Posts Tagged ‘Symbolism’
Icon Painting as Participation: Interview with Cornelia Tsakiridou…Part II
In Tradition and Transformation…Gadamer’s “horizon” helped me think in terms of a “communion of icons” (koinonia eikonon) or to think of icons as living these interpenetrating lives across time. Think, for example, of all the variants of the King of Glory/Akra Tapeinosis since the type first appeared in the 12th century. Each one carries…
Continue reading »Icon Painting as Participation: Interview with Cornelia Tsakiridou…Pt. I
Editorial Note: It was in 2014 that I first came across the work of Cornelia A. Tsakiridou, a year after the publication of her major contribution to the current discourse on icon painting, Icons in Time, Persons in Eternity (Ashgate, 2013). It was quite an unexpected treasure to find at the time. Challenging indeed—breaking the…
Continue reading »Lecture: The Neptic Icon and Orthodox Tradition
I am delighted to announce that Professor Cornelia Tsakiridou, author of several exceptional books on the holy icon, will be giving a special lecture on the evening of Tuesday 14th March 2023 at the Hellenic Centre in London, UK. The lecture is organised by The Prince’s Foundation, School of Traditional Arts and generously made possible…
Continue reading »Review of “Festal Icons: History and Meaning” by Aidan Hart
In Aidan Hart’s new book, Festal Icons: History and Meaning, we find a major contribution to the current icon revival, one which will be hard to surpass for many years to come. It is an impressive volume, not only in its size and bulk — measuring 11 in. x 9 in., weighing 5.17 lbs.,…
Continue reading »Poetry as Theology: Reflections on Ephrem the Syrian and Richard Wilbur
Introduction Blessed is He who has appeared to our human race under so many metaphors![i] Asked to reflect on the relationship between poetry and theology, I always reach for the above lines of Ephrem the Syrian’s. In some respects, all my thoughts on this matter are circular, starting from and returning to the…
Continue reading »Church Architecture in America: A Look at the Sanctuary from a Missionary Perspective
Editor’s Note: This essay is an interesting provocation for church architects and liturgical artists. Fr. John Finley challenges us to rethink some of the normative materials and imagery used in our churches to better conform to the vision of Heaven described in scripture. I think there is much to be said for this approach, controversial…
Continue reading »Designing an Image of Everything
For many years now I have been studying the traditions of iconology, the sacred visual language which has developed in the Church. Long before becoming an icon carver, the pattern of my thinking had already been built through meditation on the images of both the Christian East and the medieval West. Although I am mostly…
Continue reading »Iconography Shows us the Pattern of Reality
In November, I was asked to speak at St. Tikhon’s Seminary for the annual meeting of the Orthodox Inter-Seminary Movement (OISM). It was my first time at the monastery and school, and I was quite humbled to participate in such an event. It was also an honour to speak of Christian Symbolism in the last…
Continue reading »Understanding the Icons of Holy Week
During Holy Week, the Orthodox faithful will see several icons in the center of the church being commemorated. Although we are used to interpret icons as stand alone objects, I have found that it is sometimes best to see the language of icons as an inter-connected web of elements which speak to each other across different icons types.
Continue reading »Brilliant Darkness: On St. Dionysios the Areopagite’s Blue Halo
…Timothy, my friend, my advice to you as you look for a sight of the mysterious things, is to leave behind you everything perceived and understood, everything perceptible and understandable, all that is not and all that is, and, with your understanding laid aside, to strive upward as much as you can towards union…
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