Icons are both timeless and universal, spiritual and aesthetic. Orthodox iconography inspires serenity and has content that invites reflection.
For a painting to be an icon, it must have the characteristics of Orthodoxy; it must express the true teachings in visual form, just as preaching expresses the true teachings verbally. The Eastern Church tradition places words and images on an equal footing. The great theologian St John of Damascus (c. 675-749) said, ‘Just as words encourage hearing, so do images stimulate the eyes’. Words written in books are verbal icons; text or speech expresses a mental picture. The equivalence between words and images, between theology and iconography, leads to the forms being standardized. But neither words nor pictures can give an entirely satisfactory description of the substance of the Christian faith; mystery cannot be explained in forms created by humans.
The sacred art of iconography generally refers to a painting in the Orthodox tradition of egg yolk mixed with dry pigments (tempera) on a wooden panel. The icon never stands alone as a piece of art but points to the spiritual dimension and forms part of religious practice. The icon is never complete in itself. It can never stand alone as an autonomous work of art but refers to a spiritual dimension and forms part of a concrete religious practice. As it expresses itself through a holy symbolic language, it cannot be read without knowledge of Orthodox theology and spirituality.
The painter (iconographer) is not free to incorporate his or her subjective interpretations into the work. An icon is above the personal; it is an expression of the community’s faith, a faith which is shaped within ‘the fellowship of the saints.’ However, as conveyors of divine revelations, the Holy Scriptures and the Church Tradition impart spiritual truths. It is here that the icon appears as one of several mediums the Church uses to communicate the Gospel.
According to St. Basil the Great (329-379), ‘the honor given to the image is transferred to its prototype.’ St. Athanasius of Alexandria (295-373) expresses the same thought when he says, ‘The person who bows to an icon, bows to the king in it.’ The icon also has a natural function among Orthodox Christians as a private devotional image. It provides a reminder of what it portrays, a consciousness of the past in the present.
However, the icon is always more than an illustration with an educational goal. The icon is holy because of its subject matter—namely Christ himself—the expressed image of God. Christ is the first perfect icon from whom the saints gather their radiance, and the man-made icon endeavors to reflect this divine radiance.
Based on The Mystical Language of Icons by Solrunn Nes