Degraded Iconicity II: Uplifting Materiality and Symbol.
This is post 2 of 6 in the series “Degraded Iconicity” Fr. Silouan Justiniano thinks through the effect of contemporary image culture and mechanical reproduction on iconography and our sense of the sacred. The Degraded Iconicity of the Icon: The Icon’s Materiality and Mechanical Reproduction Degraded Iconicity II: Uplifting Materiality and Symbol. Degraded Iconicity III:…
Continue reading »Carving New Materials
A few months ago I posted a piece introducing our readers to Branislav Derkovic, a Serbian carver of exceptional quality. Branislav had asked me to send him some of the stone I use to carve icons, commonly called steatite. This stone was traditionally used in Constantinople for carving small miniatures but also portable icons. In exchange for the stone,…
Continue reading »Archetype and Symbol : Thoughts on the Creative Act
This is post 1 of 2 in the series “Archetype and Symbol” Fr. Silouan explores the possibility of creativity and the creative act within an Orthodox theological frame. Archetype and Symbol : Thoughts on the Creative Act Archetype and Symbol II: On Noetic Vision A year ago a friend visited our monastery for a few…
Continue reading »The Gorbik Master Class — An Auditor’s Reflection
The following article was written by my wife, Maria Sheehan. There was great anticipation in the choir from St. Tikhon’s as the day for Maestro Gorbik’s arrival approached. The seminarians were already carrying their normal course load, many caring for their families in addition to maintaining their duties as clergy or altar servers. Yet in…
Continue reading »Master Class Concert Receives Rave Reviews
A few weeks ago, Benedict Sheehan posted about his trip to Moscow and the planned collaborations with Vladimir Gorbik, which included a Master Class of liturgical music culminating into a concert which took place on March 3rd. Here is the article from the Saint-Tikhon website describing the event. source: http://stots.edu/news_130305_1.html Hundreds of faithful from PA,…
Continue reading »A Byzantine-Style Diskos and Asterisk
It is well known that the early Byzantine church used very large patens and loaves of bread in the Divine Liturgy. Surviving examples of patens from the 6th-century are frequently two feet or more in diameter, compared to the six inch diskos typical today. Interestingly, the Melkite church still uses larger patens, and I recently…
Continue reading »The Degraded Iconicity of the Icon: The Icon’s Materiality and Mechanical Reproduction
This is post 1 of 6 in the series “Degraded Iconicity” Fr. Silouan Justiniano thinks through the effect of contemporary image culture and mechanical reproduction on iconography and our sense of the sacred. The Degraded Iconicity of the Icon: The Icon’s Materiality and Mechanical Reproduction Degraded Iconicity II: Uplifting Materiality and Symbol. Degraded Iconicity III:…
Continue reading »Letter To an Iconographer on The Ancient of Days
Sometime ago, a friend sent me an image of the Ancient of Days that is being painted in a Greek Orthodox parish in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He wanted to know what I thought of it. The first image was not yet finished and the seond one is finished. I wrote him back the following comments. …
Continue reading »Notes from the psalterion, updated and annotated — part IV, in which the question is asked, “Shouldn’t you be at rehearsal?”
This is post 4 of 6 in the series “Notes from The Psalterion” Richard Barrett gives us practical advice for the discipline of liturgical music in a local parish context. Notes from the psalterion, updated and annotated – Part I, First Principles Notes from the psalterion, updated and annotated – Part II, Getting Started Notes…
Continue reading »Designing Icons (pt.8): The Theology Behind Iconographic Perspective
This is post 8 of 9 in the series “Designing Icons” Aidan Hart gives us a full chapter on designing icons from his book “Techniques of Icon and Wall Painting.” Designing Icons (pt.1) Designing Icons (pt.2): Icon Prototypes Designing Icons (pt.3): New Icons Designing Icons (pt.4): Researching Festal Icons Designing Icons (pt.5): Conventions of Traditional…
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