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A Tough Love Many are drawn to the beauty of icons. But clearly this beauty is of a different order than, say, that of a Greek statue, or of a Renaissance painting. Icons are liturgical objects, created for prayer, a means of communion with the Lord. So what are some of the characteristics of divine […]
Sometimes I am commissioned to paint an icon of a saint for whom nothing yet exists, or at least no satisfactory icon. This is usually a pre-schism Western saint. But more rarely, the subject is a new theme, a new emphasis or combination. This was the case when Dr Christine Nellist approached me to create […]
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 – […]
A TALE OF TRANSFORMATION Two New Mosaics for St George’s Orthodox Church, Houston, Texas Aidan Hart This is the story of how two large mosaics for St George’s Orthodox Church in Houston Texas came to completion this January. The genesis of a mosaic is a tale of transformation, from sand to glass, to image, […]
The Transfiguration Secco for Lancaster University Catholic Chaplaincy Early in March my assistant Martin Earle, myself, and a former student from the Diploma in Icon Painting that I teach, Fran Whiteside, completed a secco wall painting of the Transfiguration. It took us just twelve days compared to the twenty months we had just spent on […]
Principles for the Design and Making of Liturgical Furnishings Aidan Hart Handing over from hand to machine A tool in the hand of a craftsperson is an extension of their body, mind and soul. He or she feels the resistance of the stone or wood. Through the tool the material speaks back to them, and […]
This is post 2 of 2 in the series “The Altar and The Portico” THE SACRED AND THE SECULAR The Relationship of Orthodox Iconography and Gallery Art Part 2: Gallery Art (here for pt.1) The journey of an artist At this stage in our story, by way of illustration I would like to be […]
This is post 1 of 2 in the series “The Altar and The Portico” THE ALTAR AND THE PORTICO (PT.1) The Relationship of Orthodox Iconography and Gallery Art Part 1 (This is the a talk given at Sacred And Secular In Life And Art, Oxford, a workshop dedicated to the memory of Philip Sherrard. St Gregory’s […]
This is post 2 of 2 in the series “Today and Tomorrow: Principles in the Training of Future Iconographers” (This is the second part of a two-part article. Click here for the first part.) 3. SOME PRINCIPLES BEHIND THE FORMAL QUALITIES OF ICONS Affirmation of matter and form There has been some mistaken writing about […]
This is post 1 of 2 in the series “Today and Tomorrow: Principles in the Training of Future Iconographers” TODAY AND TOMORROW: PRINCIPLES IN THE TRAINING OF FUTURE ICONOGRAPHERS by Aidan Hart 1. INTRODUCTION In this article I discuss the training of iconographers, not primarily the practical ways that this can be achieved, but the more […]