The Art of Iconography
byIlaria RamzySt. Mark ChurchNew Orleans, LA
Art is a beautiful representation of not only images, but also messages aimed at the viewer. The art of iconography is a unique characteristic of our Coptic heritage that began with the intention of educating converts of the church. The works seen to be out of proportion to the viewer since the eyes and ears are quite large. However, these iconographers were not unaware of such elements. They knew quite well the rules to project icons that are considered a religious beauty and aimed to embody the visions of faith and hope. "For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who of what one sees?" (Romans 8:24). The main function of iconography is liturgical. Icons are an integral part of the Coptic worship, inspiring and teaching the faithful the mysteries of the Christian Church through the intertwining of the mediums of color. Iconography is visual theology. Icons stand between the material and spiritual realms.
First, one must understand the word "icon" finds its origin in the Greek word "eikon". Within the Greek Bible, icon appears in the verse, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image..." so God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created" (Genesis 1:26-27) and also in, "He is the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15). In other words, the word "icon" is "image" in Greek. Icons allow us to learn the mystery of the presence of God in the world in a way which is exclusive to the visual arts. They do not just represent worldly reality nor are they "religious" pictures. As Nicholas Zemov of the Russian Orthodox Church strongly states, "Icons are dynamic manifestations of man's spiritual power to redeem creation through beauty and art. The colors and lines of icons are not meant to imitate nature; the artist's aim at demonstrating that men, animals and plants, and the whole cosmos can be rescued from their present state of degradation and restored to their proper 'Image'. These icons are pledges of the coming victory of a redeemed creation over the fallen one." An icon of Jesus Christ affirms the reality of the reconciliation of the human and the divine and enables us to contemplate He who is the model for our these. The image in the icon must be equivalent to the Scripture as a revelation of the truth. A valid image is one that is faithful to its prototype. Fidelity to a sacred prototype means fidelity to a transfigured reality, and this rules our "photographic" realism, which would merely reproduce the likeness of the world in a state of corruption. An image changed to suit an individual's taste is as dangerous as a doctored Scriptural text as threatened in Revelation, "I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to the, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in the book." (Rev. 18-19)
Coptic Iconography reached its peak during the Coptic period between the 4th and 7th centuries. This time coincides with Constatine's official recognition of Christianity. The Christian converts beginning to appear were illiterate. They had extreme difficulty comprehending the spiritual meanings, the history of the Church, and the events that took place in the Bible. Therefore, the Church leaders allowed icons to help the people assimilate Christianity and its doctrine aided by visual means. Icons were there to instruct and elevate. Patriarch Cyril I, the 24th Coptic Pope, permitted icons to be hung in the Patriarchate and all the churches of Egypt.
Soon, Christians began to venerate the icon itself and to forget the event or person it portrays. An icon is meant to be a window into the spiritual world helping us to contemplate spiritual matters, lead us to a prayerful frame of mind, and remind us of events in the Bible, the life of Christ, and the saints. The icon is NOT to be an object of worship. Again, the stress is on contemplating the implicated scene within the artwork and not to bow before a picture. We kneel to Jesus Christ, not to pictures. We kiss these pictures as if kissing the Lord, His Mother, the Disciples who touched Him, and the Saints who precede us to eternal life. These are our true family: "Our Father who art in Heaven;" St. Mary the Virgin, Queen, Theotokos, and the Mother of the world; and our never-ending accumulation of brothers and sisters.
Due to the incorrect form of worship, in the 8th century a movement called the Iconoclast Controversy began. These Iconoclasts used the verse, "You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them," (Ex 20:4-5). An important figure, Lawon el-Esafiy, led the destruction of many icons during this period. This interlude coincided with the Muslim invasion of Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and Persia. Two Church's custom of icons were St. John o Damascus and St. Theodore of Studios within the 7th Ecumenical Council of the Eastern Orthodox Church in 787 A.D.
These Saints went back to the time that Jesus Christ was on earth and noted the first three icons presented in the Church. St. Luke is not only a doctor, a Gospel writer, but also an artist. He painted the icon presenting the Theotokos holding the Baby Jesus in her arms. This icon is now all over the world in a variation of churches. The historian Van Celub also claims that St. Luke even painted an icon of Archangel Michael in a Cathedral in Alexandria. The second icon is directly from our Lord Jesus Christ. King Abagar of Edessa sent a message to the Lord asking for a visit to heal him from his disease and inviting our Lord to come and live in his kingdom. The messenger returned with a cloth with Jesus' image imprinted upon it. The Lord's image healed the king. "All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit," (2 Cor 3:18). The third icon involves the woman cured from her twelve year bleeding in Luke 8:43. It seems this woman living in the village of Banias, near the source of the Jordan, drew on her house a representation of Christ and another of herself lying prostrate at His feet. These icons are recorded by the historian Eusebius of Caesaria in "The History of the Church." Eusebius specifically saw the image on the woman's house in the 3rd century. We may also consider the image on Veronica's sheet an icon where she wiped our Lord's face during His flight to Golgotha and received an imprint of Him.
The techniques remain the same over centuries. There are two that are employed. "Encaustic" an gesso is the name of the first style. It disappeared around the Iconoclastic period. It consisted of molten bee's wax made into an emulsion soluble in water. It was developed to a very high standard during the Graceo-Roman period (2nd century BC - 4th century AD) as can be seen in the beautiful funerary portraits from Fayoum Oasis, Southwest of Cairo, which can be considered the immediate predecessors of the Christian icon.
The second, "Egg tempera" an gesso, survived the Iconoclastic era. It remains the only technique used to this day, although unfortunately threatened by the use of modern media like oil or acrylic which cannot compare with the brilliance and subtlety of hue of tempera. Gesso is the name of the white ground upon which the icon is written. Its soundness is of paramount importance to the overall success of the work. Gesso is made up of white lime and glue and is spread on the panel in thin layers to achieve a hard, smooth surface. After a design has been applied to it, gilding takes place. Tempera is a Latin word meaning mixing in due measure. Egg tempera requires a process of illumination from dark to light, symbolizing the passage of the soul from darkness of the world to the light of Christ.
The characteristics of the large and wide eyes symbolize the spiritual eye that looks beyond the material world since the Bible says, "The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light," (Mt 6:22). The large ears show ears listening to the Word of God, "Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear" (Mk 4:23). Gentle lips are reminders to glorify and praise the Lord, "My mouth shall praise You with Joyful lips" (Ps 63:5). The eyes and ears are disproportionably large because a spiritual person spends more time listening to God's word and seeking to do God's will. Large heads indicate that the individual are devoted to contemplation and prayer. The mouth is small because it can be the source of empty and harmful words. The nose is also small since it is viewed as sensual. Notice that when an evil character is portrayed within an icon, it is always in profile since it is not desirable for one to dwell upon, meditate, or make eye contact with such a being. Also note that artists do no usually sign their names since this should not be a method of self-glorification. Those who choose to sing usually do so in the form of a prayer such as "Remember me O lord when You come into Your Kingdom." (Lk 23:42)
The icon usage and symbolism is the same meaning to Eastern Orthodox churches (Greek, Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian...) and to Oriental Orthodox churches such as ourselves (Armenian, Syrian, Ethiopian...). Miracles are often related to icons from the dripping of oil to the apparitions. This phenomenon has lead to many healed and encourages a renewal of faith for Christians.
Use these icons as windows into the spiritual world to achieve a prayerful mindset. They represent images of the Body of Christ for through Him we are all united. When you view the Crucifixion, recall that He is carrying your sins. The nails driven into Him are because of the evil decisions we choose. Contemplate such thoughts as to where we are extremely unworthy of such a Sacrificial Lamb. Let these thoughts lead you to try to be steadfast upon the road to eternal life. Observe the icon of a Saint and notice that he or she has defeated the world. Through such images, constant reminders of our goal here on earth, we are assisted in our struggle for our names to be written within the pages of the Lamb's Book of Life.