Icon carving is an art which has been experiencing a great renewal in Orthodoxy all across the world. In the last 15 years we have seen several amazing icon carvers appear, with Aidan Hart in England, the Azbuhanov couple in Russia. The art of miniature carving has also been finding a quality it had lost in the last few centuries. I have shown some Serbian carvers here as examples of that, George Bilak and...
Lets now look at the nous as an organ of perception. In speaking of the soul, according to its different faculties, we tend to create a fragmented notion of it as consisting of mutually exclusive layers, rather than as an interrelated whole. Therefore, we tend to forget that the nous permeates all of man. Even though it is the innermost aspect of man, the eye of the heart, the “border” between the created and...
Icon as Symbolic Craftsmanship Although the technique of egg-tempera is ancient and predates the Christian period, it providentially has been adopted and retained by the tradition of icon painting. Encaustic was used but soon abandoned,which further confirms that not all methods have been deemed suitable by the tradition. Egg tempera tends to lend itself to a linear style that requires clear definition of form and austere precision of execution based on preliminary, well-articulated drawing....
Archetype and Symbol II: On Noetic Vision Upon reading the article Archetype and Symbol: Thoughts on the Creative Act, my friend wrote asking me to clarify a few things. The following article qualifies the term “ noetic vision of archetypes,” re-examines the notion of “abstracting the universal from the particulars,” and expands on the role of the geometric in iconographic representation. Dear C., I should begin by a clarification of the term, “noetic...
The Saint John of Damascus Society has announced a new collaborative effort that we’re really excited about, and we need your support and participation! The background: Hal Sabbagh, the president of our executive board, was inspired by the apparent discovery last summer of the Higgs boson to develop with me and the rest of the board a multimedia composition project that is meant to be thought-provoking about issues of faith and science, and what...
« … it happened that I fell into a sin very dangerous to my soul. But as it was not in my habit to hide a serpent in the depths of my heart, I seized it by the tail and found it immediately to be a doctor.” St-John Climacus citing a monk. Ladder of Divine Ascent, degree 4, paragraph 697a One of the most surprising images one is faced with considering Orthodox liturgical symbolism is...
____________________________________________________________ Editorial note: We have convinced Aidan Hart to post a chapter from his new book. “Techniques of Icon and Wall Painting” which is being hailed as the most comprehensive book to date on practicing the art of Iconography. At 450 pages, with 460 paintings, 150 drawings and covering everything from theology and design to gilding and varnishing, it is a prized possession for anyone interested in the traditional arts. The chapter being serialized over the next weeks...
This is the eighth part of an ongoing serial (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7) In the New Jerusalem, there is no distinction between indoors and outdoors. It is a city as well as a garden. The sun does not shine by day, nor the moon by night, for the Lamb is the light of the city of God. (Rev 21) Therefore, the church can...
Rashid and Inessa Azbuhanov are a Russian couple who are leading the rediscovery of icon carving in the Russian Church. Their works grace the collections of Russian politicians from Gorbachev to Putin, European royal families and church authorities from the Russian Patriarch to the Pope of Rome. Their works are often large and highly detailed, like wooden lace as they include much chip carving into the patterns of clothing, backgrounds and frames. There is a certain folk aspect...
Here are some of the most astounding miniature icons I have seen. They are made by a Russian artisan named Evgeny Baranov who is also a very good goldsmith as you will see below. These pictures were taken from his facebook page. I have been trying to get a short interview with some more details, and my lack of Russian seems to stand in the way… but really, the work stands on its own. ...
