A rare portrait of Virgin Mary – A holy Icon in Cyprus painted by the Apostle Luke

During the anti-Christian repressions in early times, Christians would mark walls and doors with symbols of an anchor, a fish and somewhat later, the Cross, to alert other Christians to their presence. When Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire, Christians were no longer restrained from making religious and devotional decorations or “art”.

The Holy Icon and Saint Luke the Evangelist

Saint Luke, the author of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, was a companion and fellow worker of Saint Paul. According to Colossians 4:11-14, he was a Gentile and a physician. St. Luke was arrested and martyred in Rome under Nero. He is the patron saint of physicians and artists. Feast day: October 18 (Coptic Orthodox: November 1).

Preface by the (late) Archbishop of Cyprus, Makarios III

The Holy, Royal and Stavropygiac Monastery of Kykko is for the people of Cyprus not only an important religious institution and a place of pious Christian worship but also a wider national, spiritual and moral symbol, inextricably woven with a long tradition and history.

Hallowed by the sweet figure of the Mother of God, invested with the imperial protection of Byzantium and strengthened with privilege granted by the Byzantine overlords of Cyprus, the Monastery of Kykko has been the holy Ark in which the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which according to tradition was painted by St. Luke himself, has been preserved. (…)

(The Apostle Luke painting the first icon)

Selection of Icons by Contemporary Iconographers

The following link holds a selection of Icons by Contemporary Iconographers.

http://www.iconsexplained.com/iec/iec_idb4c_intro_selection.htm

           (Aidan Hart)

The Art of Mount Athos -The Holy Mountain

“Owing to its wealth of wall paintings, portable icons, and illuminated manuscripts from all periods of history, Mount Athos is perhaps the most important source from which the ordinary pilgrim, and the specialist too, can learn about the history of Byzantine and Postbyzantine painting and art in general.”

http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Athos/General/AthosArt.html

Dionysios of Fourna

Dionysios of Fourna, best known for his Painter’s Manual, was a monk who lived in a kellion near Karyes. Examples of his art survive on the walls of his kellion and in numerous portable icons. One of these, depicting the Twelve Apostles, is on the templon in the katholikon of Karakallou Monastery. Dionysios was not a particularly noteworthy artist, but his influence on his contemporaries was considerable.

The iconographers prayer – From “The iconographers manual of Dionysios of Fourna”

 Iconographers paint liturgical icons, frescos or make mosaics  with theological meaning. They involve their spirit in the process as much as art. 

Every iconographer begins with prayer, often to the figure that will be represented. Some iconographers will even fast during the writing of an icon, which can take up to a week or more for an iconographer working eight hours a day.

“O Divine Lord of all that exists, you have illumined the apostle and evangelist Luke with your Holy spirit, thereby enabling him to represent your most Holy Mother, the one who held you in her arms and said, “the Grace of Him who has been born of me is spread throughout the world.”

Enlighten and direct my soul, my heart and my spirit. Guide the hands of your unworthy servant so that I may worthily and perfectly portray your icon, that of your Mother and all the Saints, for the glory, joy and adornment of your Holy Church.

Forgive my sins and the sins of those who will venerate these icons and who, kneeling devoutly before them, give homage to those they represent. Protect them from all evil and instruct them with good counsel.

This I ask through the intercession of your most Holy Mother, the Apostle Luke and all the Saints. Amen.

The iconographers prayer – From “The iconographers manual of Dionysios of Fourna”

 Iconographers paint liturgical icons, frescos or make mosaics  with theological meaning. They involve their spirit in the process as much as art. 

Every iconographer begins with prayer, often to the figure that will be represented. Some iconographers will even fast during the writing of an icon, which can take up to a week or more for an iconographer working eight hours a day.

“O Divine Lord of all that exists, you have illumined the apostle and evangelist Luke with your Holy spirit, thereby enabling him to represent your most Holy Mother, the one who held you in her arms and said, “the Grace of Him who has been born of me is spread throughout the world.”

Enlighten and direct my soul, my heart and my spirit. Guide the hands of your unworthy servant so that I may worthily and perfectly portray your icon, that of your Mother and all the Saints, for the glory, joy and adornment of your Holy Church.

Forgive my sins and the sins of those who will venerate these icons and who, kneeling devoutly before them, give homage to those they represent. Protect them from all evil and instruct them with good counsel.

This I ask through the intercession of your most Holy Mother, the Apostle Luke and all the Saints. Amen.

Some photos for inspiration

A portable DVD mounted on the installation – Proskinitari architecture. An idea under investigation

A short film can be shown on a portable dvd that can be mounted in the space of the installation. The short film could be activated and played by the percipients of the site. As mentioned before the portable DVD could be a target of a robbery or a sacrilege act but it can be realised without worrying for the effect on the public. It can  be a kind of experiment on the publics  psychic state.

Bill Viola. An artist to observe

Bill Voila is one of the main artists who’s work will be under my observation. The book description shows a close relationship of Bill Voila with my proposal.

“The video and installation artist Bill Viola is one of the most popular artists in the world today. Significantly, in a world where an artist’s importance is often conferred by small groups of experts and cognoscenti, Viola’s rich imagery touches a nerve with large international audiences. His work is profoundly spiritual and never afraid to make big statements about human life and its relation to the universe, to the soul and human spirit, to nature, and to death. Viola is one of those rare artists whose work makes us aware of our nature as human beings. He takes art back to what were once its fundamental concerns and gives it a relevance to the emotional and spiritual lives of ordinary people.

While Viola has been the subject of numerous exhibitions, there has never been an extensive critical appraisal of the full range of his work. In The Art of Bill Viola eminent critics examine the scope of the artist’s creations since the 1970s. Their studies include the relationship of Viola’s art to the religious traditions of both Asia and Europe, the use of space as metaphor within his installations, the use of sound in his work, and the impact of its exhibition upon other video artists. These essays demonstrate Viola’s uniqueness and importance as an artist of enduring international reputation and for the first time allow us to properly assess his place within history. 50 color illustrations.”

 

An example of his work is “Emergence”:

Color High-Definition video rear projection on screen mounted on wall in dark room
Projected image size: 84 5/16 x 84 5/16 x 3 7/8 in. Room dimensions variable
Running time: 11:49 minutes

http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=201607

1W28 – Week reflection

I submitted my essay on Friday as we were told by Andrew Stiff. This was the deadline so i took the opportunity to refine my essay.I tried to be as clear as possible to help my tutors understand the various extensions of my proposal. It is true that my project has many governing lines that at the end of this process the lines will meet. Finally a solid work will define my artistic style and be the starting point for future endeavors.

During our weekly chat i was glad to hear that a college meeting will take place at the second-life game. It was a surprise since second life is an important aspect in my proposal. It would be nice if the college site was constructed near my site, near the chapel that i build. I am looking forward to meet my peers and tutors in this virtual environment where i have bought virtual land and i am building a virtual chapel.

One of the books i have bought is the:

“Responsive Environments: architecture, art and design (V&A Contemporaries)”

 I need to say that this book will be helpful on  the research of  creating a space of “interaction”. Building a real “Proskinitari” like the ones below will be one of the outcomes of this project. This proskinitari will be built following some principles of the Eastern Church but it will engage percipients in way that is still under investigation. One idea is to arrange the installation of a dvd player with a screen that will play a dvd. This DVD as menioned in my essay will contain live scenes mixed with effects and animation that can only be created using the digital technology. I will come up with some drawings soon.

But what if that dvd player and screen are stolen? Well this might happen very soon and it will be a sacrilege act:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13321a.htm

A sacrilege act has been reported few days ago in Greece by a group of the so-called anti-authoritarians.

http://newsportal.rnn.gr/?c=176&a=2294

If a robbery or a worse act of sacrilege happens concerning my project it will be reported and  remembered as a reaction of people that did not  receive the message of my work. I am wondering about the time duration before such an act takes place. It seems avoidable but i want to cause a number of reactions among the percipients of my work. Every reaction would be acceptable.