Melbourne Uniting Church Schools 2024 Exhibition
The Uniting Church Icon Schools annual icon exhibition of icons and religious art, 2024, “The Beauty of Holiness”, runs from 1 October to 4 November 2024 at the Centre for Theology and Ministry, College Crescent (Melbourne University), Parkville.
It features icons and religious artwork by students of the three Uniting Church icon schools. All the exhibits are panel paintings and most are in egg tempera, though very few are painted in acrylics or are mixed media (ie some parts tempera and some parts acrylics). Some icons are for sale.
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| Melbourne Uniting Church Schools 2024 Exhibition - flyer |
The subject matter ranges from studies of Byzantine icons, to Spanish panel painting from 12th century Catalonia, to contemporary interpretations of religious figures from the British Isles, to a painting by Fra Angelico and many more intriguing motifs.
Students range from newbies (like my husband David, who picked up a brush for the first time after several decades), to accomplished iconographers who have decades of experience and study (in iconography, gilding, woodwork and theology) behind them.
The exhibition features four icons which I submitted too, I shall post photos below, but provide a detailed explanation on them in a later post.
For anyone who is unable to make it to the exhibition, here is a short sample of what is on offer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLl_FQrjpBI&t=8s . The video is made by Rev. Dr. Peter Blackwood who runs all three schools on behalf of the Uniting Church, Melbourne. (Btw you do not need to belong to have any affiliation with the church to join any of the three schools)
This post is to tempt anyone who would like to dabble with iconography not to think twice. If you are Melbourne based, I cannot recommend our school highly enough. Why? It is made up an unlikely group of very different people who because they share this particular interest, have become friends. The group consists mainly of women – though there are a few men. Ages range from the late twenties to over 70 (I am guessing). It includes people of diverse ethnicities and professional experience – from students, journalists, IT workers, lawyers, museum curators, Doctors of Divinity, academics, retired folk, professional artists, sculptors, teachers, housewives, pastoralists - (and these are just the range of people I have been lucky enough to interact with – there are more). It is a meeting place for people of different religious backgrounds – Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Protestants (from various denominations), Jews and perhaps a few others too. Topics around the lunch table are as wide-ranging as the people and the food – thought-provoking, informative and sometimes challenging, but mostly fun, especially since they are digested along with coffee, sweet treats and snacks brought in by the students who attend.
Our teacher Rev. Dr. Peter Blackwood is a retired Uniting Church minister who intersperses practical advice regarding art, with short talks on theology, the history of religious art, basic and advanced art tips and hints, anecdotes and so, much more. Check out his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@PeterBlackwood to get an idea on what’s on offer.
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| Christ Pantocrator - Tempera on wood |
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| Our Lady of Czestochowa, Poland - Tempera on wood |
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| Neo-Coptic icon of "The Good Shepherd" (acrylics on wood panel) |
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| Angel Gabriel - Tempera on wood |
Christ Pantocrator
Christ Pantocrator, “The Almighty” or “All Powerful” is one of the first images of Christ developed in the early Christian Church and is still an important image in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The earliest known surviving example of Christ Pantocrator, dates back to the 6th or 7th century C.E. and is preserved at St. Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai. Earlier versions were destroyed in the iconoclastic disputes of the 7th and 8th centuries.In the Western Church, equivalent mages are known as “Christ in Majesty” and have a different iconography. [1]
Some scholars have suggested that the Christ Pantocrator image is an adaptation of the image of Zeus.[2]
In Byzantine art, the image of Christ Pantocrator, is usually located on the dome of the church, though it has also been adapted for panel icons which depict a forward facing Christ with a serious, stern expression, indicating that he is the stern, all-powerful judge of humanity. His right hand is raised in blessing and his left holds a richly decorated book representing the Gospels.
His inner garment is usually in the divine colour (red) while his outer garment
is in earthly colours like blue/green/brown); this is reversed in the case of
Mary.[3]
He is depicted with centrally parted brown hair and is bearded. He has a cruciform halo ie a halo with the outline of a cross in it. The letters “IC” —the first and last letters of 'Jesus' in Greek - and “XC” — the first and last letters of 'Christ' in Greek - are written on either side of this halo. This is a common abbreviation of the name Jesus Christ that almost always appears with the Byzantine version of His image. In many cases, Christ has a cruciform halo inscribed with The letters Ο Ω Ν, (which are inscribed within the halo), stand for the Greek ὁ ὤν meaning "He Who Is".
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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Pantocrator
2 Latourette, Kenneth Scott, 1975.A History of Christianity, Volume 1, "Beginnings to 1500". Revised edition. (San Francisco: HarperCollins) pp 572
3 https://www.kunst-meditation.it/en/byzantine-icons/jesus-christ-pantokrator/
Black Madonna of Częstochowa (Poland)
aka Czarna Madonna z Częstochowy; Latin: Imago thaumaturga
Beatae Virginis Mariae Immaculatae Conceptae, in ClaroMonte
Original artist : Luke the Evangelist. My icon is based on a photo uploaded to flickr by arjuna_zbycho https://www.flickr.com/photos/arjuna/3055698424
Current known location: Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland.
Other provenance:
The icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa has been associated with Poland for the past 600 years. Its history before it arrived in Poland is shrouded in numerous legends that trace the icon's origin to Luke the Evangelist, who painted it on a cedar table top from the Holy Family house.[1][2]The same legend holds that the painting was discovered in Jerusalem in 326 by Helena, who brought it back to Constantinople and presented it to her son, Constantine the Great.[3] [4]
It was then gifted to the Princess of Ruthenia. It was brought to Poland in 1382 through the efforts of Ladislaus of Opole who had discovered it in a castle at Belz.
From
this time onward, the historic records of the painting are documented and
authenticated by the miracles associated with the painting. In 1430, an attack
on the Polish Shrine resulted in damage to the icon – specifically slashes on the face of the Virgin Mary are
still visible on it.
The foundation of the Monastery and
Shrine in Czestochowa began with a small wooden church. Subsequent development
(1632-48) led to the construction of the present day basilica and defense wall
as Jasna Gora. The Shrine withstood the Swedish Invasion of 1655. As a result, in
1656, King Jan Casimir, declared it to be a spiritual capital for Poland.
During the years of Poland's
partition (1772-1918) the Shrine of Jasna Gora became a link between the Polish
people and their homeland.
After Polish independence in 1918,
pilgrimages to the Polish Shrine grew in number and size. It was a source of
strength for the Polish people after World War II and remains so today. It is
under the direction of the Pauline Fathers.
The icon submitted for the exhibition is based on an “unscarred” version of the icon which was uploaded to flickr by arjuna_zbycho at https://www.flickr.com/photos/arjuna/3055698424
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[1] Duricy, Michael P (26 March 2008). "Black Madonnas: Our Lady of Czestochowa"
https://web.archive.org/web/20150905093736/https://www.udayton.edu/imri/mary/c/czestochowa-black-madonna.php Retrieved 5 September 2024.
The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio - University of Dayton. Archived from the original https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/c/czestochowa-black-madonna.php
[2] "Black Madonna Shrine", Franciscan Missionary Brothers - https://web.archive.org/web/20080126124229/http://www.ukraine-observer.com/articles/217/814 .
[3] https://web.archive.org/web/20140829025421/http://www.franciscancaring.org/blackmadonnashri.html#ABriefHistory
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Madonna_of_Cz%C4%99stochowa
[5] https://www.polishamericancenter.org/Czestochowa.htm
Good Shepherd – Neo-Coptic
Original artist: Malek Nexems, painted in 2022 – for more see the Coptic Arts link on Pinterest: https://mx.pinterest.com/pin/418764465367991179/
Other provenance:
My reason for choosing to work on a Neo-Coptic icon:
Dr Issac Fanous, the founder of the Neo-Coptic tradition suggested that the best way to make heritage live on was to create modern works based on it. [1]
Dr Fanous insisted on giving each icon a unique individuality. None of his icons were repetitive or a reproduction of another even if the subject matter was the same. He retained the main elements but changed the details.
Background information on Good Shepherd iconography:
The icon of the Good Shepherd is based on St John’s Gospel (John 10:11) “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep.”
It is not a traditional subject in Coptic iconography and even Dr Fanous is known to have painted it only once or twice.
The theme of the shepherd carrying a lamb/sheep/ram was used in pre-Christian times to depict the Greek god Hermes. The ram is thought to be a reference to the Theban deity Amon and to the astrological sign/aeon of Aries the ram.
The ram/sheep/shepherd symbolism in the Old Testament is often related to King David, the Shepherd King.
Some of the earliest Christian images of the Good Shepherd are found in the Roman catacombs at Priscilla, Rome ca 225 AD and depict a youth carrying a lamb/ram/sheep on his shoulders, alone or walking among his flock. The style of iconography is classical rather than early Christian. It is suggested that this ambiguity in style protected the early Christians from persecution by Roman authorities.
In contemporary Christian iconography there are two main ways of depicting the Good Shepherd image, one is the Roman (and now Coptic) way, the other is Byzantine Orthodox.
The Neo-Coptic icon of the Good Shepherd, is generally written using egg tempera on gesso. 2
The reference icon was painted by Malek Nexems, in 2022 and posted on the “Coptic Arts” site on Pinterest. See the link below for more details: https://mx.pinterest.com/pin/418764465367991179/
(NB: My version is painted in acrylics on gesso).
2 https://copticiconography.com/2020/02/15/icon-of-the-good-shepherd/
Angel Gabriel – mixed media
Original artist: Anonymous,
Current Location of Original reference icon: Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai, Egypt
Other provenance:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Archangel_Gabriel_Icon_in_Blue_and_Red.png
This is my mixed media version of the icon of St Gabriel at Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai, Egypt. The actual icon is painted in egg tempera, but the outline and frame are painted in acrylics. My version is is not a faithful depiction of the original.
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