The Bethlehem Icon Centre

Editorial Note:  In the light of recent events in Gaza, I asked Ian Knowles the Director of the Bethlehem Icon Center to introduce us to this wonderful project.  In such a desperate political situation, sacred art has been focal point to bring about collaboration between Orthodox, Coptic, Catholic and Syrian Palestinians in the desire to…

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Designing a Syrian Orthodox Panagia

I was recently asked by a young student of St-Vladimir’s Seminary to make a Panagia which he wanted to give to his bishop.  This student is of Indian background and a Syrian Orthodox.  I have always been fascinated by Orthodoxy in India,  the stories of St-Thomas, the link with Nestorian Christianity and also their long…

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Designing Icons (pt.4): Researching Festal Icons

This is post 4 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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Medieval Art from Catalonia

The utmost french speaking resource website for Orthodoxy, www.orthodoxie.com, has a very beautiful Flickr stream of the National Museum of Catalonia.  It is an amazing showcase of Western icons, liturgical objects, frescoes and furniture from the Early Middle Ages. When looking at the images, what strikes me the most is the boldness in color bringing about a…

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Designing Icons (pt.3): New Icons

This is post 3 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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Designing Icons (pt.2): Icon Prototypes

This is post 2 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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Designing Icons (pt.1)

This is post 1 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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The Recovery of Symbolism

“Symbolism” is a term that has become quite diluted in the past 500 years. Since the middle ages, the notion of the symbol has undergone a deep mutation due to the immeasurable changes in our experience of knowledge and meaning.  Symbolism has been progressively reduced from underlying our very cosmological world view, to now being a…

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Christabel Anderson: Authenticity in Sacred Art

Christabel Anderson is one of our collaborators on the Orthodox Art Journal.  She is a British Iconographer and Manuscript Illuminator to whom was recently attributed the prestigious QEST (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) Craft award.   That someone who considers herself first and foremost an Iconographer could be recognized in this manner is already a tribute…

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Teaching Art in a Catholic School

Some of you might be interested in reading a short article I wrote for the New Liturgical Movement.  I teach art once a week in a small Traditionalist Catholic school.  It has been a great joy to teach in a context so friendly to liturgical art.  On my first day, as I was explaining what…

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