WRITING ICONS

R4000

INSTRUCTOR: 

Mr Justin Venn, Alumnus of the Atelier St Jean Damascene (France) & The Orthodox Monastery of La Faurie (France) www.studiosanctus.com

(incl. paper, pencils, brushes, pigments, gessoed board to paint on, three lunches & refreshments)

*** 25% discount available to pensioners, members of religious orders and priests.

Writing Icons: From Theological Foundations to Practical Skills

How did the early Christians understand the implications of Christ’s Incarnation for “imagining” God? What were the driving forces behind the development of iconography? And what role a visual imagery played in the later Byzantine theology and worship? How did a specific iconography of Christ and the saints develop over the centuries? And what were the challenges that faced the creators and supporters of such an art? These and other questions will be answered during this 3-day course devoted to the Byzantine style icon-painting. After discovering the historical and theological foundations of Eastern iconography, participants will learn to paint a traditional icon, under the supervision of a qualified and certified icon-writer, Mr Justin Venn, who serves as a warden in one of the Greek Orthodox parishes in Johannesburg. The course will help participants to realise how a profound Christian theology underlying the mystery of the Incarnation can be expressed visually as well as technically (i.e., through the concrete techniques and materials used) in the ancient art of icon-writing.

The course consists of three seven-hour slots (with the lunch break in the middle):

• Day 1: PowerPoint presentation on the history and development of iconography in the Byzantine tradition, followed by the discussion on the theological meaning and significance of icons; drawing – a preparatory phase
• Day 2: Drawing a Byzantine style face, and then painting the drawn face onto a prepared panel with natural pigments and egg tempera
• Day 3: Finishing painting: demonstration of how to varnish icon with natural resins