On the Relative Autonomy of the Icon: Converging Aesthetics in Early Modernism
It is well to remember that a picture- before being a battle horse, a nude woman, or some anecdote- is essentially a flat surface covered with colors assembled in a certain order. – Maurice Denis, ‘Definition du Neo-traditionisme’, Art et Critique, 1890. In the icon …Colors are colors; red is red. Colors do not imitate…
Continue reading »Notes From the Road: Review of “Heaven and Earth” Art of Byzantium at the National Gallery
The NYTimes review of “Heaven and Earth” at the National Gallery in Washington is piquant and enticing, but our readers deserve more detail: This is a generalist show. It is a good show for anyone new to Byzantium or if you already know of one of the show’s pieces and would like to see it…
Continue reading »Visual Heresy – An Evangelical On The Iconography of God The Father
My priest recently sent me a link to a talk (posted below) given by Matthew J. Milliner, an assistant professor of art history at Wheaton College, which was quite astounding to me. The talk tackles two subjects quite adroitly, two subjects, which Orthodox thinkers have addressed for some time now. Firstly he tackles what is being called…
Continue reading »“The Icon is Making its Way in America”, an interview with Ksenia Pokrovsky
The life of Ksenia Pokrovsky (March 9, 1942-July 7, 2013) touched thousands of people from nearly every part of the world. Here are excerpts from an interview taken by Irina Yazikova in 2009 for an Italian magazine. Yazikova is a noted art historian and author of many books about iconography, including “Hidden and Triumphant: The…
Continue reading »Visualising Late Antiquity
Those of us practicing iconography and various church arts often work with ancient techniques, pigments, tools and materials which express the liturgical meaning of the subject. We strive for the union of the medium with the message, to put it in current parlance and simplify. Here is a new website where artist Will…
Continue reading »Fr.Silouan Justiniano – Returning to Puerto Rico With Icons
Fr. Silouan Justiniano, who is a native of Puerto Rico, was recently invited to return to the island to show his art, both his earlier work and his icons in the city of San German with the Universidad Inter-Americana. Fr. Silouan received a Masters in Fine Arts from Hunter College New York City as well…
Continue reading »Aidan Hart to Lecture in Texas this December
OAJ contributor and world-renowned iconographer and liturgical artist Aidan Hart will deliver a lecture entitled Holy Icons in Today’s World:A Living Tradition’s Insights into Contemporary Issues in Modern Art, Ecology, and Community in Cedar Park, TX – near Austin – this December. Anyone interested in Orthodox iconography, or art and religion in general would do well to seize…
Continue reading »Iconography In The Landscape
One of the points I have been hammering at since I began writing for OAJ, is how symbolism is not just an arbitrary set of codes and meanings but is rather the very place where logos encounters the world, a coming together of different levels of reality. (See for ex, my article on the Recovery…
Continue reading »Explore Orthodox Chant in Georgia
JUNE 17 – 29, 2014 Georgian Chant Tour This is the 9th tour that John Graham has organized to Georgian monasteries to experience their rare beauty. Graham fell in love with Georgian chant while at Princeton University and earned a PhD in musicology. He also fell in love with Georgia and now has a Georgian…
Continue reading »Magnificat: Hymns to the Mother of God from East and West
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary’s male octet (which can be heard here) will be performing on November 25 in New York City in a joint performance with a Schola from St. Joseph’s (Roman Catholic) Seminary. The SVS section of the program will feature hymns from all the feasts of the Church year, thus illustrating the life…
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