There is at least one icon from Mt. Sinai that even people far from the Church know: the famous Christ Pantocrator, one of the most ancient iconographic depictions of Christ, painted in Constantinople in the mid-sixth century and given to the monastery at Mt. Sinai. What is generally representative of icons from Mt. Sinai? The art scholar Galina Kolpakova, in one of her books, notes: “In the icons... 

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church numbers among the Oriental Orthodox Churches; along with the Coptic, Syrian, and Armenian Orthodox Churches, it confesses a Monophysite Christology, not accepting the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon (451), and recognizing only the first three Ecumenical Councils. The flowering of the Ethiopian school of iconography took place between the periods of the High and Late... 

Coptic icons are childlike, sincere, and very expressive and vibrant. The Coptic tradition of icon painting was formed under the influence of ancient Egyptian and Greek art. The characteristic features of Coptic icon painting can already be seen in the fourth century: the large eyes and ears on a small head, the confident lines, the naive and childlike depictions. The Copts themselves are certain that... 

There is a growing interest for the liturgical arts of the Orthodox Church outside of her. Many outside the Church have undertaken the task of not only painting icons, but ascribing to her theology as well. This interest has produced mixed results. Many people have joined the Church because of the icon. Others remain with the icon, pursuing this art, but staying outside the Church. In these circumstances... 

Mother Maria (Egereva) has been serving in the icon painting studio of St Elisabeth Convent, Minsk for about ten years. She has also been teaching in the school of icon painting of the Convent since 2009. Nun Maria (Egereva) Can you please tell us about your way to God and to the monastic vocation? Were you raised in a pious family? Mine was a regular Soviet family, and I studied at a regular Soviet... 

Have you ever wondered why the faces of saints on some icons are so stern and threatening that they are frightening to look at? Why was St Christopher portrayed with a dog’s head which made him look more like the Egyptian god Anubis than a Christian saint? Is it right to portray God the Father as a gray-haired old man? Can we consider Vrubel’s and Vasnetsov’s images of angels and saints to be... 

Helena Cherkasova was born in Moscow in 1962. Finished art school in Moscow. Painted icons for orthodox churches. Now she paints by oil landscapes, still lifes and compositions mainly with religious topics. Participant of exhibitions in Russia and abroad. Lives and works in Moscow. “The quiet art of Helen Cherkasova seems simple at first sight – simple even to the naivete. And for much... 

Source: Ukrainian Orthodox Word Vol. LVV Issue IX-X, September-October, 2010           The icon for the feast of the Birth, or Nativity of our Most-Holy Lady, the Birthgiver-of-God and Ever-Virgin Mary is replete with symbolism which is most profound, and possibly not readily apparent when first viewing it. The central figure in the icon is the figure of the Holy Forebear-of-God,... 

Source: Orthodox World     To be able to understand icons it is necessary to know how people of the Middle Ages perceived and understood the concept of time. The difference between the concept of time in Western Europe and that in Byzantium was formed in the Renaissance period, when Europe, unlike Byzantium, acquired the new attitudes and outlook towards the world. After temporal... 

Source: ‘Neskuchny Sad’ №1 2008     Translated by Olga Lissenkova Edited by Yana Samuel       A saint’s icon can illustrate the story of his life in detail. Our reporter Ekaterina STEPANOVA asked the icon painter and teacher of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University, Svetlana VASYUTINA, how we can tell by a saint’s sacred image what his occupation was and what...