Sacred Doorways: A Beginner’s Guide to Icons

Description

A comprehensive guide to the ancient Byzantine art form of icons--which were meant to convey Christian truths in a visual form--covers their history; their craftsmen, donors, and patrons; the materials and techniques involved in their creation; their relationship with prayer; and where to find them in galleries and museums worldwide. Original. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly For most Christians in the West, icons are intriguing but opaque, enigmatic and perhaps a little frightening. In an accessible and loving introduction to the ancient devotional art form, the late Martin, who studied art history at Oxford University, manages to make icons intelligible without denuding their mystery. Part reference work and part inspirational meditation, the book opens by sharing little-known characteristics of icons. Next she offers a helpful chronology, usefully chronicling the various periods of Byzantine art, and limning the history of Russian icons. One very concrete chapter catalogues the materials and techniques of icon-making, explaining the role of egg tempera and gesso in producing the often dark, matte pictures. The most eloquent and capacious chapter is that on prayer. Icons, Martin tells us, are not merely inspiring works of art, but are "made for the distinct purpose of prayer." Indeed, this chapter goes beyond instructions about icons to a moving meditation on prayer itself. The small but densely packed volume is rounded out by an appendix of international icon collections, and a helpful bibliography. Only occasionally does the book turn didactic and over-encyclopedic; chapters five and six, which define basics like "iconostasis" and "diptych," feel plodding. Martin's work, which nicely complements Henri Nouwen's classic reflection on icons, ought to become an indispensable part of any Christian library. From Booklist Many appreciate and admire icons while failing to understandthem, which isn't surprising because iconography is a complex subjectwith thousands of years of history. Martin aims to increaseunderstanding of what icons convey. She defines icon and describesan icon's purpose; examines the visual language that is iconography(according to her, the earliest surviving icons date from the sixthand seventh centuries) as it developed during successive Byzantineeras and thereafter in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, theso-called golden age of Russian icons; and discusses the artists andcraftsmen who created icons and the donors and guild members whoenabled their creation. She also comments on the materials andtechniques used to fashion icons and on the spiritual significance ofindividual types of icons, such as those of the Virgin Mary and ofscenes from the New Testament--the Annunciation, the baptism ofChrist, the raising of Lazarus, the Crucifixion, and others. Inconclusion, Martin offers a short list of important icon collectionsthroughout the world. June Sawyers List of Illustrations viii Preface ix Bouquets xiii Publisher's Acknowledgment xiv Introduction xv Living Doors • Time to Look ONE What Are Icons f 1 Any Materials, Any Size, and Not Only Religious TWO Their History 6 When Were Icons First Made? • Periods of Byzantine Art • Russia and Icons • Changing Styles and Subjects THREE The Icon Makers 30 Alchemy • The Artist and His Assistants • Craftsmen Known by Name • Donors • Guilds FOUR Materials and Techniques 40 Introduction: The Limitations of Raw Materials • Colors and Pigments • Drawing the Design • Egg Tempera • "Frames"/Panels • Gesso • Gilding • Icon Covers • Jewels and Gems • Manuals and Patternbooks • Measurements • Mechanical Reproduction • Mctalwork • Mordants • Painting the Icon • Panel Preparation • Repainting and Copying • Restoration • Stencils and Templates • Tones and Highlights • Various Media for Icons • Varnishing NINE New Testament Scenes in Icons: The Festal Cycle 182 Introduction: Twelve Feasts • Annunciation • Nativity • Presentation in the Temple • Baptism of Christ • Transformation • Raising of Lazarus • Entry into Jerusalem • Communion of the Apostles • Crucifixion • Spice-Bearing Women • Anastasis • Ascension • Pentecost • Life and Death of the Virgin • Last Judgment TEN The Special Qualities of Icons 204 Direct Communication • Observing Faces in Icons • The Quality of Light in Icons • Time and Place • Respecting Icons • The True Context of an Icon • Getting to Know an Icon ELEVEN Icons and Prayer 215 Looking at Icons in Silence and Stillness • What Is Prayer? • The Terrain of Icons, the Terrain of Prayer • Prayer Is Not Safe Because God Is Not Safe • Fearful Love • Looking at God in Icons • Time and Place • Praying Without Words • The Sense of Sight • Praying with Icons • A Reflection TWELVE Windows of Eternity: The Theology of Icons Nicholas Gendle 229 Appendix: Where Do You Go from Heref Icon Collections Worldwide 239 Notes 243 Bibliography 246