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The image of the Son of God radiated gold. Jane Tan Creti shined his halo
before creating the savior's face. "You have to learn to release
the control and let it do what it wants to do," the artitst said.
Get out of the way, instructed her teacher, Vladislav Andrejev, who
spoke in Russian in a midtown Episcopal Church hall while - from the Savannah Morning News 01/03 |
showing Christians how to paint icons. To allow God's presence, step
back. "Reduce yourself," Andrejev said through an interpreter,
his son, Dmitri. "Become smaller for something else to show,
to allow God to help us, to work with us," Dmitri said. The father
and son stood at a table topped with squares of gold leaf as thin
as the hair poking from their paintbrushes. Jars heldground lapis
and turquoise - and liquid clay. Compasses were there to help create
halos. Dmitri explained the symbolism of each stroke. They're not
painting, they're submitting, he told them. There's no expressionism
or impressionism. They must follow strict styles established by the
Orthodox Church centuries ago. The students traced patterns of archangels
and apostles and etched the outlines into blocks of birch layered
with linen. It reminded them of holier patterns: discipline and submitting
to God's will. They painted a base of earth-toned colors for faces
and robes and wings. Then, they applied bright highlights to accentuate
folds in robes and feathers in wings and curls in hair. A form emerged
from darkness into light. They will give their icons to friends or
hang them in their churches. "You're contemplating the spirituality
of the figure and your own spirituality, which you hope is growing,"
said Millie Dimock. "It concentrates you on your prayer."
When the artists left the week-long course at St. Paul the Apostle
Episcopal Church, none of their creations held their signatures. "The
process of iconography is anonymous,"Vladislav said through his
son. "We don't sign our icons." "In the theology of
icons, the concept of 'I' - the human - is diminished. It should be
avoided. "The only time we can say 'I', is when we knock on the
door of paradise and the Lord asks, 'Who is there?"