There is a lot to write about icons. A few aspects I like to explain.
These are: Icons, what are they?
The origin of icons
The iconoclastic periods
The current use of icons
The word icon derives from the Greek word ‘εικον’ (eikoon) which means image
or picture. Because icons are images and therefore every image, drawing or
painting can be called an icon. This is not done for several reasons. With an
icon is meant a painting of a saint, a part of the life of a saint or a Biblical
story for example the Birth of John the Baptist or the Baptism of Christ in the
River Jordan. The scene has to be seen by human eyes and be written down. The
picture must be painted according a few rules before is can be called an icon.
You can read with technique
how an icon is painted in the style of the Cretan School.
The old icons are from countries where the orthodox Christian faith was or is
the most important faith. In the past these countries were the Byzantine Empire
and Russia. Greece and Russia today are important countries. The current list of
countries is a lot longer due to the fact that many orthodox Christians live in
the USA or Australia for example. Due to the spread of orthodox Christians all
over the world modern icons are painted everywhere. Not only by members of the
Orthodox Church but also by members of the Roman Catholic Church or protestant
churches. These modern icons are copies of the old icons from Greece, Russia or
Constantinople.
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Strangely enough the origin of the icon is in Egypt. The Fayum region is
known for the excavations of many mummy portraits. These portraits date from the
Roman period of ancient Egypt. The people in this period were descendents of
Greek who migrated to Egypt in an earlier period. The descendents were
influenced by the old customs of Egypt like the mummification of the dead.
During the mummification process a portrait of the deceased was woven in so the
mummy became a face. The mummies were placed in special temples for ancestry
worship and later to be dumped in simple graves. These portraits, also called
Fayum portraits, were painted in a special manner; the pigments were mixed with
molten wax to an suspension and then applied to wood. You can say that these
Fayum portraits are the precursors of the icons. When Christianity came to Egypt
the dead were buried instead of mummified and the portrait painters lost their
income. They went to the churches to get commissions. The oldest icons in the
world originate from the 6th century and are in the St. Catherine
monastery in the Sinai, Egypt. Like the Fayum portraits these icons are painted
with molten wax. A given moment molten wax was no longer in use to paint. Egg
yolk was the preferred binding agent for the pigment. This paint is easier to
use and is still the paint which is used to paint icons. See
technique.
When the great Roman Empire divided in the Western and Eastern Roman Empire the
art of icon painting took a flight. Constantinople became the capital city of
the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire. It had a great force of attraction to all
sorts of people so it became soon the largest city. During the reign of
Justinian I (527 – 565 AD) the fame of Constantinople was at his highest.
Justinian built the Hagia Sophia and decorated is with the most beautiful
mosaics. These mosaics were the examples for the styling and composing of the
garments on icons. See technique.
After the conversion to Christianity of Russia, the art of icon painting
appeared in Russia. In the Byzantine Empire and Russia were several areas which
can be called icon painting centres. What we today call the Greek style in icon
painting is a continuation of the art in the Byzantine Empire. In this Greek
style the Macedonian and Cretan School are well known. In the Russian style the
Schools of Novgorod and Moscow are examples. The Greek and Russian styles are
distinguishable by the clothes. In the Russian styles the clothes are more
natural than in the Greek style. Russian old icons often are darker in colour.
Greeks loved and love brighter colours.
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Black pages in the history of the icons are the two iconoclastic periods. The word iconoclasm derives from the two Greek words ‘
εικον’ (eikoon, image, see up) and ‘κλαζειν’ (kladzein, make noise). In these periods painting and venerating of icons was prohibited. Icons ever were destroyed and venerators sabotaged or even killed.
In countries where most of the population is orthodox icons are an important
part of daily life. Almost all orthodox Christians have in their home an icon
and the walls of orthodox churches in these countries are covered with murals or
frescoes. Icon designs were models for these murals or frescoes.
When you walk into a church you will find two icons at the door. One is of the
saint or feast to which the church is dedicated. The second is the icon of the
day. The icon of the day is specified by the church calendar. So it is possible
that there are two icons with the same subject at the door. Throughout the
church are places where icons are an analogia. A very important an eye catching
element in an orthodox church is the iconostasis, a sort of dividing wall with
three doors. This wall contains several rows of icons in a set order and
separates the sanctuary from the nave. Orthodox Christians believe that the icon
depicted saint is truly present in the icon. They venerate these icons by
kissing, bowing for and light a candle for it. Because the saint is present in
the icon orthodox services are services with the past and present church. The
presence of the depicted saint in the icon give an icon the function of a window
to the Eternal. Icons let us see a piece of heaven and Gods Kingdom.
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