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The Orthodox Pages
CHAPTER FOUR ICONS, COLOURS AND SYMBOLS |
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THE ICONOGRAPHER
Icon painting is a sacred activity and so the Icon painter should live as best he can according to the Gospels, the beliefs of the Church and lead a life of prayer. He should be aware of the theology and the sacred canons surrounding the Icon and should read the life of the saint he is preparing to paint. He should also read the liturgical text for the saint or feast he is to paint because iconography is a liturgical art, having the same spiritual depth and character as the hymns. Many traditions of the Church have been passed down orally from one generation to the next. These oral traditions have found their way into the liturgical hymns and through the hymns to the Icon. They are not teachings preached on the housetops for all the world to hear, but traditional teachings and mysteries revealed within the Church to her members. All of this knowledge is of paramount importance to the iconographer and is a safeguard against western influence and heretical teachings, which over many years have found their way into many Icons.
The iconographer is not thought of as an artist, but as the instrument of the Holy Spirit and the Church, and for this reason he does not sign his name, because that would reflect that he regards the work as his own and not the work of the Church, Nowadays many iconographers do sign their name and this shows how they do not understand that they are performing a work for the Church and therefore the work belongs to the Church. The iconographer is only an interpreter whereby he interprets the teaching of the Church by writing it down in images. When the Gospels were translated from the original Greek into English, the translators did not use their own names as the authors, but gave to each work the name of the author as in the original Greek. They became the instrument through which the Church performed her work. In this same way, the iconographer is the instrument of the Church in that he translates the teaching of the Church and so should not claim authorship. He should have no aspirations to be recognized, as are the painters of secular art, but labour to serve the Church in humility.
The Icon painter should never use his own imagination in painting an Icon. He should follow the accepted forms that have been consecrated by the Church and handed down through tradition. To stay within this tradition, he uses older Icons or manuals as his guides. His individuality is expressed in the composition and lines, and in his skill to blend and harmonize the colours. He is free to a certain extent on which colours to use, but again he must stay within tradition, because colours have symbolic meanings and many saints have their own colours.
Christ’s colours are blue and purple. Sometimes purple is replaced by red: this is quite acceptable because true purple was made from a shell fish and can vary from a dark red to a brownish of bluish red. (The ancients took the live shell fish and placed it in the sun, This produced a yellowish liquid which they collected and again exposed to the sun until it turned red, They then heated the liquid for ten days whereby it was ready to use as a dye Sometimes they added other pharmaceutical substances to produce various shades. The purple colours were bright and permanent ) In ancient times, purple was worn by Kings and wealthy people and during the Byzantine era, purple cloth was made and reserved only for royalty. For this reason, Christ was given a purple tunic [inner garment] because He too is royalty as our King. Blue is the colour of the sky, so from the earliest. times, it represented the heavens and the divine world. In Icons, blue represents purity, heaven, holiness and divinity. Christ was given a blue himation [outer garment], for as our God, He is pure holy and divine. We also see on Christ’s purple tunic, a strip of cloth starting from His shoulder and disappearing inside His blue himation. In full length Icons, we see that it continues all the way down to the hem of the tunic. This is called in Greek the ‘apostolikon’ and in Latin the ‘clavus’. It may be that the true explanation for the apostolikon has been lost through the centuries, but one explanation is that the kings and judges of the Old Testament wore this as a sign that they were a judge of the people, therefore it was given to Christ who is the One True Judge. It seems a logical explanation, but another explanation that derives from the Greek word apostolikon is preferable. To have an ‘αποστολή’ means to have a mission of a great teaching; therefore, the apostolikon shown on the Icon refers to Christ’s teaching in the world. We also see the apostolikon on Icons of the prophets, the Apostles and angels, which confirms its meaning, for they too had a mission. It is very possible that the first Icon painters to use the apostolikon had this understanding in mind, In Christ, it usually has an orange/red colour with gold highlights. I have not as yet come across an explanation for the colour of the apostolikon, but a logical theory could be that red, which has many meanings in iconography, can represent a strong energy or activity, also that it is the colour of blood which is a life-force and therefore represents life. All of these are relevant in Christ and his apostolic mission.
In the Icon, we also see that Christ’s right hand is raised in blessing. This is not just a gesture, but an actual blessing of His grace upon the whole world. With His Left hand, He holds the Gospel, which can be closed or open to a passage from the Gospels. In this, we see that Christ still teaches and enlightens the world through the Gospels and speaks to us through these words. We have already mentioned that these words are the words of God, and another name for Christ is the ‘WORD OF GOD’. Within the halo is the shape of a cross and this represents His passion and crucifixion. On the Cross we see the letters ‘O WN’ which form the Greek words meaning ‘The Being’, or ‘I AM THAT I AM’, and is the reply God gave to Moses from the burning bush. We read in Exodus 3: 13-14, that Moses asked God what shall he tell the people if they inquire after his God’s name, “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM; and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the people of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you”. In giving us His name as I AM THAT I AM, He tells us that He is the ‘Absolute Being’ that has no beginning or end, or I AM from the very beginning and ever shall be. The inscription ‘IC XC’ is in abbreviation for the Greek name of Jesus Christ (Ιησούς Χριστός). With the two names of O WN and IC XC , we testify that Christ is both God and Man.
ICONS OF THE MOTHER OF GOD
The Mother of God holds a special place in the Orthodox Church. She is exalted above all the saints and the heavenly angels and praised with hymns like:
‘More honourable than the cherubim and past compare more glorious than the seraphim, who inviolate didst bear God the Word; Very Mother of God thee we magnify’.
In all the Church services, she is called by her full title: Our Most Holy and undefiled, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary. The Church constantly reminds us of her unique relationship with the Son of God, who didst deign to be incarnate, taking of her flesh, thus becoming the Son of the Virgin. The high degree of veneration should not be misunderstood in thinking that the Church regards her as a substitute for Christ, who is our only Saviour. The devotion given to the Mother of God has its root in her unique position amongst men. The more we glorify the Mother of God, the more we glorify the Son of God, for it is because of the Son that we glorify the mother. Her holiness is seen in that she contained in her womb, the divine glory of the Son of God and became a ladder reaching up to heaven, thus uniting heaven and earth, the uncreated with the created. It was through the Mother of God that the incarnation became possible. God became a man voluntarily to save mankind, but to do this, He needed the free consent of His mother; thus the incarnation was the work of the will of God and the free will of man, a synergy [cooperation] of two wills: God’s and the Virgin’s. Without the one or the other, the salvation of man could not become possible and we would still live in the shadow of death. The Mother of God became the doorway to heaven, which had been shut through the sin of Adam.
The Blessed Virgin, like the rest of mankind, underwent a physical death, but due to her unique position, the resurrection of the dead was anticipated, and her body was assumed totally to heaven, passing beyond death and the last judgement. She sits as the Queen of Heaven at her Son’s side, having entered into perfect union with God and watches over the destiny of the world. She is the first human being, born of the seed of man, in whom is fulfilled the final end for which the world was created. She has crossed the boundary that separates us from the age to come and becomes the crowning glory of the entire universe. The Mother of God already enjoys the benefits of the new age, but this does not entirety separate her from the rest of mankind, for what she enjoys now, all Christians, living in the hope of the resurrection, will one day share. The glory of the Mother of God has given rise to a multitude of Icons bearing different names, but all stem from the principle types of which we shall look into.
THE VIRGIN OF THE SIGN or PLATYTERA TON OURANON
This Icon is often confused with another Icon of the Mother of God known as the Veil or Protection of the Mother or God [Skebi tis Panayias], painted without the details of the event. The Icon of the ‘Veil’ commemorates the time the Mother of God appeared along with other saints in the Church of Blachenae, Constantinople, in the 10th century and was seen by St. Andrew the ‘Fool for Christ’ and his disciple Epiphanios. At this event, the Mother of God, held her veil above her head and all the people present felt the grace of her protection. The Icon known by the Russian title ‘Virgin of the Sign’ has a completely different meaning. In Greek it is known by the name ‘Platytera ton Ouranon’ [She who is Wider than the Heavens]. Both names justify its composite form.
Our Icon is from a wall painting from the Church ‘The Cross of Ayiasmati, near Platanistása in Cyprus and dated 1494. The Mother of God has her hands raised in prayer, characteristic of the ‘orans’ attitude of prayer. The character of the orans was known before Christian times, in the Greco-Roman world, and by early Christian times, it had become very widespread and was seen in frescoes in the catacombs and on sacred vessels. The Icon of the ‘Sign’ is a prophetic Icon and is based on the prophecy of Isaiah, 7: 14,
“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel”.
This prophecy of the sign, by which we are to recognize the Divine Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, is seen in the Icon as fulfilled and revealed. Christ is depicted as the child Immanuel, the pre-eternal God, full of wisdom, and blesses the world with both hands. He is seen contained in His Mother’s womb symbolically represented by the mandorla. The ‘mandorla’ is usually made of three concentric circles of graded blue, and is a symbol used in iconography to represent. heaven and the divine glory. The Mother of God’s womb represented by the mandorla, reveals the Blessed Virgin as the throne of God and the temple of the Godhead. She is more spacious and wider than the heavens, for whereas the great expanse of the heavens cannot circumscribe the Lord; He is now circumscribed by the Virgin’s womb. It is from this expression that the Icon derives its Greek name of ‘Platytera ton Ouranon’ [She who is wider than the heavens]. The phrases used to express the glory of the Mother of God, can be found in many hymns like the one by St. John of Damascus, sung during the Liturgy of St. Basil,
“Hail, thou who art full of grace, all creation rejoices in thee, the assembly of the angels and all the human race. O hallowed temple, mystical paradise, and the glory of maidenhood, of whom God, our God before all worlds, was incarnate and became a child. Thy womb He made His throne and the same He made wider than the heavens, all creation rejoices in thee, O full of grace, glory to thee”.
The Blessed Virgin is called by many other titles. These are not mere poetic sentiments, but each makes a theological statement. A great many have their origins in the Old Testament prophetic visions of the incarnation and are seen by the Church as types that pre-figure the Mother of God, e.g. The ‘Burning Bush’ that appeared to Moses and was not consumed; The flowering ‘Rod of Aaron’ chosen by God; Jacob’s vision of the ‘Spiritual Ladder’ reaching up to heaven; etc...
The colours of the Mother of God are similar shades given to the Icon of Christ Pantocrator [Almighty]. The purple maphorion [veil, the outer garment], proclaims her royal throne as the Queen of Heaven, and the blue chiton [inner garment], her purity and holiness. On the maphorion are three stars: one on the forehead and one on each shoulder. The three stars are a sign of her ever-virginity: before conception, during confinement, and after giving birth, and should be seen on all Icons of the Mother of God as they confirm her title ‘Aeiparthenos [Ever-Virgin] given to her at the General [Ecumenical] Council held at Constantinople in 553A.D. Another of her titles, and perhaps the most important of all, was decided at the Ecumenical Council held at Ephesus in 431A.D. At that time, the heretical patriarch Nestorius taught that Mary was only the mother of a man and that she did not give birth to the pre-existing, pre-eternal Son of God, who already had a Father with whom He shared His divine nature. To put an end to this heretical teaching, the Fathers of the council, assigned to the Virgin Mary, the title ‘Theotokos’ [Birth-giver of God or Mother of God]. On all Icons of the Mother of God, we see the inscription 'ΜΡ ΘΥ ' which is the abbreviated Greek form for Mother of God [ΜήτηΡ ΘεοΥ]. The angels seen censing the Mother of God are the Archangels Michael [on our left] and Gabriel [on our right].
The name Hodegitria means She who guides or points the way, and by tradition, St. Luke the Evangelist first painted this type of Icon and the Mother of God blessed her portrait saying, “My blessing will remain always with this Icon”. We see that the Mother of God is facing and looking out towards the world in an upright and majestic pose. Her hand is raised to the height of her bosom and pointing towards Christ as if to say, “Look at Him and not at me, He is the way to salvation, He is our God and Saviour”. It brings to mind the Virgin’s words at the wedding in Cana, “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it” [St. John 2:5]. Christ, sitting on His mother’s left arm, is clothed in a glorious himation woven of gold. He is depicted as the child Immanuel, the pre-eternal God, full of wisdom, and looks out to the world, which He blesses with His right hand, while with His left hand He holds a scroll containing the words of His teaching. In the top corners of the Icon are the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. Our Icon is from the Church of Christ at Chora and dates from the 15th century. The ‘Hodegitria’ is the most classical of all the Byzantine Icons of the Virgin and Child and has given rise to many variations reproduced under new titles.
The next icon is a modification of the classical Hodegitria and is known as the Hodegitria-Eleousa or just simply ‘Eleousa’. The details are similar to the preceding Icon, but now, Christ is no longer facing the spectator, but towards His mother. His face is shown in three-quarters and together with His body, is slightly turned towards the Virgin. Very often, we see His right foot tucked under the other leg and appearing from under His himation showing only the sole of His foot. The Virgin does not return His gaze, but with her head slightly inclined towards Christ, she continues to look out to the world with an expression of sadness: the face of the Merciful Hodegitria praying for the whole world before her Son. In the majority of Mother and Child Icons, the two persons rarely took at each other, exchanging an intimacy that excludes the rest of the world. Mother and Child Icons are not meant to stir our emotions over affectionate motherhood, but teach and glorify the incarnation. The gestures of the Mother of God and Christ are not as majestic or ceremonious as in the classical Hodegitria, but the message we receive is the same.
Icons of the Glykophylousa [Sweet-kissing or Loving-kindness] are full of natural human feelings. Here we have a complete contrast to the majestic Hodegitria. The Mother of God has a tender-sad expression, as if grieving deeply in silence at the coming passion of her Son, having remembered the words told to her by St. Symeon in the temple, “Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also” [St Luke 2:35]. Christ is again shown as the Child Immanuel and still clothed in the glorious himation as in the Hodegitria, but now He is turned towards the Virgin with one hand around her neck and the other on her left shoulder. Their cheeks are pressed together and the Child’s left foot is tucked under with only the sole of His foot showing. The whole Icon seems to burst with human affections and feeling, but as with other elements that lose their naturalism and become transfigured; here also we can look upon these feelings as transfigured. The Mother of God’s loving caress and tormenting pain for her Son can be seen transfigured into motherly compassion for all creation for which Christ, voluntarily sacrifices Himself. Her love, grief and pain become compassion for the whole world, thus revealing the Mother of God as the Merciful Intercessor who cannot bear the suffering to which all creatures are subjected. The Child’s human nature is emphasized by the display of His human feelings of fear and His emotional response in seeking refuge with His mother, but this can also be seen in a different light. With his cheek against His mother’s and His hand around her neck, He seems to try to console and calm her hidden grief.
Our Icon is the famous Byzantine Icon called the Virgin of Vladimir and is dated to the 11th or 12th century. Tradition has it that this is another of the type of Icons painted by St. Luke and having seen the Icon, the Mother of God repeated the words she spoke in prophecy in the Gospel of St. Luke, 1:48, “From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” and the words, “With this image is my grace and power”. The Vladimir Icon came originally from Constantinople and from there it was taken to Kiev in Russia in 1155. From there it was taken to Vladimir from which it received its name and then to Moscow. It is now in the Tretikov Gallery.
This Icon, as with the Glykophylousa Icon, is filled with human emotions. In the top corners of the icon are seen two angels, each holding the instruments of the passion. Christ turns His head and looks at the angel holding the cross, knowing that He has to suffer the crucifixion at a later date in His life. In fear, He holds onto His mother’s right hand with both His hands, thereby showing His human nature, which is opposed to death because death is the consequence of sin. But Christ had no part with sin and therefore death was not a natural process, which He would one day inevitably succumb to, but an outcome His human will had to voluntarily except by submitting to the divine will. The Icon seems to express the prayer of Gethsemane, “O my Father, If it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt” [St. Matth. 26: 39]. The Mother of God, with her head slightly inclined toward her Son, continues to look out to the world with a mournful expression and inner grief that one day she will see her Son suffer the humility of the passion and be crucified on the cross, helpless to deliver Him from that hour.
Our icon is by the Cretan school, dated between the 16th and 17th century and is in the Byzantine Museum in Athens. |
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