Cappella Romana to Sing “in Hagia Sophia”, in California
Cappella Romana will be singing two concerts, Friday and Saturday nights, at Stanford University in California. Friday’s concert in Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall,”From Constantinople to California”, will by the wonders of acoustic technology, replicate the reverberative sound of the Great Church itself (read about the fascinating method employed below). Those lucky enough to have gotten…
Continue reading »American Professional Choir Conspirare Performs Russian Sacred Music
One of the finest professional choirs in America—Conspirare, under the direction of Craig Hella Johnson—based in Austin, Texas, is presenting a set of four concerts entitled “The Sacred Spirit of Russia“. The concerts take place on January 31 in Fredericksburg, Texas, and February 1-3, in Austin, Texas. (See the link above for times and venues.) The…
Continue reading »Can Statuary Act as Icon?
There is a long tradition of relief sculpture in the Orthodox Church’s liturgical art tradition, but very little in the way of three dimensional sculpture. Can sculpture in the round act like an icon, leading us through itself to its prototype? Although, for reasons discussed below, the Orthodox Church is unlikely to adopt sculpture in…
Continue reading »The Unusual Glass-Bead Icons of Angelika Artemenko
I have just learned of a most unusual iconographer from Ukraine whose medium is primarily glass beads. Her name is Angelika Artemenko, 26 years old. Despite her unconventional technique, she works with great care and piety, emphasizing the blessing of her bishop in all she does. Ms. Artemenko begins by painting the hands and faces on canvas.…
Continue reading »St-Peter on The Right. St-Paul on the Left.
This is post 2 of 3 in the series “The Right and Left Hand in Iconography” Jonathan Pageau examines the recurrence of left and right hand symbolism in traditional art and how they create a pattern of engagement in the world. Mercy on The Right. Rigor on The Left St-Peter on The Right. St-Paul on…
Continue reading »Designing Icons (pt.6): Faces in Icons
This is post 6 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…
Continue reading »Mercy on The Right. Rigor on The Left
This is post 1 of 3 in the series “The Right and Left Hand in Iconography” Jonathan Pageau examines the recurrence of left and right hand symbolism in traditional art and how they create a pattern of engagement in the world. Mercy on The Right. Rigor on The Left St-Peter on The Right. St-Paul on…
Continue reading »Byzantine Chapel in Myra Found Under Deep Mud
A recent NY Times article relates the finding of parts of the ancient city of Myra, the home of no one less than St-Nicholas himself. It seems the town was buried under mud during flooding several centuries ago. Archeologists are excavating the pristinely preserved chapel with its fresco and altar. The article has a few pictures. The…
Continue reading »Marble Revetments
Today I would like to call attention to marble revetments, meaning the decorative marble paneling that clads the lower walls of a Byzantine church. It is impossible to overstate the architectural importance of revetments. In the grander Byzantine churches, the marbles covered most of the interior surface, dominating the visual experience of the church far…
Continue reading »Theophany and What Sacred Art Does
You enter a silent museum. Standing at an appropriate distance, you gaze at a piece of art set against a clinically white wall. The art is lit as to leave no glare or shine and you as the viewer leave no shadow on it. Enough space is allotted all around the art so to be admired without…
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