I had the privilege of interviewing world-renowned iconographer Aidan Hart. We discussed his time as a hermit, his career as an iconographer, his relationship with King Charles, and his artistic influences.

I was particularly enlightened hearing about his time as a hermit, which lasted over a decade. He ultimately ascertained that the capacity for silence, reflection, and prayer was better cultivated in his life as a lay iconographer with a family than in the monastic lifestyle. This serves as a beautiful reminder to us that holiness and sanctity can be diligently pursued in the regularity of our quotidian existence.

I was previously unaware of the experience that he had as a sculptor prior to pursuing iconography. We discussed the insights that can be gained from cultivating expertise in related fields, whether that be a musician learning vastly different repertoire or a panel iconographer working with frescoes. He relayed the significance of Constantin Brâncuşi, the Romanian abstract sculptor, on his understanding of form, and we dialogued about the spiritual significance of abstraction, especially as exemplified by the early abstractionists like Kandinsky, or even the relative level of abstraction in early Russian iconography in contradistinction to early Byzantine iconography.

We explored various facets of Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque iconography and how that has influenced Aidan’s current work. And I was able to ask him about the oft-mentioned connection between Celtic and Coptic iconography, which brought up diverse subjects like textile iconography and encaustic painting.

Finally, we spoke about his commission from King Charles III to make an anointing screen, which was prominently featured at the coronation. This accompanied a much wider discussion of his work with Western liturgical traditions, and what he sees for the future of the Anglican Church.

Overall, this entire conversation was an absolute delight, and I am more than grateful for the opportunity to speak with one of the most significant liturgical artists today.