Learning About Icons Through Writing Icons with Kids

An Icon (Greek word, eikon, meaning “image”) is a portable sacred image, painted on a piece of wood according to the style and techniques developed and taught through schools and masters of Byzantine art. But, as it will be considered here, an icon is any sacred image painted for the purpose of veneration. The object of this lesson is to teach teens/kids to recognize and understand a basic meaning of icons.

Most people associate icons with the Eastern rite, however, icons have their roots with the very first Christians.

Icons gained ground in the Christian world as early as the fifth century. A magnificent legacy of icons is found in the Rabbula Gospel Book, written and illustrated in 586 A.D. It is an invaluable proof of icon use in the early Church. 

Source:Creative Commons

Even before the schism that divided the Western and Eastern Church, Christian iconography was well established. Though both have similar theology, icons in the East had a theological and ritualistic role that was not part of the experience of the church in the West. The West fell behind in its veneration of the written image following the Reformation and Renaissance. Further, in the Roman Catholic Church, after years of using religious statues, the Second Vatican Council called for "noble simplicity." In many cases misinterpretation of this led to a stripping of images. In some ways this helped refocus attention on the eucharistic celebration itself but, it also led to a starkness that has left many Roman Catholics unsure of how to interact with the saints or with religious images at all. [1] So, it is noteworthy to mention that some of the most ancient icons still preserved to this day are found in Rome where they were actually written or made.[2]

Source: Creative Commons Vladimirskaya

The Theotokos, “God-bearer,” was the theme of the first Icons painted. Traditional writings of the second century relate that St Luke was an icon artist and his first theme was Mary. It is most often claimed that he was the actual artist of the Vladimirskaya Icon of Mary, however, the Vladimirskaya Icon is not in a style connected to the 1st Century A.D. Although students of art history learn that attributing any actual icon to Luke is an anachronism, the tradition that St Luke painted icons of Mary during her lifetime and that she personally approved them holds. It is important to know that while no icon has survived to be copied, the so-called “St Luke icons” have their place in tradition. It should be understood that these date back to St Luke not because they were written by his hand, but because they have an apostolic character and are covered by apostolic authority.[3]

Source: Creative Commons St Luke Painting the Virgin

There are many versions of Theotokos icons and it can get confusing to tell the difference, so here is a quick tip to help understand one of the main differences. The Vladimirskaya icon is a type of depiction of the Virgin Mary in icons in which the infant Jesus Christ is nestled against her cheek. This is referred to as a Eleousa type or tenderness depiction of the Theotokos. The Hodegetria type icon, often shows Mary holding the Child Jesus at her side while pointing to Him as the source of salvation for humankind. The later is the type attributed to St Luke.

Source: Creative Commons

Hodegetria                                            Eleousa

The process of creating an icon always begins with prayer and a true iconographer leads a life of constant prayer. Before beginning the process or resuming work at various stages of the icon writing process the iconographer makes the sign of the cross, recites a prayer meditatively and internally forgives anyone and everyone who wronged them. Monks, such as the iconographer monks of Mount Athos, follow very strict rules of prayer and lead a very ascetic life.The iconographer also invokes and prays to the saint her or she is painting, and asks God to inspire him or her to choose the adequate colors and their symbolism and to bless his or her work throughout the icon-writing process. The artist continually prays throughout the entire process. [4] Prayers for beginning, as used at Mount Athos, can be found here. Throughout the process and as the iconographer takes breaks, he prays the simple prayer of St Peter, “Lord help me, or I shall drown,” or the Philokalia, ““Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

An icon board can be purchased already prepared or the artist can prepare the board himself. The board is indented so that the edges appear raised. The center part of the wood board is shallower than the rest and is called kovcheg, which is Russian for “coffin or ark.” The board is then laid with linen as a symbol of the swaddling clothes of Christ as he was wrapped in at birth and after his death. Layers of gesso are then applied to cover the cloth until you can no longer see the it. It is sanded and smoothed between layers. This represents the soul and life of the person as it is cleaned and smoothed to receive Christ. The image is laid into the middle of the shallow space of the board and etched into the gesso.[5]

Our boards were prepared much less traditionally for the sake of expense and time with just enough spray-on gesso to be able to etch the image. While this is an ok system for first time or group learning with kids, some day I hope to experience the full traditional process. My board ended up with a couple of cracks and should have been sanded smooth before beginning as the spray gesso was not enough to cover the wood grain.

 

As the iconographer sets the image, reverse perspective and the geometrical measure of the image are very important. Rather than the viewer looking at an image of Heaven, the viewer holds the vanishing point while God looks through the image to the viewer. Since that sums up what I know at this point, we are simply tracing a chosen image without getting technical. More on reverse perspective can be found here.

Traditional icons are created by masters of theology and since we are not theologians we learn from and trace their perfect work.

Following this step, clay is added to the areas that will be gilded with gold, which symbolizes our life on earth and beginning of man with Adam. To apply gold, the iconographer breathes on the clay bole to vaporize it and immediately places the gold leaf on the damp area. This process symbolizes the Spirit and reminds us of the act of creation and the breath of life. 

(This was difficult and obviously takes amazing skill and patience.We all have new found respect for anyone who guilds his own icon with gold leaf.)

The gold itself symbolizes divine light and heaven. Icons often have gold backgrounds because the viewer is gazing at someone in heaven.

Everything is painted with a golden hue so it glows from within.

The colors of icons are deeply symbolic and are applied in layers from dark to light. 

The image is painted with a mixture of egg yolk, pure water, vinegar, and natural pigments. Many layers are applied, each with their own color symbolism. We did not use egg tempera, but kept things simplified with acrylic paint and focused on the process and meaning.

The Mandylion

The icon written by Jesus Christ for King Ebgar

The overall process of painting is positive. The etching creates a guide and the

layering of colors offers a forgiving quality for mistakes. Icons are not naturalistic as they depict the divine and eternity. Bodies are thin; not heavy and of the earth. Mouths are small to remind us to listen more-speak less, heads and eyes are large to show heavenly vision and wisdom, and so on.

Eleousa Theotokos

An Eleousa Mosaic from the 13th Century Source: Creative Commons

The image definitely feels as though it appears.

When the icon is completed, it is sealed for protection just as God has anointed and sealed us. As the icon is anointed in oil (usually linseed) and blessed by a priest it is transformed into a sacred window to heaven. It is the word of God in color.

There were times throughout the process of learning about icons when our souls were lifted to Heaven. That is the purpose of the icon; to be a doorway that provides a meeting place for the soul to participate in the divine life it was created for. An icon should be hung in the home, not as decoration, but with this in mind. As we view icons, we should always seek to remember that what is depicted in the theme is viewing us in return. As living art, it literally provides little windows into which we have the ability to view heaven while Heaven gazes upon us. Rather than referring to an icon as a typical piece of art and saying that it was painted, we say that an icon is written. This allows us to further understand that an icon is something to be read by us and not viewed as simple artwork.

After a week of work, off-and-on, while in northern MN on vacation,

we still have work to do before we can call our icons finished.

As I near the completion of this post, this was our progress.

I am certain we will continue to learn more about iconography as a family.

I will add a completed photo if time allows.

Today, Western interest in panel icons has been rising, yet we lack standards of quality or catechesis on what to do with them. While Roman Catholics may never interact with icons in quite the same way that Eastern Christians do, we do need to come to terms with what icons are and how we should encounter them while giving greater respect to the Eastern tradition.[6] 

St Andrew Catholic Church, Brainerd, MN

The Theotokos                           The Pantokrator

On vacation this week, before we began our icons,  we were pleasantly 

surprised to find the Church we attended Divine Mercy Sunday adorned with icons. 

A Prayer After Completing an Icon:

Thou, Thyself, O LORD, art the fulfillment and completion of all good things. Fill my soul with joy and gladness, for Thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
Let Thy grace sanctify and dwell within this icon, that it may edify and inspire those who gaze upon it and venerate it; that in glorifying the one depicted, they may be repentant of their sins and strengthened against every attack of the adversary.
Through the prayers of the Theotokos, the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, and all the Saints, O Savior, save us! 
Amen.

________________________
[1] Jeana Visel, Icons in the Western Church (Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, 2016), 2.
[2] Rita Sawaya, class discussion notes on The Word in Color: Chapter 1 (Cromwell, CT: Holy Apostles College & Seminary, distributed 15 January 2017).

[3] Leonid Ouspensky, Theology of the Icon Vol. 1 (Crestwood, N. Y.: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1978), 60, 62.
[4] Rita Sawaya, class discussion notes on The Icon Writing Process: Chapter 14 (Cromwell, CT: Holy Apostles College & Seminary, distributed 17 April 2017).
[5] Icons as Religious Art, at Loyola Press, at www.loyolapress.com.
[6] Visel, Icons in the Western Church, 4.