Holy Icons
San Giorgio e il Drago - SOLD
Symbolism in iconography
Ancient Christian anthropology indicates the human being as made up of three dimensions: body, soul and spirit. The pictorial process itself follows a symbolic itinerary according to these three dimensions:
BODY – are the color fields and the structure of the icon.
SOUL – these are the clarifications, that is, the lights give soul and life to the matter
SPIRIT – are the highlights, the likeness (the vivid features show the likeness that the Spirit has given to man).
By delving into iconography we discover that in the icon everything has its own symbolic meaning:
- The table symbolizes the wood of the Cross.
- The cloth that covers the table represents the sacred linen on which the face of Christ was imprinted.
- The plaster (leukas) with which the canvas is covered is a symbol of the cornerstone which is Christ.
- The egg emulsion used to mix the pigments indicates Easter, the new life in Christ. In the emergence of the chick from the egg, the first Christians depicted an expressive symbolism of the resurrection of Christ. The wine mixed with the egg is a symbol of the Eucharistic blood of Christ. The drops of lavender recall the perfume used by Magdalene for Jesus.
- Colors materialize uncreated light.
In Byzantine icons the meaning of colors is always very deep with a highly symbolic and otherworldly value. The steps to follow when painting an icon are significant, in fact you always start with very dark colors. For the face, for example, we start with a fairly dark green called 'sankir', on which we make various passes and lightening, slowly bringing it to light. A bit like what happens on the path of conversion, where sin is illuminated by the love of Christ who renews us.
Madonna della Tenerezza - SOLD
An icon is a sacred representation painted on wood, produced within the Byzantine and Slavic Christian culture. The term derives from the Russian "икона", in turn deriving from the Byzantine Greek "εἰκόνα" (eikóna) and from the classical Greek εἰκών-όνος deriving from the perfect infinitive eikénai, translatable into "to be similar", "to appear", while the term eikóna can be translated as "image".
The icon is not a realistic portrait, but an ideal, timeless image.
Symbolism and tradition do not only involve the pictorial aspect, but also that relating to the preparation and the material used.
The icon transmits a particular theological message through the iconic language which is expressed by the colors used by the artist. From the Russian Orthodox tradition, three schemes have been refined which refer to the original image: Mother of God Praying (without Child) and the two in which she is represented together with baby Jesus, the so-called Icons of the Incarnation: Mother of God Hodighitria ( "she who shows the right path") and Mother of God Eleusa ("image of tenderness"). These traditional images can also be found in medieval Western art, which remained Byzantine in style until the time of Cimabue, and then decidedly changed its style with Giotto, who established himself with the search for naturalism and the study of perspective.
Madonna della Tenerezza - SOLD
