Icons

Icon genesis derives from portrait painting późnoantycznego. Information about the existence of the icons of Christ, Mary, St.. Peter and Paul and the other of saints can be found for the first time in the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea and Epiphanius of Cyprus in the fourth century. The object of worship has become an icon in the fifth century (according to the writings of St.. Augustine). Hypatius of Ephesus mentions for the first time to bow before the icon in the mid-sixth century.

During the formation of Christian art, the word "icon" was determined on the Christian East, in countries which remain under the influence of Byzantium, all the presentation of Christ, the Virgin Mary, angels, of saints, and historical scenes from the Bible, regardless of the technology they were made . In modern times, this concept came to be called only portable images (painted, carved, made of enamel or mosaic), not related to architecture. There are transfers of 2 half. Sixth century of the miracles performed by the icon. They were always an icon-portraits, portable, no power to perform miracles attributed to the historical icons of the content. The oldest preserved icons come from the sixth century monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai.

Ikonowe painting developed in the Byzantine Empire until its collapse in the fifteenth century and the areas of influence of Byzantine culture that is in Greece, Serbia, the Balkans, in medieval Italy and in Russia. The oldest preserved to our times icons come from the sixth century. Most representative of this period are especially showing three works: St. Peter, Christ Pantocrator and Mary with the angels and the saints Theodore and George. As the greatest of Russian icons is considered the creator of Andrei Rublev.

Most icons painted on specially prepared wood cedar or cypress. Trees were sacred to Eastern Christianity. Russia applied to the wood or pine bark. The earliest icons were painted mainly in technology enkaustycznej (colored wax), which from the sixth century was ousted by egg tempera (pigment związującym means water is mixed with egg yolk). Icon painted in tempera consists of four layers: the first is a wooden board with cloth pasted on it, the other is polished ground with chalk or gypsum mixed with glue, the third-paint and gilding, fourth-protective varnish or oil-based varnish. Sometimes the icon is applied to metal ornamentation made from silver or gold plate with a hole for the face as shown. Icons also performed in the art mosaics, enamels, carved in wood, marble, or ivory steatycie. Late, nineteenth and twentieth-century icons painted in oil well. Icon painting was strictly defined in textbooks (gr. hermeneia, Russian podlinniki), often written by the monks - painters. The tradition was associated not only with the iconography, but also concerned the material, substrate preparation, special technology, the respective colors, and even the order of laying layers of paint.

Processed on board (with the appropriately shaped recess in the front part of affixing the actual content - the so-called. Kowczeg), reinforced the back brace, chalk-imposed ground alabaster. Drawn in on the ground or from textbooks to redraw the contours of the image, and then imposed in a particular order paint and gilding. Placed at the end of the inscriptions in Greek or starocerkiewnosłowiańskim with the names of saints or explained as scenes (usually placed in a box icon. Sacred Names (Mother of God, Christ) placed in the Greek abbreviations (abrewiacjach). Icon of Eastern Christianity is a liturgical text, sakramentale and the "image of that world, because it could not occur without prior preparation theological artist, possibly under the strict supervision of a theologian. It was also important to prepare ikonografa spiritual (prayer, fasting).

Icon always varnishes, which retained its appearance for about 100 years. Then, as a result of changes in the color of varnish painting grew darker. In addition, it covers a layer of soot from candles. On wyblakniętym, poorly visible sometimes painted a new picture. Icons were decorated with precious stones, metal fittings with gold or silver plate. Sometimes used instead of wood or metal canvas.

Popularized, especially by the authors of Russian and Polish, the term "writing icons, highlighting the sacred, liturgical character icons. Means the process of its formation. According to the researchers to determine the problem is the result of erroneous translations from Greek, from ikonographos where graphos means both to write and paint (hence the Russian ikonopisiec).

In Poland, the icons were created mainly in the fifteenth and sixteenth century, the lands of eastern and south-east. To standardize icon painting, there were books - stencils for painters such as the so-called. podlinnik. Contain specific technical and iconographic patterns. The oldest preserved in a manuscript copy is dated the year 1523. Icon on the composition consists of a centrally placed figure of the saint, lined with scenes relating to his life.

Today, the only active school of icon painting in Poland is a Post Secondary College Ikonopisarstwa Podlaski Bielsko conducted by Fr. mitrata Leontios Tofiluka. School was founded in 1991 and educated in the profession ikonografa art technology.

Icon painting also teaches Fr. Dr. Jan Pazgan, lecturer at the State Higher Vocational School them. Vitelo in Legnica and the Major Seminary in Legnica, who is a pastor in the Church of the Academic. St. Joseph, Trustee of the Savior in Legnica. The ministry is also Academic ICON, where he often conducts workshops of painting icons.

Icons are painted flat, do not take into account the perspective of painting, giving the illusion of three-dimensional space. Devoid of classical linear perspective, in many cases have known. opposite perspective, which is characterized by converging lines in the point located outside the picture (as before), which by definition is directed toward the man looking at him. This effect is achieved by setting the appropriate forms and other elements. An example of such an approach to the perspective of the Trinity Rublev, belonging to the greatest masterpieces of world art.

The importance of the object is governed by its size: it is what is most important is the greatest, and the characters are arranged according to a specific order.

Icon is not simply a religious image. Icon painting was a sacred act. Icon, which was built in the monasteries of the Old Rus', painted by incumbent monks, was an emanation of divinity, which resulted in hand artist. Born in prayer, required before the work of special posts, arose in the attitude of kneeling author.

Icons are meant to deepen the spiritual life, to enter into prayer. Anonymous author of the icons had to help move in the right direction. Prayer before an icon is associated with a particular ritual: the faithful lit candles bow before icons, kissing them.