Byzantine Sacred Art: Orthodox Icons and Iconography

»Caricature

Slight distortions in proportions on iconic images, such as enlarged eyes, elongated, thin nose, small mouth, etc. have their purpose and are accepted, traditional model the Holy Figures are written by. Each of the features, just like the inverted perspective, ultimately serves to draw the onlooker in and enable a connection with the Holy Person who sees and hears our prayers. It is mostly these subtle and deliberate distortions that give icons their dematerialized, unearthly and spiritual character.

There is a huge difference between these deliberate and purposeful alterations and crude deformations that are a result of lack of skill and ignorance. Icon that serves as a vision of Heavenly Beauty should never be reduced to caricature. An aspiring iconographer needs to study the medium, techniques and iconic imagery patiently and with care before deciding to exhibit his work or, worse, sell some of it. Otherwise, he/she is not only reducing iconographic art to a joke, but is also committing a sin against the Holy Personages who deserve to have their images highlighted with love, care and reverence.

»Faking antiques

Eastern Orthodox Church is the greatest treasury of magnificent icons, dating back to 7^th and 8^th century. Most of them are surprisingly well preserved, but they also show signs of age in the form of cracks, bits of paint and gold missing around the edges and dark patina collected over the centuries.

Painting on old, damaged boards, applying finishes that simulate cracks and aging, sanding, breaking, chipping and violating icon once its written in order to imitate ancient icons the Church treasures is terribly wrong. It is deceitful, immoral and fraudulent to suggest a certain creation of ours is antique and more valuable for its faked age. It is also a grave sin to damage and desecrate the holy image.

Master iconographers would never even dream of depicting a Holy Figure in profile, since one could never show a Holy Person "with an eye or ear missing", let alone to beat and pound and break an icon in order to raise its market value or produce an "interesting" visual effect. Each iconographer should take care to use only the best materials available and approach his work with desire to honor the Holy Person first and foremost.