Icon of Christ of Sinai

 

Christ of Sinai on cypress

                                                                   Christ of Sinai

          An unusual icon, from St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai, has greatly impressed many people over the years because it seems more like a personal portrait of Christ than the sort of icon they have experienced before.   It was probably painted in the court of Emperor Justinian in Constantinople in the 6^th century and sent to St. Catherine’s Monastery as the Emperor’s gift to the monastery he had established in the Sinai desert.

          I have painted the icon a number of times, but one day I began to see it in another way.  I have always loved the look of weathered wood, especially when it turns a lovely silvery gray, and one day I chanced to come upon a pile of slab wood out in the country.  Wood is so significant in the Bible: God created the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden; He instructed Noah to make an Ark of wood; He hung from a wooden Cross.  God created all things, and He is in all things.  This weathered wood seemed a fitting medium for an icon of Christ, and this one in particular. 

In my icon, I have omitted a background as well as a gold leaf halo,  so it would appear as if Christ were materializing from the wood.

The following is an excerpt regarding the Christ of Sinai icon from “The Open Door: Entering the Sanctuary of Icons”, by Frederica Matthewes-Greene:        

          "This icon differs from other icons in several ways.  It is more realistic, less stylized.  Christ’s face is also more natural-looking, more like a portrait.  Refer to Egyptian or Roman paintings of the first centuries A.D. and you will notice that this icon resembles them in the expressiveness of the wide eyes and the subtle skin tones.

          This is probably one of the oldest surviving examples of Christian art.  It was painted mid-6^th century probably in the imperial capital of Constantinople, to judge by the fineness of its execution.  It has spent its existence in Sinai which accounts for its survival.  The earliest Christians have gone here to live in caves as monastics near the site of the Burning Bush and the mountain where Moses received the Law.  After years of attacks by Bedouin tribes, Emperor Justinian built a walled monastery here around 550 AD.  It is now named for St. Catherine of Alexandria and has been in operation ever since.

          The icon is of the type called Pantocrator, which means Ruler of All.  In this type of icon Christ is often revealed as the eternal judge, and may be shown sitting on a throne.  His right hand is raised in blessing and in his left hand is a massive Gospel book.  In some icons the book is closed, and in others there might be a passage from the Gospels.

          Although most icons are written in egg tempera, this one uses a much earlier method called wax encaustic, where melted wax is mixed with powdered pigments.  In 1962 the layers of grime from incense and candle smoke were cleaned to reveal the original.

          This icon has been said to have the ability to look into one’s soul.  The artist has achieved this is through the distortion of perspective.  Notice how large the Gospel book is, and that the “vanishing point” is ourselves, not Christ.  We have the feeling that He is viewing us, rather than we, Him.

          As we look at this icon we see how ancient His love is.  He was loving us before we ever turned to look into these eyes.  He has been loving us a long time, from a Cross two thousand years before we were born.  We don’t have to improve, or cover up our faults, to earn this love.  It has been surrounding us all our loves, waiting for us to receive it.  Perhaps that is the meaning of the faint smile.  He loves us too much to let us remain as we are, confused and mired in sin, hurting others and ourselves.  He will heal us, and His healing is sure… There is great patience there.  He is waiting; He is not in any hurry.  He will be right here, even when you forget Him and get tangled in your life again, and have to turn around and come back to Him – not once, but over and over again. 

         

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          Western religious paintings may seem accomplished and beautiful, but noisy.  In a way that is hard to define, icons touch a completely different interior level; deeper down there is a place where we first confront life, before we decide what we think or feel about it.  That is the intimate place where icons speak.  They are companions in prayer.  They have their fullest impact on those who are saturated in prayer and Scripture, who participate in the full life of the Church, with all her mysteries, hymns and worship. 

          Look at Him again, and let Him look at you.  Take your time.  You may have things you want to say, and then you might run out of things to say and need just to be silent before Him.  This is a quiet, but very deep, icon."

Some of my own icons

      Here are some of my own icons, about 10% of my output in the last 8 years or so.  One of them is the first icon I ever did, as well as the second, so if you can figure out which they are, I'll have to dream up a prize.
      Mostly I use prepared panels from Innerglow which are made of 3 layers of Douglas fir.  I have also used birch boards from Home Depot cut into appropriate lengths, and lots of gesso, lots of sandpaper, and lots and lots of elbow grease.  Not worth all the effort.
      In the last year I have been using weathered lumber (slab wood) and some Florida cypress, unseasoned, to use only with my Christ of Sinai icons.  (Until I figure out how to put a label under each icon, you'll identify this icon because it is narrower than the others and the appearance is more modern by comparison.)
     I was taught using Jo Sanya acrylic paints rather than egg tempera and I make no apologies.  I know there are people who consider the former to be inferior, but I don't subscribe to that theory.
     Whatever the method or materials, the experience of creating an icon is, for me, difficult to describe.  I simply feel that God truly guides me in this work. 
     When I have attended a class and we view the finished icons, we always remark that they are all beautiful.  But the true beauty of an icon is in its eventual use as a "window into Heaven" for those who believe.

My icons

icon of the Transfiguration

 

The Icon of the Transfiguration

August 6/19 

          The feast of the Transfiguration of Christ in the Orthodox Church is one of the twelve great feasts of the Church and is preceded by a period of fasting.  In the Orthodox view the Transfiguration is not only a feast in honor of Jesus, but a feast of the Holy Trinity, for all three Persons of the Trinity are interpreted as being present at that moment:  God the Father spoke from heaven; God the Son was the one being transfigured, and God the Holy Spirit was present in the form of a cloud. In this sense, the transfiguration is also considered the "Small Epiphany" (the "Great Epiphany" being the Baptism of Christ, when the Holy Trinity appeared in a similar pattern).

          The Transfiguration event is reported in the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and the Letter of 2Peter.

          In the icon, three still figures stand on peaks of Mt. Tabor.   The central figure of Christ holds His Scroll of the Law, and He is surrounded by a mandorla, which is used to depict sacred moments which transcend time and space, such as in the Resurrection,  and the Dormition of the Theotokos.  On His right looking toward Him is Prophet Moses, and on His left, also looking toward Him, the Prophet Elijah.  These two saints of the Old Testament had encounters with God the Father during their lifetimes and so have a special relationship with Christ himself. 

          The stillness of these three figures contrasts sharply with the figures of Peter, James and John, who seem to be hurtling down the mountainside - their sandals have come off their feet.   Peter shields his face from the brilliance.  Their faces show the shock and awe they are experiencing at this cataclysmic event as they witness this encounter of their familiar friend and Lord, and the two Prophets.

          The word “transfiguration” in Greek is “metamorphosis”, meaning a change of form, or structure;  a transformation.  We also are going to be made into something else, as Peter, John and James realized as they fell to the ground in awe of Christ’s Transfiguration. Christ revealed to them a glimpse, only as much as they could stand to see, of what we’re all journeying toward. The Transfiguration is said to have occurred 40 days before the Crucifixion, so His disciples knew now that He went to the Cross under His own power and of His free will. They knew that the Cross would not be the end of the story but that something must lay in store beyond it, not just for Jesus, but for all of us.

          Worshippers at the service of the Transfiguration traditionally bring baskets of fruit to be blessed, since this is at the end of summer when grapes and other fruits are ripening. Prayers are said for the healing of those who eat the fruits, because in ancient times most medicines came from plants.

          Transfigurations are everywhere: grapes become wine, wine becomes the Blood of Christ, herbs become medicine. Everywhere, God is working through His creation.

           

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