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Iconography: Background, Rules, Technique, and Meaning |
By OSH Associate Nancy Claflin
The contents of this article come, in part, from what I have learned from my own reading on the subject of Iconography, but mostly come from what I have learned from my mentor and friend Fr. Damian Higgins. The photos were taking during an icon writing workshop led by Fr. Damian in Philadelphia, May 2008. The icon at the bottom of this page was completed by Nancy over the weekend.
In the story of the burning bush, God calls out to Moses: “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
(Exodus 3:5) (NRSV)
Although I do not “remove the sandals from my feet” while writing an Icon, it remains, nonetheless, an extremely holy experience. When asked by the Abbott of a monastery: “How do you approach iconography?” an iconographer once replied: “…with fear and trembling.” I, as a student iconographer, have been taught to imagine myself literally in the presence of the Lord. During the entire process, I am to remain silent and be aware of His presence. If I find my mind wandering, I am to silently say a Hail Mary, an Our Father, and/or the Jesus Prayer thus enabling me to refocus on my “writing”.
The technique of iconography that I am learning uses egg tempera as the basic medium, as opposed to acrylics which some iconographers use. The egg, which is a mixture of 3 parts holy water to one part egg yolk and seven drops of vinegar, serves several purposes: it acts as a binder for the pigments (colors); it helps to brighten the paints; and it seals as well as protects the gesso. It is important to use only the yolk, as the white of the egg will cause the paint to crack. Out of the yolk comes life; out of the Icon comes Light.
This very Light emits from within the Holy Icon and shines outward. (There is Light, but there are no shadows.) Without Light, there would be darkness; where Christ is absent, the “evil one” dwells. Light is always greater than dark; the two are not equal. Christ said: “I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5) (NRSV) We too, as Christians, can become vessels of His Light. The use of “light” dates back to the Council of Nicea in which we recite in the Creed: “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.”
The board that the Icon is written upon should be from trees that drop their leaves seasonally. (The wood of an evergreen tree should not be used because is too “sappy” and will eventually crack.) When properly treated, the Icon will last for upwards of 500 years! The wood of the Icon represents the wood of the cross; the cross upon which our Lord was crucified. Once the board has been pretreated, it is to be scratched and gouged; this represents our Lord’s scourges. A piece of fine linen, which represents the shroud our Lord was wrapped in, then covers the board. (Altar linen may be used.) (On the Altar, as well as on the Icon, God becomes present.) Numerous layers of real gesso (crushed marble) are then applied. Just as gesso is receptive to the paint, we need to be receptive to God through prayer.
With the board now prepared, I am ready to begin the process of writing the Icon. (Please note: an Icon is “written” as opposed to painted because it is Scripture in art; it is a window to God.) I start by first “blessing” the board, which includes: silently saying a prayer of confession; forgiving someone that has offended me; pardoning my enemies; and offering a prayer to the image that I will be writing (Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel…) Next, I trace a copy of the image that will be going onto the board. I then flip the tracing paper over, and retrace the image. After that, I then center the tracing paper onto the board (original side on top) and retrace the image yet again. Due to the graphite on the back side of the tracing paper, the image has now been transferred onto the gesso. I then take a sharp tool and lightly “etch” the image onto the board. All of this tracing, retracing, and “etching” helps the iconographer to become familiar with the image front wards as well as backwards.
Although gesso is receptive to egg tempera, it will not receive metal (gold leaf) without having a layer of clay beneath it. (The clay represents clay from the earth; creation, etc.) The gold leaf, which is 23 carat, must be applied first otherwise any flaking of the gold will stick to the egg yolk. The gold on the Icon symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Just as God breathed into Adam, (which He formed from the clay of the earth), life, so too is the Holy Spirit represented within the Icon.
The colors (or pigments) are then applied starting with the darkest and ending with the lightest. The first layer of pigment applied is called “chaos”. This dark bluish-gray color covers the entire board, except for where the gold leaf has been applied. However, prior to covering the board, the iconographer paints a cross on the faces, hands, feet, Gospel Book, and anything else that is to be venerated, and offers a special prayer of intention for each cross painted. (Some iconographers even write the first letter of each word of the prayer being offered.) Through the process of writing the Icon, the iconographer brings order out of chaos; Light out of darkness.
The faces on an Icon look peaceful, simply because they dwell in peace. At times tears, which are a gift of the Holy Spirit, are present within the eyes of the Holy Person; tears not of sadness, but rather tears of joy. The pupils of the eyes of the Holy Person are large because the Image is emerging from within the Light and going outward into a darkened world.
Clothing, colors, and holy objects all have meaning and symbolism, and therefore, when writing a specific Icon, the iconographer may not deviate from the Icon being used as a model.
I, as an iconographer, am not to be jealous of another iconographer’s work; his/her success is my success as well. To some viewers, an Icon may look “disproportionate”; that’s because it is! In what is known as “natural perspective”, things get smaller the further away they are. However in “reverse perspective”, which is used in iconography, things get larger the further away they are. (Heaven, for instance, doesn’t vanish off into the distance. It is gigantic; it is eternal!) When the Icon is complete, the iconographer is to give thanks to God for His Holy Presence. The iconographer never “signs” the front of the Icon, but rather writes on the back: “By the hand of thy servant Nancy B. Claflin”.
The Icon is then to be placed upon the Altar and blessed. Once blessed the “writer” is to be the first to pray before it before giving it to another person.
In the book of Exodus, we read: ‘You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.” (Exodus 20:4) (NRSV) However, five chapters later we read: “You shall make two cherubim of gold; you shall make then of hammered work.” (Exodus 25:18) (NRSV)
When the Icon is blessed, it becomes like a Sacrament (“an outward and visible sign, of an inward and spiritual grace.”); we kiss it, we venerate it. Some Christians, myself included, prior to kissing the Icon will make a solemn bow while, at the same time, make the Sign of the Cross thus allowing the mind to descend into the heart. This is part of Eastern Christian Spirituality.