Nowadays, a vast number of icons are produced in factories. They did every step of the process themselves: the preparing of the wood panel, the mixing of the paint, the drafting, the painting, and the finishing. In the Middle Ages, iconographers were specially trained, highly devout men who painted icons by hand. This widespread demand for icons in the modern period has transformed the sphere of icon production. They are also a popular tool of personal devotion many Orthodox believers keep icons in their home. Today, icons remain hugely popular in the Eastern Orthodox world. Although Byzantine emperors banned icons twice (from 730вЂ“787, and from 814вЂ“843), their use would eventually be endorsed by the Orthodox Church. Essentially, a long-standing tension developed between those who believed iconography to be idolatrous and those who believed that iconography functioned as an indispensable educational and devotional tool.

675 AD) writes, вЂњWhat the book does for those who understand letters, the image does for the illiterateвЂ¦,вЂќ143 and, вЂњby contemplating His bodily form, we form a notion, as far as is possible for us, of the glory of His divinity.вЂќ144 The Second Council of Nicaea (787 AD) asserted furthermore that veneration is not paid to the image itself, but rather to the person depicted in the image. 160 AD) writes in his treatise On Idolatry, вЂњAs soon as the devil had brought into the world the makers of statues, portraits, and every kind of representationвЂ¦ then accordingly every form of art producing an idol in whatever way became a source of idolatry.вЂќ142 Conversely, John of Damascus (b. How can veneration of paintings on wood panels be reconciled with Scripture? Tertullian (b. Deuteronomy 5:8 reads, вЂњYou shall not make any carved likeness, of anything in heaven above or on the earth below,вЂќ and Psalm 96:7 reads, вЂњall who venerate carved images shall be put to shame.вЂќ In general, the Bible is unswerving in its prohibition of idolatry. Icons grew in popularity into the Middle Ages, and consequently, many Byzantine churchmen grew increasingly anxious about popular use of devotional imagery. This wouldД¤9 eventually develop into the belief that by venerating the icon, you venerate the person depicted in it. Via the eyes of an icon of Christ, one can establish a connection with Him. This philosophy shaped the philosophy of icons: in iconography, the eyes are emphasized because it is believed that the prototype of the image is able to see you through them. Through the eyes of the portrait, the dead could see you and you could communicate with them. In fayums, the purpose for this emphasis was to establish a link between this world and the next. When compared against icons, the similarities are remarkable- both fayums and icons place great emphasis on the eyes of the subject. Like GrecoвЂ“Roman commemorative busts, they immortalized the face of the deceased. Fayums were hyper-realistic portraits done in wax in Roman Egypt which were applied to the sarcophagi of the dead. They were influenced by Roman funerary portraiture, and especially the fayum tradition. Icons developed in the Late Antique period during the first centuries of Christianity. Medieval icons functioned as devotional tools pious Christians venerated the holy figures depicted in the icons and communicated with them through the image. When saints are depicted, they typically have large, penetrating eyes which stare directly at the viewer. The quintessential medieval icon is the Eastern Orthodox style: deliberately two-dimensional, set against a gold background on a wood panel canvas. An icon is a Christian religious image which depicts a holy figure or an event of religious significance. Most students of the Middle Ages will encounter, at some point in their academic journey, icons.

PREFACE вЂ“вЂ“ MEDIEVAL AND MODERN ICONOGRAPHY AN INTERVIEW with GREEK ICONOGRAPHER PANAGIOTIS MARKOPOULOS Conducted & Prefaced by Gwen Ellis Smith CollegeДЄN INTERVIEW WITH GREEK ICONOGRAPHER PANAGIOTIS MARKOPOULOS Conducted & Prefaced by Gwen Ellis Smith College

Greek iconographer zyz