Byzantine-Style Icons

By Betsy Porter

Hope always draws the soul from the beauty which is seen to what is beyond, always kindles the desire for the hidden through what is constantly perceived. Therefore, the ardent lover of beauty, although receiving what is always visible as an image of what he desires, yet longs to be filled with the very stamp of the archetype. — Saint Gregory of Nyssa

History and Background

"Icon" means simply "image." The term here refers to sacred images, specifically those developed in the Orthodox Christian tradition.

These traditional images have historically been revered as equivalent in authority to Holy Scripture, as a visual expression of the Word of God. Some are reputed to perform healing miracles. Each Orthodox Church is adorned by an altar screen (iconostasis) covered with icons, as well as portable icons on stands. An Orthodox home will typically include a "beautiful corner," where icons are displayed on a special shelf. Small icons may function as meditation objects and prayer companions. More than just sacred art, icons are treated with great reverence, as part of an active relationship with the holy.

Icons are strongly rooted in classical Greek and Roman art. They were developed during the long-lived Byzantine Empire (330-1453) and its descendant cultures. In recent years, iconography has attracted increased interest and many new practitioners. The discipline continues to evolve as a living art form.

There are numerous icon styles, most prominently Greek, Russian, and Ethiopian. Most historic examples are paintings in egg tempera on wood; others are mosaic, fresco, embroidery, tapestry, precious metals, and enamel. The most familiar icons are half-figures of Jesus, Mary holding the Christ Child, angels, saints, apostles, and prophets. Other types include faces, full-length figures, traditional group scenes representing special days in the church calendar, and illustrations of Bible stories and legends of the saints.

In iconography, a number of artistic rules and conventions apply. The underlying drawing is geometrically structured and proportioned. Color areas are clearly defined. Figures are elongated, eyes large and shadowed, eyebrows arched, noses long and straight, mouths closed, hands gracefully stylized. The forehead (seat of the intellect) and the collarbone (gateway to the heart) are emphasized. Both eyes and at least one ear must be visible to enable the holy figure to see and hear the viewer. Out of respect for the commandment against graven images, Orthodox icons avoid strongly three-dimensional effects. Perspective is flattened or even inversed.

The image is diagrammatic as well as representational, floating on a sea of philosophy, theology, and mathematics. Folds in the garments converge and spiral into power points; hair curls and waves with the saint's energies; and increasingly bright layers of highlights symbolize levels of consciousness. Light comes primarily from within the figure.

Icons have been described as "windows into heaven" and as "making the invisible visible." Even though somber events may be depicted, there is an underlying mood of confidence, joy, and sometimes a playful humor. The holy figures are shown in a blessed state, suffused with golden light. They project an intense psychological presence, and may seem to return your gaze, or even to initiate the scrutiny.

Painting (Traditionally Known as "Writing") an Icon

Iconography is both a spiritual practice and a non-competitive artistic discipline. This work is undertaken with prayer, in a contemplative atmosphere. Icons are left unsigned or signed only on the back, as "by the hand of" the artist.

These sacred images have been lovingly refined over the centuries, so the iconographer does not attempt to re-invent them, but to copy them faithfully, clearly, and expressively. Originality and "self-expression" are rarely required or appropriate. If a modern saint or unfamiliar theme is to be depicted, one relies on precedent insofar as possible, allowing several hours to prepare a satisfactory drawing. But every iconographer develops a unique style and approach. The individual touch is readily visible in minor variations and in nuances of line quality, detail, highlight, and color. With concentration and persistence, almost anyone can learn to paint a beautiful icon.

The Prosopon Method

Although I have taken workshops with several instructors, I am most strongly drawn to the method of Vladislav Andrejev and his associates of the Prosopon School, with whom I have been studying since May 1997. Andrejev learned this method secretly under the Soviet regime. It is based primarily on the work of Saint Andrei Rublev (c. 1370-1430), the famous Russian iconographer-monk.

This method, in itself devotional and ritualized, produces a "liturgically correct" icon, using only natural materials. The process requires a series of carefully executed steps, each of which takes an hour or two, for a total of at least 40 hours. Every material and step is symbolic, and part of a coherent system of symbolic meanings.

The image is written in 23-karat gold leaf and egg tempera on a wood board covered with a layer of cloth and many coats of smooth white gesso, concocted of chalk, marble dust, and animal-skin glue. Egg tempera paint is hand-mixed of natural pigments (mostly pulverized minerals) in an emulsion of egg yolk, vinegar, and water. These colors will last for centuries.

Several layers of highlights and transparent washes are applied over dark background colors. Details and lettering are added last. The careful technique and beautiful natural materials are similar to those used by the Old Masters. The resulting image is marked by elegant line and detail, an appealing inner glow, subtle but luminous color effects, and a soft sheen.

My Own Involvement

Although iconography is challenging, it feels natural to me. I have always taken pleasure in making, looking at, feeling, living among wonderful things. During my childhood, my father often took me to Baltimore's Walters Art Gallery, with its treasures of ancient, Byzantine, medieval, and renaissance art. Travels to Italy, Greece, and Russia brought opportunities to see more icons. My work is also influenced by early 20th century decorative art, lettering, and book illustration.

For some years I have been actively engaged in art and craft, especially fiber arts, silk painting, and bead jewelry. But it never occurred to me to paint an icon until 1997, when my friend Grace Evans showed me two icons she had painted during 6-day intensive workshops in Philadelphia. They looked to me even more beautiful than those I had seen in Russia! Grace told me of her plans for a similar workshop, with Vladislav Andrejev and his wife Olga as instructors, to take place at Trinity Episcopal of Princeton, NJ – the very church I was then attending.

I enrolled in this workshop. Initially, I felt rather foolish for spending several hundred dollars and a week of vacation time just to reproduce a timeworn design. But this work was not so simple after all. Vladislav's guidance was soon very welcome. The symbolism and theory of iconography delighted me. I could never again look at art the same way! Here was art as it had once been, and was becoming for me – a rich synthesis of the intellectual, aesthetic, material, and spiritual.

Since then I've taken several more workshops, and have painted icons on my own. I try to learn a new artistic or technical skill with each piece, and look forward to writing increasingly complex images. Some icons are in my home, and some have been painted as very special gifts. Several have found a place at my church, St. Gregory of Nyssa in San Francisco, where they are well displayed and used. Here a whole community of other icons surrounds them.

Because this work is so time-consuming, I can produce only a few pieces each year.

Betsy Porter
email: betsy.porter@earthlink.net

Fourth Day of Creation
By Betsy Porter

This image was included in the Visual Preludes for General Convention 2003 and presented on Thursday, July 31st.

Christ Pantocrator (Ruler of All)
By Betsy Porter

Jesus is typically depicted as teacher and philosopher. Like other teachers, he typically holds a book. His gaze is intent, inquiring, both open and inward. His heavenly blue outer garment and earthy red inner garment symbolize his dual nature. His unique halo is marked by a cross and lettering, roughly translatable as "I am who I am."

Theotokos of the Passion
(Our Lady of Perpetual Help)
By Betsy Porter

In the Theotokos of the Passion, an icon type known in the West as Our Lady of Perpetual Help, our foreboding becomes explicit as two angels approach to present the Christ Child with the instruments of his death. Although his attention is on the angels and their message, he clasps his mother's hand for reassurance.

Christ as Man of Sorrows
By Betsy Porter

Here is Jesus in the crown of thorns and purple robe, as he would have appeared before Pilate. In Orthodox imagery, Christ never loses his physical beauty. Images of his passion are presented with only token bleeding and without the graphically explicit physical suffering often seen in Western versions.

Icons of Christ's passion take us to our own places of fear, grief, pain, and horror. Here our beloved Lord, in severe grief and pain and trouble, stands with us and for us.

Jesus appears chilled and embarrassed. Pilate's soldiers made him look really silly in that skimpy purple robe. The knot seems to symbolize his heart. To emphasize the drama and tension, I painted the inner background red.

Also by Betsy Porter
How to Paint an Icon by the Prosopon Method

For more information on icons, please visit the following links:

ECVA exhibition Icons and Prayers

Prosopon School of Iconology

Icon Arts