The Background Color of an Icon
This text is a resume of a conference-slideshow presented at a meeting of the Saint John of Damascus Association, June 15, 1996 and published in the Sacred Art Journal 17, 2, (summer) 1996. Thesis: The background of an icon should be either golden or of a light color. At the beginning of the slideshow, the…
Continue reading »An Icon of the Kingdom of God: The Integrated Expression of all the Liturgical Arts – Part 4: Architecture
This is post 4 of 12 in the series “An Icon of the Kingdom of God” Andrew Gould gives a unifying vision of how all the liturgical arts complement each other to create a living icon of the Kingdom of God. An Icon of the Kingdom of God: The Integrated Expression of all the Liturgical…
Continue reading »The Recovery of The Arts (pt.3): Memory of the Heart
This is post 3 of 3 in the series “The Recovery of The Arts” Jonathan Pageau Examines the duality in the traditional vision of art, and how it is transformed by Christ, moving from the garments of skin to liturgical art and how this vision contrasts to contemporary notions art. The Recovery of the Arts…
Continue reading »New Musica Russica Website
In order to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Musica Russica – a publisher and supplier of a broad spectrum of Orthodox musical recordings – has launched a new, more user-friendly website. OAJ contributor Vladimir Morosan, the founder and director of Musica Russica, said the newly-revamped site will “…make your interaction with our offerings much richer, more…
Continue reading »Opus Sectile Icons
There is a relatively famous image of St. Eudocia from the 10th or 11th century from Constantinople that has recently caught my attention. It is done in a technique called Opus Sectile. Unlike Mosaic which is the assembly of similarly shaped squares forming a pattern, Opus Sectile is when stone is cut in different shapes…
Continue reading »Painting an Icon; the Hexaemeron Workshop
I am not an icon writer nor am I an icon painter, if it makes a difference. I am the founder and administrator of the non-profit organization Hexaemeron which sponsors courses in iconography. As such, I once attempted to make a St. Paul icon to familiarize myself with the process so that I could write…
Continue reading »The Creation of a Christian Culture, Part 2
This is post 2 of 2 in the series “The Creation of a Christian Culture” Nicholas Kotar shows us how liturgical art and traditional forms can inspire the creation of para-liturgical and secular works of art. The Creation of a Christian Culture The Creation of a Christian Culture, Part 2 In part one of this…
Continue reading »Notes from the psalterion, updated and annotated – Part I, First Principles
This is post 1 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 »The Mystery of Ethiopian Iconography
Ethiopian Christianity presents many mysteries to us, their unique use of Old Testament typology, their concentric churches, their claim of having the Ark of the Covenent and its use in liturgy – these all create an obscure but fascinating question. I went to Ethiopia in 2009 to discover more about their liturgical arts. I would…
Continue reading »OAJ at Work
I would like to draw the readers’ attention to this video. It features OAJ contributor and icon carver Jonathan Pageau in action, and some of his finished works. The Gospel cover and the pectoral crosses were collaborative efforts with OAJ founder, Andrew Gould. The music is Psalm 103, Valaam Chant, by the St. Tikhon’s Mission…
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