Art/Music/Theatre 200x Instructor's Blog

St. George, Byzantine icon, anonymous

Created after 1000 A. D.

I’ve always been a sucker for icons.  I am a magpie at heart, so things that are gold and shiny always have appealed to me.  If it is shiny, it catches my eye and my desire.  Icons, like this one from the Byzantium era frequently feature gold painted and gold leaf backgrounds.  The use of the gold in the background; along with halos, was a symbolic gesture from this era that designated a heavenly aspect.

Icons were directly related to the practices of the Christian Church in the Byzantium era and empire.  Not only were they beautiful art, but they held a specific purpose.  They were like a wireless internet connection to the heavens.  Prayers for aid could be directly communicated through the icons for intercession on your behalf by the heavenly saint depicted.  This practice has not been discarded. Not too long ago I participated in a beautiful prayer service at an Orthodox Christian church and observed prayers and kisses given directly to icons.

This icon shares many characteristics held in common with other icons.  Notice how flat this painting is?  See how the clothed portions of the body have very little three dimensional shading?  Most of the body of St. George is primarily formed by shape and line.  Even the folds in the fabric are very static, and are depicted primarily with line, rather than gradual shifts in color. Although this icon is much more sophisticated than a stick figure, like most icons from this era, it relies heavily on a symbolic language to communicate realism to the viewer.  The knuckles on the hand are depicted with circles, the texture of the hair is described primarily by shape and line. We understand these symbolic images as knuckles and hair, but they are far from a realistic depiction.  This makes the message more important than the depiction.

Unfortunately, this work, like most of the work from the Byzantium era (330-1453) was created by anonymous artists.  The function of the work was far more important than giving credit to the artistic creator. What we do know about this icon, is that it is from Athens, Greece (it currently lives at the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens) and it represents St. George.  Depictions of St. George didn’t evolve until the 11th century during the Crusades, so that gives an indication of when this work was created.

I have included images of some other icons for your comparison and enjoyment.

Brooks, Sarah. “Icons and Iconoclasm in Byzantium”. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/icon/hd_icon.htm

De Ruyter, P. W.  “What are Byzantine Icons?  – The Visual and Spiritual Treasures of the Eastern Orthodox Church”.  In Icons Explained. 2007 http://www.iconsexplained.com/iec/byz_about_byzantine_icons.htm

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