer
She explains that the Celtic way of prayer is a way of praying that embraces all of ourselves, allowing us to pray not only with words, but with our hearts, feelings, and body. A lot of Celtic prayer is poetry, reaching out to God using symbols and images, and imagination either verbally or mentally or physically in some other way. Here, I was thinking of how we pray while writing icons, and how writing icons allows us to pray also with our whole selves. In this sense, writing icons becomes a journey that we take with Christ, allowing Him to guide and show us our true selves in Him.
Praying/writing/painting icons involves our hands and our minds, and our very breath becomes a prayer as we work. Celtic Christianity originates from a time when the separation of the Eastern and Western churches had not yet been thought of. Back in the ancient, early days of Christendom, the Book of Kells was a visual testimony to the Celtic Christian faith in rich symbols, colors, shapes and patterns in much the same way that icons were in the eastern countries. These images touch a deep part of our being with their intricacies, woven imageries and words proclaiming the Gospel in all its mystery and beauty.
Book of Kells
Monasteries were home to both the Book of Kells and ancient Eastern icons, making clear to us that there need be no separation between praying, living and working. Writing icons is a process of uniting our thoughts, hands and breath in prayer and praise to God, allowing our worship of God to flow into the art work. Clearly, the Book of Kells is just a different way of expressing visually the same process as icon writing.
Continual prayer and work become our Opus Dei, and we are blessed to experience a monastic grace as we work on icons. However, the Celtic way is to celebrate this rhythm of prayer and work in ordinary life, removing the dichotomy of holy vs secular life. As the ancient Celts were largely outside the purview of the Roman Empire, they were free to develop a very strong connection with nature, sun, sky, water, land, fire as elemental forces in their Christian spirituality. In part, due to this deep connection with nature, they early Celtic have a universal, primal tone in their prayers and worship. The Celtic connection between God, man, nature, animals, birds, and other wild creatures allows for a holistic world view that permeates our senses in ways that are beyond our ability to rationally understand.
In this way, the mystical communion of saints enter into our world, through our remembrance of them in song, prayer, and art, helping us to maintain our understanding of our place in time, and our significance in God’s eternal plan. We become aware that everything we engage and encounter is relational, and we exist in the same relational way with God.
The Byzantine culture and worship is well known for its ability to involve us through all of our senses in the beautiful churches that have multitudes of icons, music, and incense. Similarly Celtic spirituality uses our perception of nature to engage our senses as we worship.
“O Father! O Son! O Spirit Holy! Be the Triune with us day and night, On the machair plain or on the mountain ridge, Be the Triune with us and His arm around our head, Be the Triune with us and His arm around our head”. From “The Celtic Way of Prayer, Esther DeWaal.
As this is the American Association of Iconographers, and thus, a culture made up of a myriad of nationalities, it’s interesting to contemplate the Irish, or Celtic form of Icon writing as well as the more well known forms of Byzantine, Greek, etc.
I hope this has been thought provoking and please do keep all iconographers lifted in prayer as we continue the important work of understanding and creating icons for our time.
Some Useful Links:
Betsy Porter hosts an online meeting for iconographers one Sunday afternoon a month, covering topics interesting and informative for iconographers: NEW ONLINE ZOOM CLASSES, Sunday October 17, November 14, and December 12, 2021, 2 to 3 PM Pacific time. We will look at each other’s work and discuss iconography. No charge, but donations to the church are always welcome. For a link, contact me at 510-517-5360 Betsy Porter, betsyhartporter@yahoo.com
Dorothy Alexander hosts an icon writing workshop in Santa Barbara, California. It’s a drop in workshop where you can bring your own icons to work on and enjoy fellowship, usually once a month. Email: dotalexander@westmont.edu
A lovely new book about Andrey Rublev, “Andrey Rublev, The Artist and His World”, by Robin Milner-Gulland not only gives a detailed picture of the world Rublev created in, but is also beautifully illustrated with color prints. The result is one of the most detailed and innovative books on the subject that I’ve seen. I highly recommend it to all interested in understanding more about Rublev and the importance of his work artistically and spiritually.
Community can be difficult and takes time. When I started this blog and the American Association of Iconographers back in 2014 I wasn’t sure what direction it would take. I recognized a need for an American School of Iconographers- people who were learning from the Greek, Russian, Romanian and English iconographers who are actively teaching this ancient art world wide, but who would eventually, through much study, practice, and guidance, begin to evolve a style of icon writing that was uniquely their own.
Last Supper Icon written by Christine Hales
It has to do with identity and all the things that influence the healthy growth of identity. Our primary identity is in God, and we all have that in common. But even a cursory study of the history of iconography shows that different styles have developed over many places and times. And, theoretically, this growth needs to continue.
Creative community is vulnerable to many difficulties, but with God’s help, I believe we have begun to attract some highly creative, open minded iconographers who are willing to put aside individual differences in order to encourage and further this important opus dei in their fellows.
St. Benedict wrote his famous “Rule” in the sixth century to serve as a guide to forming and maintaining a community dedicated to glorifying God with their work, rest, and worship. Saint Benedict’s model for the monastic life was the family with the abbot as father and all the monks as brothers.
Saint Benedict Icon written by Christine Hales, based on the fresco of Fra Angelico
Saint Benedict’s Rule organises the monastic day into regular periods of communal and private prayer, sleep, spiritual reading, and manual labour – ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus, “that in all [things] God may be glorified” (cf. Rule ch. 57.9).
Some adaptation of this rule might be beneficial to those of us seeking to form community as iconographers, albeit a global virtual community. The FB group page (American Association of Iconographers) would be a good place to share ideas on this.
Early 19th Century Icon, Russian “Union of Love” (Sourced from Temple Gallery Catalogue Christmas 2004)
The FB group for the American Association of Iconographers is open to all who care to join with the spirit of unity, peace, and kindness. It is intended to be a place where iconographers can share their experiences, ongoing projects, questions, or relevant links and articles that will serve to widen the education and perspective of iconographers today. More recently, it seems, iconographers have wanted to use that platform for self promotion.
TO address this issue, I am offering to create a separate page for this website that will list members, show a photo, give their website, and a short description of their work.
Membership in the AAI has always been and will remain without financial cost, but to join at the level of being represented worldwide on a separate page to other people interested in icons, there will be a fee of $35 to cover the costs of maintaining that page.
If you are interested in participating on this level, please email me at: chales@halesart.com to begin. Meanwhile, keep taking the icon retreats, drawing classes, and religious studies, and reach out with emails and FB comments and be willing to share your gifts and to help others.
“Resurrection and Feasts” Russian, Late 17th Century, (Sourced from Temple Gallery Catalogue, Christmas, 2004)
May God continue to bless the work of your hands, and guide your thoughts, plans and actions to all that is pleasing to Him, Almighty God.
Every icon has a theological background. Using images, forms and colors, the icon shows what Holy Scripture is teaching us by the Word. The icon offers us truth as a vision, and thereby is a direct approach to our non-reasoning mind and heart, allowing us thereby to reach a deeper understanding of the Biblical message. From the early development of icons to the present, the theological meaning of the icon is always connected to a concrete representation.
Considering the icon of the Holy Trinity painted by Russian iconographer Andrei Rublev in the fifteenth century, we have a very clear representation of the biblical passage Genesis 18:1-8. The Trinity represents the three angels who visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. Rublev’s intention for this icon was for it to embody spiritual unity, peace, harmony, mutual love and humility.
The composition of the icon uses sacred geometry to create a perfect circle that encloses the figures of the three angels. The left angel represents God the Father who is blessing the cup. The central angel represents Jesus Christ- his blue robe represents his divinity. He accepts the cup, bowing, and it is generally believed that this cup symbolizes the Eucharist and the sacrifice of Jesus.
The oak of Mamre symbolizes not only the tree of life, but also the death of Jesus on the cross. The mountain is a symbol of spiritual ascent that man accomplishes with the help of the Holy Spirit. The inclination of the angels’ heads demonstrate submission to the Father on the left.
Typical of Rublev’s icons, the faces of the angels are shown illuminated by an inner light, and not as a reflection of an exterior light source. His technique foregoes the white lines often used in painting faces in icons, using instead a method of paint application called “plav”. This method crates a radiance and a glowing countenance that achieves nuances of form and expression which also suggest unity and harmony.
In the icon of the Trinity, Rublev preferred transparent colors in blue-green tones that he combined with the technique of scumbling to achieve a luminous presence that also speaks to the heavenly nature of the three angels. The term “dymon pisano”, meaning transparent like a cloud”, is sometimes used to describe this technique.
Rublev’s icons appear to be more natural than those of the Palaeologue period. Their transparency reflects harmony of matter and mind. The essential nature of the icon is that it is the expression of Christian revelation. For Rublev, the drawing-design dominated the process of icon writing. His intention was to create harmony and unity through perfect contours and lines.
In the Trinity icon, the drawing of the central angel’s garment is very geometric. The angels on the sides, in contrast, are drawn with a gentle, calm movement. Similarly, the blue garment of the central angel is opaque and built up with layers, but the two side angels’ garments are transparent with touches of white.
In the Trinity icon, the complex theology of the Holy Trinity is represented by the unity of the three angels. The spiritual nature of God’s Divine Essence as the triune God is depicted as simply three angels. In this icon, we are invited not to look at three separate angels, but instead, to the Holy Trinity, the Triune God.
All-Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy God, visit and heal us For Thy Name’s sake.
My next Zoom, online icon writing class will be April 18-21 and we will be painting the Holy Trinity Icon using egg tempera and gold leaf gilding. For more information click here.
May God continue to bless your interest in creating and praying with Holy Icons.
American Association of Iconographers 