Icons

Today, when the human countenance is so disfigured, when racial discrimination persists, when so many people suffer from a lack of genuine, sincere communication, faces on the icons radiating a light that comes from beyond fascinate and beckon us to contemplate. Although they speak indeed of God, they also speak about humanity.

Michel Quenot, The Icon: Window on the Kingdom

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Books

The Art of the Icon

by Nigel Cawthorne. With stunning illustrations, this book evokes the visual impact of its sacred subject matter. It touches on the techniques of icon painting and covers all periods, including the early Christian Church, the Byzantine tradition, the Macedonian Renaissance, and the major and minor Russian schools from Kiev to Moscow.

The Art of the Icon: A Theology of Beauty

by Paul Evdokimov. A 'summa on beauty' by this great Orthodox Theologian. First, a presentation on the biblical and patristic vision of beauty, applied then to contemporary movements in art. A 'theology of the icon' from a personal point of view, as well as in the context of the Church. Finally, the author includes a section and commentaries on 10 icons, from Riblev's Holy Trinity to the Novgorodian Angel.

The Artistic Unity of the Russian Orthodox Church: Religion, Liturgy, Icons and Architecture

by Jane M. De Vyuer.

Behold the Beauty of the Lord

by Henri J. M. Nouwen. This is a book of meditations penned by famed Catholic writer Henri Nouwen, growing out of his contemplation of icons during sojourns at l'Arche, a community for people with mental handicaps in Trosly, France.

Depicting the Word: Byzantine Iconophile Thought of the Eighth and Ninth Centuries

by Kenneth Parry. This volume is a comparative study of the major iconophile writings of John of Damascus, Theodore the Studite and the Patriarch Nikephoros. Titles of particular chapters include Aristotelianism, Icon and Idol, Patristic Authority, Written and Unwritten Tradition, Modes of Veneration, and Biblical Exegesis.

Doors of Perception: Icons and Their Spiritual Significance

by John Baggley. This introduction to icons offers an entry to the understanding of the significance and spirituality of icons. Covers historical background, biblical language, the visual language of icons and their interpretation. For art lovers and anyone interested in understanding more about icons. 19 color plates.

The Educating Icon: Teaching Wisdom and Holiness in the Orthodox Way

by Anton C. Vrame. In this book, the author clearly, colorfully, and dramatically reveals the visual and experiential teaching tradition of the Orthodox Christian faith, which emphasizes participation before explanation, experience that leads to understanding.

Festival Icons for the Christian Year

by John Baggley.

The Forbidden Image: An Intellectual History of Iconoclasm

by Alain Besancon.

God's Human Face: The Christ Icon

by Lothar Kraugh.

Greek Icons: 14th–18th Century the Rena Andreadis Collection

by Anastasia Drandaki. A five–centuries survey on Greek icons from the 14th to 18th century through over sixty extraordinary masterpieces – mostly never shown to the public before – from the Andreadis collection, one of the most important private collection of Greek icons in the world. All the works in the book have been especially photographed for this volume.

Heroes of the Icon

by Steven Bigham. Essays on such important aspects of icons as: the iconographers of early and middle ages; the events which shaped authentic iconography, the early councils. Translation of lives of classic iconographers never before in English.

The Icon: Image of the Invisible

by Egon Sendler. A comprehensive study of the theology of the Icon and its history, the aesthetics of the Icon and its structures, and the techniques and steps to paint an Icon, this book contains more than 100 color and black–and–white photos and a similar number of drawings which show the technical details and preparations of painting an Icon, from pigment colors to selection of wood.

The Icon: Its Meaning and History

by Mahmoud Zibawi.

The Icon: Window on the Kingdom

by Michel Quenot. This brief yet highly descriptive history of iconography includes discussion of the canons governing iconography, its theological and biblical foundations and iconographic themes. It contains 25 color photos and 34 illustrations.

The Icon and Devotion: Sacred Spaces in Imperial Russia

by Oleg Tarasov. Oleg Tarasov looks in detail at a range of fascinating issues, from the sacred meanings of such images to practical questions of how and why they were made. The significance of icons in the cultural life of Russia is discussed in the context of popular prints and poster design. Wonder–working saints, the leaders of such religious schisms as the Old Believers, and holy icon painters all appear in these pages, which are illustrated with miniatures, lithographs and engravings that have never before been published.

The Icon Handbook: A Guide to Understanding Icons and the Liturgy Symbols and Practices of the Russian Orthodox Church

by David Coomler. Coomler has tried to make Russian Orthodox iconography more accessible by presenting 182 illustrations taken from pre–revolutionary Russian sources and giving a short description of each with an explanation of the importance of the pictured saints. Interspersed throughout the text are short notes of a general nature touching on broader topics of technique, conservation, and caveats for collectors.

An Icon Painter's Notebook: The Bolshakov Edition

by Gregory Melnick.

The Icon Through Western Eyes

by Russell Hart.

An Iconographer's Pattern Book: The Stroganov Tradition

by Christopher P. Kelley.

Iconostasis

by Pavel Florensky.

Icons: Divine Beauty

by Richard Temple, Wendy, Sister Beckett. With its roots in the distant, pre–Christian past, the art of the icon has been refined over centuries. Icon paintings are instantly recognisable but have never been widely understood in the West. The art developed in the deserts of the Middle East, passing through the Roman and Byzantine imperial ages and achieving its highest form in Russia. This lavishly illustrated book provides a concise but thorough tour through the ages of the icon, tracing the art from its origins to the 19th century and beyond. The icons selected to illustrate the text include famous works as well as many stunning, rarely seen ones.

Icons: The Fascination and the Reality

by Konrad Onasch. Even in a field in which sumptuous reproductions of images in gold and ivory are the rule, their work stands out as a visual feast, with more than 500 illustrations in full color and meticulous detail.

The Icons of Their Bodies

by Henry Maguire. The purpose of this book is to analyze the logic of the saint's image in Byzantium, both in portraits and in narrative scenes.

Illuminated Gospel of St Matthew: Iconographic Calligraphy and Illuminations in the Byzantine Slavic Tradition

by Vladislav Andrejev. King James Version of the Gospel of Matthew, hand–lettered with over 35 full–color icons depicting relevant scenes from the Gospel. In the style of the medieval and early middle–ages and of the classic masters. One of the first masterpieces of this style in the English language.

Image of God the Father in Orthodox Theology and Iconography

by Steven Bigham. Important readings, on traditional prohibitions on depictions of God the Father, discussions of authentic iconography, canons/rules of Iconography from 1st to 20th century, writings of Gregory Palamas and Gregory of Nyssa regarding Iconography.

The Luminous Brush: Painting With Egg Tempera

by Altoon Sultan. Complete with step–by–step photography, the book elucidates all stages of preparation, development, and completion of egg tempera paintings. Formal issues such as the depiction of light, color, form, and detail are discussed.

On the Divine Images: Three Apologies Against Those Who Attack the Holy Images

by St. John of Damascus.

On the Holy Icons

by St. Theodore the Studite.

The Painter's Manual of Dionysius of Fourna

by Dionysios. This oversize, small–print gem includes introductory sections on icon painting techniques and describes several thousand figures of saints, Old and New Testament events, parables, feast days, decoration of churches, color, etc. Detailed appendices make this a reference and source document 'par excellence'.

Ponder These Things: Praying With Icons of the Virgin

by Rowan Williams. This beautifully illustrated new book invites modern–day pilgrims and people of prayer to think about some of the different ways in which Mary is regularly portrayed in the art of Eastern Christianity. Specifically, it explores three of the most common yet theologically rich images of the Holy Virgin all of which serve as a wonderful springboard for theological and personal reflection.

Practice of Tempera Painting

by Daniel V. Thompson.

Praying With Icons

by James H. Forest. In this beautifully illustrated book Jim Forest explains the use of icons in prayer to the uninitiated. Icons are not just "art" but a powerful aid to prayer and contemplation.

The Resurrection and the Icon

by Michel Quenot. In a fascinating evaluation of the interdependence of Orthodox iconography and liturgical worship, Quenot guides the reader through the major feasts of the Church through their iconographic representations. Each image is treated not as a distinct work of art but as an integral element of a larger whole.

Romanian Icons

by Royal Company. Romanian Icons is a full–color album of reproductions from original Romanian wooden icons created in the XII–XVII centuries with brief indications of what they are.

The Russian Icon: From Its Origin to the Sixteenth Century

by Viktor Nikitich Lazarev. This spectacular coffee–table volume provides the history of Russian icon painting from its origins to the beginning of the 16th century, focusing on the technique and aesthtetics of Russian icons, the main schools of painting, and the significant artists.

Sacred Doorways – A Beginners Guide to Icons

by Linette Martin. Sacred Doorways is an ideal book for the Orthodox to pass along to their non–Orthodox friends. For Catholics and Protestants, it will serve as a non–technical, yet comprehensive introduction to help to increase understanding and appreciation of Orthodox spirituality. For the general reader, Sacred Doorways provides an essential guidebook to one of the most ancient religious art forms in the world.

The Sacred Image East and West

by Robert G. Ousterhout.

The Story of an Icon: The Full History, Tradition and Spirituality of the Popular Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help

by Fabriciano Ferrero.

The Story of Icons

by Mary P. Hallick. The book tells the story of the origins of icons, from the catacombs to the iconoclastic conflict and the triumph of icons that ended in the Sunday of Orthodoxy. The second half of the book is devoted to explaining the icons for the feast days of Christ and the Virgin Mary, teaching how to "read" the icons for the story that each tells. Designed for younger readers (ages 8–13).

Technique of Icon Painting

by Guillem Ramos–Poqui.

Theology of the Icon

by Leonard Ouspensky.

Transfiguration: Introduction to the Contemplation of Icons

by Maria Giovanna Muzj.

The Ukrainian Icon

by Liudmilla Milyaeva. Though the text is brief, the true value of the book lies in the illustrations. There are stunning examples of icons and iconostasis in full color, showing fine detail. The faces of these venerated images are human, emotional, and reverent.

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