A TIME FOR ICONS

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I have in front of me as I'm writing this an icon that I painted in the monastery of S. Martin du Canigou

S. Martin du Canigou

on a mountaintop in the Pyrenees in 1986. Serious icon artists would say they "write" their icons, but since this was my first time, I have to admit that I just "painted" it.

The contrasting ways that Christ is portrayed in the icons of Eastern Christian tradition versus the religious paintings of the West can be very revealing. The following are some over-simplified thoughts on the subject that have occurred to me this week.

First, the artistic tradition of the Western Graeco-Roman world concentrates on the human side of Jesus, at least for the past,say, 1500 years. Artists have portrayed just about every moment of Jesus' life and death, from the annunciation by Gabriel to the ascension of Jesus.These portrayals have been an aid to our reflection about Emmanuel, God-with-us on earth. 

We've become very comfortable with this human Jesus. This is a Jesus we can comprehend, with whom we can identify in his sufferings and joys. This "life-size" Jesus is someone we can claim as our own. 

The icon I painted 1976

Contrast this picture of Jesus with the icons that are the Eastern Churches' way of portraying Christ in icons. Icons are not meant to be representative art: They have only a plain background (no distant mountains or other details), and no attempt at perspective or use of light-and-shadow to offer an illusion of depth. The Christ that they portray is not located in time or place.The timeless Christ depicted in an icon poses quite a contrast with the Jesus portrayed in our Western paintings lying in a manger or healing a blind beggar on a busy street corner.  

Think of the way we refer to "Jesus Christ." The Western church has traditionally emphasized the Jesus side, the "Jesus of history" who came and dwelt among us for about thirty years, who preached and healed, who taught and suffered, who died and rose again. The Eastern church has emphasized instead the divine side, the "Christ of faith," the second Person of the trinity, the Word made flesh through whom the world was created in the beginning and whose presence pervades everything ion the universe. This is the Christ portrayed in icons.

Of course we need both sides, the human Jesus and the divine Christ if we are to have the mystery of God-made-man, the incarnation. But I've been reflecting recently on how important it is for us westerners to cultivate a sense of the Christ of the icons. During the pandemic I can certainly meditate on a painting of a suffering Christ hanging in agony on the cross, but I've been finding it more encouraging and uplifting to pray in front of my icon, listening to the Christ of Faith who created all that is and who is still present everywhere, whether inside the smallest subatomic particle, or in a black hole millions of lightyears away, the risen Christ who is present in every one of us as well.

Later on I'll get back to the paintings of the very human Jesus that I'm more familiar with, but for right now I need to stay close to the victorious Word of God who is Lord of heaven and earth and all that is in them.