Icons and Iconographers

The ACU National Gallery, Strathfield hosted an exhibition of six contemporary Australian painters in the Orthodox icon tradition. The artists were: Michael Galovic ,Antonina Ganin, Dimitri Lihachov, Very Rev. Alexi Rosentul, Christina and Dimitri Sladescu

The Exhibition was opened by Stephen Crittenden, from ABC Radio National’s “The Religion Report”. The gallery was packed with a diverse group of people; pilgrims, artists, students and religious. Various Orthodox traditions were present as well as Catholics and members of the Serbian and Slavic communities of Sydney.

In his opening speech, Stephen Crittenden made the observation that “The Christian tradition, as well as being a verbal and musical tradition…is also very much a visual tradition…the icon was and still is a visual method of evangelisation – this concept has been captured by the original meaning of the word iconography - not “painter of icons”, but “writer of icons”.

And because ”we live in an increasingly visual age…no-one reads anymore…” the icon is making a ‘come back’. Spanning the centuries icons are speaking once again to contemporary culture and a broader audience. The Byzantine tradition of the Icon which has changed very little in the last 1500 years is becoming increasingly popular, especially in the west, so that now you find them in many Protestant churches as well…Icons have become ecumenical”

Stephen Crittenden was followed by His Grace, Bishop Irenej of the Serbian Orthodox Church of Australia, who himself had been a painter of Icons when a seminarian. He spoke of the symbolism that is inherent in every work, the visual theological discourse that is engendered in the composition. Subsequently, to ponder these works becomes a deep meditation on the mysteries they seek to reveal. Originally created to ‘speak’ to the illiterate they lead you back to contemplation of the Gospels and the very nature of Christ.

Bishop Irenej was followed by the St Lazarus Serbian Church Choir from Alexandria who sang unaccompanied in the old liturgical Slavonic language the Our Father and other liturgical works, followed by some folk songs in Serbian.

The Icon tradition itself repeats basic themes such as the Annunciation, the Transfiguration, the Theotokos, the Ascension, the Face of Christ etc. It is a highly regimented discipline. As early as 692 A.D. the Council of Trullo laid down rules for the painting of Icons. They include a flat perspective, symbolic use of colour, and the gaze of the icon image which looks directly at you and seeks to engage. Contemporary iconographers are trained in these rules and, because they know the techniques and materials used to create the images, they are able to conserve them. They learn by copying previous works and reworking them. This has kept alive the knowledge of painting materials and techniques that would otherwise have been lost, such as brush stokes for rendering clothes, shading, facial features, gold leafing, mosaic, egg-tempera, preparation of gessoed board; ancient painting techniques, such as encaustic wax with mineral pigments and impressed precious stones.

The gallery was brimming with people but even in all this hub-bub, the power of these images to invite you into a deeper awareness of the sacred, in, around and through you, still stays with me.

Yvonne Duke de Giovanni