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— Articles and news for the promotion of traditional Orthodox Christian liturgical arts —

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“Symbolism”

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Designing an Image of Everything

By Jonathan Pageau on July 30, 2020
The Cosmic Mountain

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 […]

Posted in Iconography | Tagged cosmos, creation, crucifixion, garden, iconography, iconology, Icons, Jonathan Pagaeu, mountain, paradise, Symbolism July 30, 2020

Iconography Shows us the Pattern of Reality

By Jonathan Pageau on January 3, 2020
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 […]

Posted in Theory | Tagged iconography, iconology, Jonathan Pageau, St. Tikhon's, Symbolism January 6, 2020

Understanding the Icons of Holy Week

By Jonathan Pageau on April 18, 2019
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. 

Posted in Theory | Tagged crucifixion, holy week, iconography, Icons, Jonathan Pageau, Pascha, Symbolism April 19, 2019

Brilliant Darkness: On St. Dionysios the Areopagite’s Blue Halo

By Fr. Silouan Justiniano on April 13, 2019
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 […]

Posted in Iconography, Theory | Tagged areopagite, Byzantine, dionysios, Icon, iconography, pseudo-dionysios, silouan justiniano, Symbolism, uncreated light April 15, 2019

The Icon of The Last Judgement

By Jonathan Pageau on September 24, 2018
The Icon of The Last Judgement

The icon of the Last Judgement is one of the most complex Christian images.  As depicting the final things, it is a synthesis of the cosmic mystery. As an image of judgement, it is also the place where everything is resolved by Christ.  From the very first moments in my burgeoning interest in iconology, I […]

Posted in Theory | Tagged Icon, iconography, iconology, Jonathan Pageau, last judgement, Symbolism September 26, 2018

Pentecost For The Zombie Apocalypse

By Jonathan Pageau on September 20, 2017
Pentecost For The Zombie Apocalypse

(This talk on the meaning of the Zombie and on the place of monsters in the world was given at the OCA Diocese of the South Annual conference in Chattanooga, on July 27, 2017) We live in a time of monsters. I announce this to you but I think you already know that. We only need […]

Posted in Theory | Tagged Jonathan Pageau, margin, monsters, oca, Pentecost, st-christopher, Symbolism, zombies September 21, 2017

Nicholas Kotar Publishes The Song of Sirin

By Jonathan Pageau on July 11, 2017
Nicholas Kotar Publishes The Song of Sirin

  (Editor’s note:  We are excited to announce that Nicholas Kotar, who has written a few great pieces for OAJ, has recently published his first novel.  Here is a version of his press release.) Orthodox Writer writes a fantasy novel inspired by Russian fairy tales and the Lives of the Saints. Discouraged by the lack […]

Posted in News | Tagged fairy tales, fantasy, Nicholas Kotar, novel, Symbolism, Tolkien July 20, 2017

Notes on Method

By Fr. Silouan Justiniano on June 30, 2017
Notes on Method

St. Mamas of Caesarea by Fr. Silouan Justiniano. Egg tempera on wood, 46 in. x 31 in.    One has to know technique, but one also needs to know art. An icon should be like a ‘painting’, like a prayer written with beautiful letters…There are many craftsmen, but few real iconographers. Make an icon, a […]

Posted in Iconography, Theory | Tagged Byzantine, color, drawing, Fr. Silouan Justiniano, gold, iconography, interpretation, lion, russian, saint mamas, Symbolism, technique July 4, 2017

Jordan Peterson, Religious Symbolism and Popular Culture

By Jonathan Pageau on June 20, 2017
Jordan Peterson, Religious Symbolism and Popular Culture

For 5 years now I have been writing on many subjects for OAJ. Most of my attention has been to elucidate the patterns in iconography and liturgical arts and how these patterns relate to Scripture, to other traditions all the while acting as a map of how we should live in the world as Christians. […]

Posted in Theory | Tagged interpretation, Jonathan Pageau, jordan peterson, pepe the frog, popular culture, st-christopher, Symbolism June 20, 2017

Divine Patterns in the Life of Moses

By Jonathan Pageau on May 17, 2017
Divine Patterns in the Life of Moses

This is post 2 of 2 in the series “Divine Patterns In Story and Image” Divine Patters in Story and Image part 2: The Iconographic Structure of St-Gregory of Nyssa’s Life of Moses (This talk was given as the Climacus Conference, in Feb. 2017. Click here for audio and images) St-Gregory of Nyssa has given […]

Posted in Theory | Tagged bible, Climacus Conference, exodus, iconography, Jonathan Pageau, moses, patterns, St-Gregory of Nyssa, stories, Symbolism June 5, 2017
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