![]() ![]() Because the subject of the icon is transfigured by the love of Christ, the light of the icon is interior, not exterior as in other forms of art. The physical features of the icon are also very important in conveying this symbolic spiritual language. ![]() While the saints gaze into eternity – focused on the divinity – the transfigured person is not avoiding the earthly realm but rather gently addressing it and calling it to be transfigured in Christ as well. The subject of the icon is usually depicted looking straight ahead, or at a 3/4 angle. Andrei Rublev, the great Russian iconographer of the fifteenth century, is depicted holding the icon of the Trinity which he painted (and which some regard as the standard for all other icons). Martyrs are depicted holding the crown of martyrdom, the cross, or the instrument of their martyrdom. Paul the epistles, and great spiritual writers a scroll. The evangelists are depicted holding the gospels, St. The blessing hand is formed in the monogram of the name of Christ, ICXC, just as an Orthodox priest blesses. Bishops are usually depicted wearing some episcopal designation, holding the gospel, and giving a blessing. In icons of single saints, the saint is also usually depicted with the instrument of his or her salvation. People of importance in icons are often depicted as larger than other people in the icon and are always indicated by name on the icon. In this language of iconography, certain meanings are ascribed to the subjects of the icon. The iconographer must understand what parts of the icon he can adjust using his best artistic skills and what parts of the icon he ought to leave intact. Depicting these teachings requires a studious understanding of Orthodoxy, meditation, attention to detail, and artistic skill. The painting of iconography must not be based on artistic speculation, emotion, or abstract ideas but soundly on the teachings of the Orthodox Church. The communion with the Divine to which the icon calls us is achieved through a symbolic language in which clothing styles, colors, gestures, architecture and human form in the icon are fixed. ![]() Icons assist us in prayer as well as we gaze upon them quietly and patiently. ![]() The simplicity of the icon is not meant to stir our emotions but rather to quietly invite us to leave the world for a moment and guide every emotion toward the contemplation of the Divine. It is painted as a “window into heaven,” a physical means which allows us to gaze into the invisible spiritual reality. It is not painted to depict the mundane, everyday life, but rather the spiritual realm. Yet the icon is not meant to excite our external senses. In a society more familiar with western art, we are concerned with the response of our external, empirical senses. At first they appear distorted and unreal, almost impressionist, full of symbolism. One of the first things which I discovered about icons before converting to Orthodoxy is that icons are initially not easy to see. All naturalism, whether it is spacial, figural or proportional, is set aside and man, landscape, and architecture are shown in a transfigured state. One great task of the icon is to proclaim the wonder and mystery of Christ, the Theotokos and the saints, while reminding us they were human like we are, and calling us to the same spiritual perfection which Christ’s incarnation allows us to seek. While the incarnation is the basis of iconography, the icon itself, in its role as a window into Heaven, affirms the incarnation and speaks of God’s great mysteries. Our theology impacts all parts of the icon, from how the face is painted, to the robes, to even the “scenery” of the festal icons. If Christ had not become incarnate, and had not revealed to us his transfigured glory on the Mount, it would be impossible to depict the spiritual realm of Heaven in icons. It is because Christ became man and allowed man to glimpse the divine glory of heaven that we are able to paint icons and venerate images of Christ, the Theotokos and the saints. 1:15), and His transfiguration on Mount Tabor offers support of this (Matt. Christ is “the icon of the invisible God” (Col. “And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The very meaning of the icon has as its foundation the incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ. What the Gospels proclaim with words, the icon proclaims visually. People are greatly influenced by what they contemplate, and so the Church, in its love for its faithful, has given us iconography in order to help us contemplate God. The iconography of our Orthodox Church, with all of its symbolism and spiritual meaning, is central to the Church’s teaching. It explains some of the theology of the icon, its use, symbolism, how/why characters are portrayed, etc. The following, which I have edited, was written by iconographer Michael Goltz. ![]()
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