![]() The resulting image is characterized by elegant line and detail, an appealing inner glow, subtle but luminous color effects, and a soft sheen. The careful technique and beautiful natural materials are similar to those used by the Old Masters. Several layers of highlights and transparent washes are applied over dark background colors. Egg tempera paint is hand-mixed of natural pigments (mostly pulverized minerals) in an emulsion of egg yolk with wine (or vinegar and water). The image is written in 23 or 24 karat gold leaf and egg tempera on a wood board covered with a layer of cloth and many coats of smooth white gesso, also known as levkas, concocted of chalk, marble dust, and animal-skin glue. Every material and step is symbolic, and part of a coherent system of symbolic meanings. ![]() The process requires a series of carefully executed steps, each of which takes an hour or two, for a total of at least 40 hours. This method, in itself devotional and ritualized, produces a “liturgically correct” icon, using only natural materials. 1370-1430), the famous Russian iconographer-monk. It is based primarily on the work of Saint Andrei Rublev (c. Andrejev learned this method secretly under the Soviet regime. The Prosopon Method: Although I have taken workshops with several instructors, I am most strongly drawn to the method of Vladislav Andrejev and his associates of the Prosopon School, with whom I have been studying since May 1997. They project an intense psychological presence, and may seem to return your gaze, or even to initiate the scrutiny. The holy figures are shown in a blessed state, suffused with golden light. Icons have been described as “windows into heaven” and as “making the invisible visible.” Even though somber events may be depicted, there is an underlying mood of confidence, joy, and sometimes a playful humor. ![]() Light comes primarily from within the figure. Folds in the garments converge and spiral into power points hair curls and waves with the saint’s energies and increasingly bright layers of highlights symbolize levels of consciousness. The image is diagrammatic as well as representational, floating on a sea of philosophy, theology, and mathematics. Perspective is flattened or even inversed. Out of respect for the commandment against graven images, Orthodox icons avoid strongly three-dimensional effects but the complex cubist-like highlights hint at spiritual dimensions. Both eyes and at least one ear must be visible to enable the holy figure to see and hear the viewer. The forehead (seat of the intellect) and the collar bone (gateway to the heart) are emphasized. Figures are elongated, eyes large and shadowed, eyebrows arched, noses long and straight, mouths closed, hands gracefully stylized. The underlying drawing is geometrically structured and proportioned. In iconography, a number of artistic rules and conventions apply. Other types include faces, full-length figures, traditional group scenes representing special days in the church calendar, and illustrations of Bible stories and legends of the saints. The most familiar icons are half-figures of Jesus, Mary holding the Christ Child, angels, saints, apostles, and prophets. Most historic examples are paintings in egg tempera on wood others are mosaic, fresco, embroidery, tapestry, precious metals, and enamel. There are numerous icon styles, most prominently Greek, Russian, Coptic, and Ethiopian. The discipline continues to evolve as a living art form. In recent years, iconography has attracted increased interest and many new practitioners. They were developed during the long-lived Byzantine Empire (330-1453) and its descendant cultures. Icons are strongly rooted in classical Greek and Roman art. More than just sacred art, icons are treated with great reverence, as part of an active relationship with the holy. Small icons may function as meditation objects and prayer companions. An Orthodox home will typically include a “beautiful corner,” where icons are displayed on a special shelf, and are greeted by visitors prior to greeting the residents. Each Orthodox church is adorned by an altar screen (iconostasis) covered with icons, as well as portable icons on stands. Some are reputed to perform healing miracles. These traditional images have historically been revered as equivalent in authority to Holy Scripture, as a visual expression of the Word of God. Some History and Background: “Icon” means simply “image.” The term here refers to sacred images, specifically those developed in the Orthodox Christian tradition.
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