Theory
Steatite Icons and Material Symbolism
One of the points many OAJ contributors have been trying to bring across is that the medium out of which sacred art is made and the artful human act of fabrication are important on a symbolic and theological level. This question of materiality and production have become crucial ones in our age of mechanical reproduction…
Continue reading »What is missing from Aronofsky’s Noah
In many of my past articles I have explored the symbolism of death and how it is related in the Bible and by our Tradition to the arts and technology, to hybridity and the foreigner, the serpent, to the cave, to Cain, to animality and to periphery in general. Aranofsky’s recent Noah movie deals intently with many…
Continue reading »Holy Icons in Today’s World (Pt.3): Ecology
We turn now to our second subject of ecology, looking in particular at icons of Pentecost and Transfiguration. [Pentecost]When I was learning to drive, one of the first things I was told was to keep my eyes on the road because the car would follow my gaze. It is the same with any civilisation: its…
Continue reading »Holy Icons in Today’s World (Pt.2): Icons and Modern Art
The transfiguration icon and modern art Christ takes with him His disciples Peter, James and John up a mountain, traditionally taken to be Mount Tabor. The Gospels then tell us that Christ’s face and garments shine with light, brighter than the sun. Moses and Elijah also appear before the disciples, talking with Jesus about His…
Continue reading »Holy Icons in Today’s World (Pt.1): Insight into Contemporary Issues
Editor’s note: This is the first part of a talk given by Aidan in Texas last December (1). Images are taken directly from his presentation. We are made to be gods by grace, sons and daughters of the Living God. If we only saw what majesty and dignity is bestowed upon each of us here…
Continue reading »From Logos to Graph: Lost In Translation
This is post 3 of 3 in the series “To Write or to Paint an Icon” Several contributors go over the common debate on whether one “writes” or “paints” an icon. Is “Write” Wrong?: A Discussion of Iconology Lingo A Symptom of Modern Blindness – Further Thoughts on the Phrase “To Write an Icon” From…
Continue reading »A Symptom of Modern Blindness – Further Thoughts on the Phrase “To Write an Icon”
This is post 2 of 3 in the series “To Write or to Paint an Icon” Several contributors go over the common debate on whether one “writes” or “paints” an icon. Is “Write” Wrong?: A Discussion of Iconology Lingo A Symptom of Modern Blindness – Further Thoughts on the Phrase “To Write an Icon” From…
Continue reading »Is “Write” Wrong?: A Discussion of Iconology Lingo
This is post 1 of 3 in the series “To Write or to Paint an Icon” Several contributors go over the common debate on whether one “writes” or “paints” an icon. Is “Write” Wrong?: A Discussion of Iconology Lingo A Symptom of Modern Blindness – Further Thoughts on the Phrase “To Write an Icon” From…
Continue reading »The Cave in The Nativity Icon
Just as the Ass and the Ox, the cave portrayed in the nativity icon is not specifically mentioned in Scripture as being the birthplace of Christ. In fact, St-Luke’s account does not say exactly where Christ was born, only that The Holy Virgin lay him in a manger. So why a cave? Why not a little…
Continue reading »On the Relative Autonomy of the Icon: Converging Aesthetics in Early Modernism
It is well to remember that a picture- before being a battle horse, a nude woman, or some anecdote- is essentially a flat surface covered with colors assembled in a certain order. – Maurice Denis, ‘Definition du Neo-traditionisme’, Art et Critique, 1890. In the icon …Colors are colors; red is red. Colors do not imitate…
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