Architecture

The Principles of Orthodox Architecture Expressed in a Secular Building by Andrew Gould - If I may ask my readers’ indulgence, I would like to present one of my projects that is, emphatically, not Orthodox liturgical art. In full disclosure, it is a temple of another, quite secular, liturgy – the buying and selling of craft beer and fine wine. But, before you admonish me for writing about a ... Continue reading »

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Iconography

A Year of Exploring Ancient Carving Through Drawing by Jonathan Pageau - For several years already, I had known in my heart and in my hands that I needed to spend more time drawing. Because the art of icon carving had become a lesser vehicle for the traditions of iconography, it seemed pressing for me to spend more time exploring the best examples of relief art and ... Continue reading »

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Music

The Task Fears the Maestro; Reflections on a Choral Master Class with Vladimir Gorbik by Joseph Nakpil - There is a Russian adage which translates as “the task fears the master craftsman,”[*] meaning work goes well when one knows one’s business. In the case of the recent master class in choral singing and conducting, entitled The Performance and Interpretation of Russian Sacred Choral Music, one could easily change this adage to “the task ... Continue reading »

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Minor Arts

Liturgical Furniture for an Historic Cathedral by Andrew Gould - I was asked, in 2015, to design a set of liturgical furniture for Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Baltimore. When I looked at the building, I could see that this would be a complex project with several stylistic influences in play. The monumental structure was built by a Protestant congregation in 1888 in the ‘Richardsonian ... Continue reading »

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Theory

The Mosaic Apse of Sant’Apollinaire in Classe, Ravenna by Aidan Hart - THE MOSAIC APSE OF SANT’APOLLINARE IN CLASSE, RAVENNA:  A Miracle of Design Aidan Hart There is some iconography that can only be described as miraculous. Such is the sixth century apse mosaic at the basilica of Saint Apollinare in Classe, five miles from Ravenna, Italy. Such works seem to flash forth, and are never – ... Continue reading »

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News


Release of Becoming Truly Human Film - Aspiration Studios Announces 2017 Premiere Date for Documentary BECOMING TRULY HUMAN Aspiration Studios has announced the newest title they will bring exclusively to churches and various non-theatrical venues late this summer. BECOMING TRULY HUMAN, the first feature film about America’s religiously unaffiliated, will be programmed in venues beginning August 22, 2017. BECOMING TRULY HUMAN is ... Continue reading »
Nicholas Kotar Publishes The Song of Sirin -   (Editor's note:  We are excited to announce that Nicholas Kotar, who has written a few great pieces for OAJ, has recently published his first novel.  Here is a version of his press release.) Orthodox Writer writes a fantasy novel inspired by Russian fairy tales and the Lives of the Saints. Discouraged by the lack ... Continue reading »

Artist Features


The Drawings of Elena Murariu -   There’s theory and then there’s practice. The one flows from the other and back again, unceasingly. Their interdependence is indissoluble. Likewise, there’s “inner” drawing and then there’s “external” drawing. The first unfolds and takes shape in the imagination; the latter is the former’s manifestation. A masterful drawing seems to be as if a concrete and clear thought, as if we’re beholding the mind’s pure conception. The invisible becomes visible. A true image of perfection. This kind of drawing, in which the “inner” and “external” seem as if to perfectly coincide is something hard to come by. They seem to be only a non-existent ideal, especially in the realm of icon painting nowadays. But, they in fact do exist. Not all trace. For those who can draw tracing paper is just another tool of the trade - it doesn’t get in the way. For those who can’t, it can never really compensate. The “trace” of evidence remains. The line itself confesses the lack of skill in spite of ourselves. Not all is relegated to the icon pattern books of the past, the tracing of masterpieces - clumsy reiterations of someone else’s experience. Some icon painters today, ... Continue reading »


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Orthodox Illustration Project

The purpose of this project is to make available online a collection of graphic illustrations of the highest quality. The collection will focus on iconographic drawings and related graphic ornaments stylistically suited to the illumination of printed Orthodox publications. The project will address the needs of Orthodox book designers, graphic artists, and many others, who desire excellent imagery for their publications.

Learn more and gain access to the images »


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