In times of uncertainty, we tend to seek solace in spirituality. Orthodox Christians understand this very well, and therefore icons are always hung on the walls in their homes so that they can pray. Some arrange them so that they look to the east when praying. For real Orthodox, icons are not just an element of decor, as in Western Europe, where, due to their high cost, they move from the category of a religious object to a simple home decoration.
To be convinced of this, it is enough on any Saturday or Sunday morning to stroll through the popular Izmailovsky market in Moscow, where, under normal conditions, tourists bargain for hand-painted icons in order to take them with them as souvenirs. Many locals buy the same images of saints with reverence.
The main difference between icons and religious paintings is that the former, although they are works of art, are at the same time a sacred object for the believer. The Orthodox believe that icons have a special power to facilitate prayer, i.e. they are not just an artistic object for contemplation. The Orthodox believe that the energy of icons is contained in a consecrated image, in which the saint himself is present. This is possible thanks to the blessing of the icon. When it is consecrated, a connection is established between the saint depicted on it and his face. In other words, the consecrated icon in itself already carries a miracle.
Miraculous object
It is believed that the first icons were painted in Ancient Egypt in the form of funerary portraits of the Hellenistic period. Byzantium, which absorbed the traditions of Hellenistic (late antique) art and some oriental practices, became the birthplace of Christian icon painting. From the territory of modern Turkey, the art of icon painting spread to the Balkan countries, and then to the territory of modern Russia, where in the 15th century this type of art achieved immense popularity in Moscow and Novgorod.
The most prominent painters of Ancient Russia were Theophanes the Greek and Andrei Rublev. Their works are considered the pinnacle of Russian medieval art and are ranked among the most valuable objects of the famous Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. It is remarkable that even at that time the names of these icon painters were preserved. In Western Europe, art remained anonymous for a very long time, and only the Renaissance brought with it a reappraisal of the artist's figure. Only during the Renaissance in Italy and France did artists begin to accurately sign their religious works, and then secular painting appeared in Western Europe, for which the artist's name was of fundamental importance.
In the 18th century, the icon fell into decay during the reign of Tsar Peter I, who loved Western customs and realistic painting depicting life as it is. But despite the position of the emperor, the tradition of icon painting was so rooted in Russia that it survived not only the Enlightenment and the 19th century, but also Soviet times, when any religion was persecuted.
The stupid opposition of science and religion in Russia weakened only towards the end of the twentieth century. But icon painting managed to live up to this moment, which gave it a chance for revival. In many ways, icon painting survived thanks to the continuation of this tradition in the few monasteries that survived in Russia until the end of the 20th century. And today many peoples of Eastern Europe find it in Russian icons an alternative way of artistic vision of the world.
Secret art
Entering an Orthodox Church is a truly unique experience. Its interior is decorated with frescoes and countless icons hanging on the walls or making up the iconostasis - a large partition that separates the main part of the temple from the altar. Statues and sculptures, unlike Western churches, are not found in Orthodox churches or are very rare. No benches or chairs are placed for the parishioners, they stand throughout the entire service - a kind of celebration in which the priests, the choir, and sometimes the parishioners sing together. The very word "Orthodoxy", which comes from "orto", "recto" and "doxa", which means "correct celebration".
The indistinctness of the images on the icons and the fact that the painted faces look old even in the case of relatively new icons - all this is explained by the symbolism of this art. The images contained in the Orthodox church are not realistic, they depict an ideal world. According to legend, if God did not take the form of a man in the figure of Christ, then, according to the Bible, it would be impossible to draw an icon. The old Jewish tradition, which forbade portraying people, also interfered. Until the seventh Ecumenical Council, held in the 7th century, the son of God could only be represented symbolically, in the form of a lamb.
Later, theological disputes ended with a great split between the Western and Eastern (Orthodox) churches. The icon was fixed as a key attribute of Orthodoxy.
Artistic trends
The icons most often depict the face of Jesus, and this image is inspired by images written during the life of the Savior: for example, the image of Jesus, written on the instructions of King Agbar, who was healed by him, who suffered from leprosy. Or the famous Savior Not Made by Hands - the imprint of the face of Christ on the scarf of a believing woman named Veronica. According to legend, Christ left this image when he brought this handkerchief to his face on the way to Calvary. This belief was very important for icon painters: if Christ left us his image, then the artist may try to copy it so that we can get closer to him in this way.
Another traditional theme in icon painting is the Mother of God - a great and kind woman who endured God in her womb. According to legend, the birth of God from an earthly woman through the immaculate conception became a sign from above, the grace of heaven to all mankind. And so this is another theme in icon painting. They say that the first such icon was written by Saint Luke, one of the four evangelists, that is, the authors of the books of the New Testament and personal disciples of Christ. Being personally acquainted with the Virgin Mary, he left us her lifetime image.
How to write an icon
Painting an icon may seem like a daunting process, but Orthodox churches such as the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, located on Aragon Street in Barcelona, often run icon painting courses. The first step in making an icon is preparing a wooden board with levkas applied to it. Levkas is a special white soil, which is prepared from chalk, crushed into powder and mixed with a "glue", preferably made from natural (animal or vegetable) components.
Then paint (tempera) is prepared and applied to this special primer called levkas. At the same time, the rules are observed: faces always have a very thin, elongated nose, ears always fit tightly to the head, indicating the need to listen to the voice of God within us. The eyes are always large and deep.
Icon painting is located somewhere between archaic painting and the avant-garde, because Orthodoxy does not use the rules of perspective established in the Renaissance, with a direct perspective that takes us deep into the picture. Instead, icons use reverse perspective, i.e. all lines are directed not to the horizon of the icon, but to the person who is looking at it. The idea is that the viewer himself is a part of the icon and instead of looking at it, “lives” inside it. As a part of the image, we seem to find ourselves in another world - for example, in paradise. Therefore, the icon never depicts shadows, because the divine light comes from inside the picture, from Eden. To simulate this, gold and blue are used, which symbolize divine light and eternity.
