An Orthodox Overview on The Holy Icons

In the Orthodox tradition the icon is not merely an adornment in the church building or an object to be used in worship: people pray before it, they kiss it and treat it as a sacred object.

In spite of the existence of icons from distant antiquity there have at various times been tendencies opposed to the veneration of icons. In the seventh and eighth centuries these tendencies culminated in the iconoclast heresy that was condemned at the Seventh Ecumenical Council. The perennial accusation of the iconoclasts against the venerators of icons was that of idolatry. The basic argument was the Old Testament prohibition to depicting God: ‘You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God’ (Ex.20:4-5). It is obvious, however, that the words quoted are directed at the idols of pagan peoples who worshipped them.

The New Testament is the revelation of God Who became man and Who could be seen by people. That which is invisible cannot be depicted in images, while that which is visible can be depicted as it is no longer the product of fantasy, but a reality. St John of Damascus presents us with the notion that the Old Testament prohibition of depicting the invisible God points towards the possibility of depicting Him when He becomes visible: ‘It is obvious that when you contemplate God becoming man, then you may depict Him clothed in human form. When the invisible One becomes visible to flesh, you may then draw His likeness... Use every kind of drawing, word, or colour’.

The iconoclast heresy of the eighth century was a continuation of the Christological heresies discussed at earlier Ecumenical Councils. The defense of icons became a defense of the belief in the Incarnation of Christ, for iconoclasm was one of the ways of denying the reality of this Incarnation. For the Orthodox, the icon is not an idol substituting the invisible God, but a symbol and sign of His presence in the Church. The Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council concurred with St Basil the Great in saying that ‘the honour rendered to the image goes over to the Prototype’. The Council insisted that, in bowing down to the icon, the Christian does not worship wood and colours, but the one depicted on wood — Christ, the Holy Virgin, the saints. There is therefore nothing in common between idolatry and the veneration of icons. The icon is not something standing before the human person as a sole and self-sufficient object for worship. It is not even something placed between the person and God. To use the expression of Fr Paul Florensky, the icon is a window onto the other world: through the icon the human person comes into direct contact with the spiritual world and those who live there.

(The Holy Icons: An Online Orthodox Catechism, Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate)

(photo credit-Andrew Gould, Orthodox Arts Journal, July 12, 2012)

At the Cross her station keeping/ Loving Mother unrelenting/ Close to Jesus to the last

I grieve for thee O Mary... photo by F. Po Ng on Flickr.

I grieve for thee O Mary, most sorrowful,
in the martyrdom which thy generous heart endured
in standing near Jesus in his agony.
Dear Mother, by thy afflicted heart,
obtain for me the virtue of temperance
and the gift of counsel.

Amen.

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Wisdom!

Let us attend!


More honorable than the Cherubim,
and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim,
Thee who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word,
the very Theotokos,
Thee do we magnify!


Kyrie Eleison,
Christe Eleison,
Kyrie Eleison!

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, both now and ever unto the ages of ages!

Amen.

upload

upload, a photo by F. Po Ng on Flickr.

Kristong Pang-prusisyon2

acrylic and 24k russian gold leaf on gessoed board; Paltok, QC.

WIP #processional #icons

WIP #processional #icons, a photo by F. Po Ng on Flickr.

Kristong Pang-prusisyon

acrylic and 24k russian gold leaf on gessoed board; Paltok, QC.

Four Murals-College of the Immaculate Conception, Cab. N.E., PH. with Ms. Gracita D.

Four Murals-College of the Immaculate Conception, Cab. N.E., PH. with Ms. Gracita D., a photo by F. Po Ng on Flickr.

Collaborative Project (2011) with Ms. Gracita D.

"Pagsibol"
"Pagtuklas"
"Pagpapayaman"
"Pagpapabunga"

Four panels: acrylic on canvas and gesso, fiberglass panels; College of the Immaculate Conception, Cabanatuan, NE, Ph.

(ICON AND PRAYER3) AWAKENING

"By way of contrast, Orthodox iconography is grounded not in the individual artist's ego, but in tradition, and represents an image of God and his saints... They are venerated not because of the name of the artist, but because of the subject he depicts... I turned from the empty pursuit of modern artist, who think the way to freedom and spiritual truth is through breaking the rules, and instead yoked myself to the liberating strictures of Holy Tradition, and in so doing found freedom and true spirituality."
(Vladimir Grygorenko, Icon-writer)

frescoes by the brothers Ioan and Sofronie of Suceava in 1595 (Moldavia, Romania). 

Photo Mick Palarczyk.

Grygorenko's beautiful description of the holy vocation of icon-writing captures that which has long been stirring in me since I discovered the art of iconography years while I was still in the seminary. Icon-writing provides for me the perfect marriage between the call to serve as a priest and my passion for the visual arts. If situated in a suitably tranquil and peaceful environment, one can hear through this holy exercise a subtle echo of the Holy Forerunner's declaration: "He must increase, I must decrease."

Indeed, there is hardly anything else left in our modern society which does not promote excessive self-indulgence. Our lives and the environment in which we live and move about have become so hopelessly permeated with things designed to heighten the craving for attention and recognition. Ironically, human history has never experienced pain, suffering, deprivation, enslavement and isolation more than in these times of supposed advancements in many disciplines.

Even our places of worship, where we hope to at least find solace and refuge from the ravages of the cult of the self in the outside world, are not spared. Churches and oratories, some of which have been around for generations have, in many instances, fallen prey to the ego-tripping of whoever is currently their steward and door-keeper. Once majestic altars and precious sanctuary appointments have periodically been ripped off their secure and prominent placements, only to be replaced by cheap, mass-produced monstrosities and bathroom tiles - all because of "father so and so" or "mr. and mrs. benefactors'" less than noble pursuit of promoting their names for public adulation rather than the glory and worship of God.

It is in the light of these tragedies that the icon and the holy work of icon-writing offer us today a possibility of being restored back to true worship of the Lord and service to our neighbors.

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frescoes by the brothers Ioan and Sofronie of Suceava in 1595 (Moldavia, Romania).

 Photo Mick Palarczyk.

Iconography does not begin with the artist asking: "what do I want to paint?" It does not commence in the mind of the artist. It does not begin with an idea conjured by the painter. It is not at the mercy of the painter's "artistic temperament" nor mood. The iconographer does not invent what he portrays. He is not at liberty to concoct shades, hues and shapes of his own liking. Rather, one submits to the call to write what was already communicated by the Icon of the invisible God, Our Savior, himself. He, the icon-writer, merely responds to the summon to be an extension, a conduit, a link to this on-going divine communication initiated by the Lord. 

What an iconographer portrays cannot be anything other than what God wants to communicate through him.

The iconographer, for all his skill and adeptness at the craft, therefore serves to be just a little more than a crude brush, a mere instrument, a tool subject to wear and tear. this is the reason why authentic icons are rarely or even never imprinted with the autograph of the painter. An icon comes to life not when the artist finally affixes his signature on it, but rather when it is already consecrated for use in prayer. And for all the exquisite techniques and aesthetic heights that this ancient art has achieved through the centuries, icons continue to be created not to decorate gallery and living-spaces, but rather to be used solely for praise and worship celebrations.

Paradoxically, it is because of the profundity and exclusivity of the icon's role in worship that its creation requires utmost precision and attention to details, sensitivity to what is truly beautiful and dignified, and painstaking devotion to all the steps to be undertaken in icon-writing: the choice of the wood for the panels, its preparation, the pigments, embellishments, etc. No expense should be spared though cost should not at all be a hindrance in producing a thing of beauty worthy of offering to the Lord. Even the very act of applying layers upon layers of delicately prepared pigments demands perseverance,patience and humility.

These things having been said, we can surmise that much remains to be desired if we are to make an honest appraisal of the general nonchalance and dismissive attitude of many among us concerning the important role of holy art especially in our spiritual well-being when seen in the light of this unbroken tradition of communicating the splendor of the gospels through beauty that our brethren in the Orthodox Faith have to offer us.

A humble disposition and a docile heart are needed if we are to allow this insight to ignite a spark in us.

Who knows, this might even provide us a possible answer as to why many nowadays seem to labor in vain trying to do ministry with dismal results. Maybe, part of the answer lies in the appropriateness and    dignity of the environment where it is conducted... or the perhaps the lack of it.

(ICON AND PRAYER 2) LEARNING AND UNLEARNING

"One of the first tasks of Iconology is to expand the frame of consciousness and to elevate the understanding of icons from its material definition as 'painting' to the contemplation of the uncreated Icon of God's revelation."
( Vladislav Andrejev, Questions of Iconology: Icon as Art, Life and faith; Prosopon Journal no.6, 2007; Pp. 11 )

Having discovered that the icon's exclusive and unique role in the life of the Church is its singular purpose of being a tool for worship and prayer, we now need to unlearn some misconceptions about icons in order for us to fully appreciate and spiritually benefit from them.

Icons are not to be regarded as mere "art pieces." They should be regarded as windows through which the seeker attempts to "reach out" to God, who initiates the salvific dialogue by reaching out to the one who venerates them.

It is for this reason that the process of producing an icon is not called painting. Rather, icons are written, hence, "iconography."

Paintings are products of human artifice. They are creations of the artist's genius and talent. In paintings, it is the artist who communicates whatever he fancies. It is the artist who is the boss, the celebrity, the one who is hailed for what has been crafted. The human author is central in any secular work of art. He, the artist, looms big and large over the community, the audience, and the patrons who snap up his latest works. Man IS the creator of the artwork. Art-making is exclusively within the province of humanity.

The exact opposite happens in iconography or icon-writing. Here, man recedes in the background. He is merely a co-creator, a participant, a collaborator in the whole enterprise of icon-making. Icons are the extensions of the mystery of the Incarnation of Our Lord. In each legitimately written Icon is being "given birth" again and again the Deified Humanity of the Un-circumscribable Eternal Word-made-flesh, whose glory is made manifest even in the images of his holy servants (the saints as icons of Jesus Christ who is The Icon of the Most Holy trinity). God's true authorship of the icon is the reason behind one of the most ancient description of the icon as that which is "not-made-by-human-hands," Acheiropoietos.

An icon's place in the community is NEVER on the walls of residences, galleries and museums. Icons are not to be regarded as some exquisite furnishings or objet d'art that complete the decoration of a room. They are rather "living and life-giving" presences of the Savior through His and His Saints' images, which ceaselessly open up the portals of the Heavenly Mansion to us here below. An icon's proper place can only be the sanctuary, the church temple, and its exclusive use is for worship and contemplation.

ONE CAN ONLY PROPERLY APPROACH AN ICON AS ONE WOULD HONOR AN INVITATION.

An icon to the one who contemplates it progressively becomes a portal, a gentle guide, a mirror, a window, a sanctuary and back to being a portal through which the soul, after each encounter, emerges renewed and transformed into an agent of transformation for others as well.

(ICON AND PRAYER 1) SILENT WITNESSES, QUIET PROCLAIMERS

It is ironic and even a bit awkward for anyone to "say" something about icon and prayer. Ironic because icons are themselves SILENT WITNESSES; They are QUIET PROCLAIMERS of the Gospel. Praying before icons is likewise standing quietly before the glorified faces of those who had been transformed by the light of the Risen Savior.

Praying before icons begins with the quieting of the self; the ordering of the external and internal chaos (disciplining and de-cluttering) that one brings with him, and proceeding in peace in the inward pilgrimage of being transported , through humble contemplation, from the various faces of the Holy Servants of God, the biblical and historical portrayals of salvific and miraculous episodes on the different types of icons, to the worship of the blessed countenance of the Incarnate Logos, Jesus Christ, THE DIVINE ICON OF GOD Himself.

To speak of Icons is to speak of dynamics, of energies, of movements and processes. Icons, though made entirely from natural materials (clay, pigments, linen, oil, metals, wood, etc.), are never inanimate. They pulsate with life and light. They engage those who contemplate them into a holy and privileged dialogue. Icons are windows through which we are given a glimpse of the glory that awaits us in our heavenly homeland.

Icons are silent invitations echoing to us the call of the Lord: "Come and see...(John 1:39)"

They are silent testimonies of those who have gone before us, those who emerged victorious from their earthly pilgrimage and are now encouraging us, guiding and protecting us, keeping us from harm's way, instructing us in the ways of holiness, and even cheering us on in our every little triumph over sin and evil on earth until we ourselves attain our celestial destination.

The Icon is a "locus" of transformation and re-creation. It is the mirror against which we are appraised of the state of our spiritual disposition, in order that we may become aware and conscious of where we are in our journey, and our constant need for the mercy and forgiveness of the Lord, as well as to be reconciled with our fellow pilgrims and strugglers; fellow beggars before the mercy-seat of the Almighty.

Icons are "real" and "living" presences of the Savior manifested to us through the many glorified members of His One, Holy and Glorified Body, the Church, of which he himself is the head.

In icons we are being introduced, initiated, instructed, guided, to become what God intends us to be; And to unlearn and be detached from the accumulated lies and "false icons" of ourselves that has encrusted our beings through the noise and darkness of sin.

Icons properly and reverently approached can be agents of our continuous REBIRTH in the life of grace. They can be oases of spiritual refreshment and sanctuary of healing and peace.