The Blessing of an Icon

The final ritual in the writing of an icon is having it blessed. The iconographer sets the finished icon on the altar and prays before it.  Then it is blessed by the priest.  Below is the Orthodox Ceremony for the Blessing of an Icon.

The Blessing and Hallowing of Icons

Priest:
Blessed is our God always, both now and ever, and unto ages of ages:
Chanter:
Amen, The Trisagion Prayers. O All holy Trinity. Our Father
Priest:
For Yours is the Kingdom ...
Chanter:
Amen. Kyrie eleison. O come, let us worship and fall down. . .
Priest:
O Lord our God, Who created us after Your own Image and Likeness; Who redeems us from our former corruption of the ancient curse through Your manbefriending Christ, Who took upon Himself the form of a servant and became man; Who having taken upon Himself our likeness remade Your Saints of the first dispensation, and through Whom also we are refashioned in the Image of Your pure blessedness;
Your Saints we venerate as being in Your Image and Likeness, and we adore and glorify You as our Creator;
Wherefore we pray You, send forth Your blessing upon this Icon, and with the sprinkling of hallowed water
Bless and make holy this Icon unto Your glory, in honor and remembrance of Your Saint (N);
And grant that this sanctification will be to all who venerate this Icon of Saint (N), and send up their prayer unto You standing before it;
Through the grace and bounties and love of Your Only-Begotten Son, with Whom You are blessed together with Your All-Holy, Good and Life-creating Spirit; both now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
Chanter:
Amen.
Sprinkling cross fashion the Icon with Holy Water, he says:
Hallowed and blessed is this Icon of St. (N) by the Grace of the Holy Spirit, through the sprinkling of Holy Water: in the Name of the Father (+), and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: (+), Amen.
Immediately is sung the Troparion and Kontakion of the Saint limned on the Icon, and we all reverence and kiss the all pure Icon. Then follows the little Apolysis including the name of the Saint.

Prayer When One is to Take Up Abode in a New House

Priest:
Let us pray to the Lord.
Chanter:
Kyrie eleison.
Priest:
O God our Savior, Who did deign to enter under the roof of Zacchaeus, unto salvation of the same and of all that were in the house;
Do you, the same Lord, keep safe also from harm them who now desire to dwell here,
And who, together with us unworthy ones, do offer unto You prayer and supplication:
Bless this (+) their home and dwelling, and preserve their life free from all adversity;
For unto You are due all glory, honor and worship, as also unto Your Eternal Father, and Your All Holy, Good and life-creating Spirit; both now and ever, and unto ages of ages:
Chanter:
Amen.


Several sources had this same service, I copied this one from  http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/icon_blessing

I have not had my icon blessed.  I may do this, but likely not in an Orthodox Church, as I am not Orthodox.

Angels and Orthodoxy

Angels play a significant role in the Orthodox Church. More specifically, Archangels do.  The icon I chose to recreate is of the Archangel Gabriel.  Earlier I touched on why I chose Gabriel as a subject, now I would like to focus on his role and significance in Orthodoxy specifically.  To do this, I think a bried discussion of angels in general is needed.

Angels are "Incorporeal Powers" as they are without physical bodies. They are also called "Spirits," "Minds," "Heavenly Beings," and or "Powers."  The Church divides the angels into nine orders. The nine orders are categorized into hierarchies, which are ranked highest to lowest. The chart below outlines this.

The Highest Hieracrchy
Seraphim
Cherubim
Thrones

Middle Hierarchy
Dominions
Powers
Authorities

Lowest Hierarchy
Principalities
Archangels
Angels

Within each hierarchy, there is also a ranking from highest to lowest. The hierarchies are essentially ranked according to proximity to God.  The highest angel is known to be with God specifically and only, the lowest angels serve as messengers and soldiers of God, thus having contact with man.

There is a also a category of fallen angels, those who have fallen away from God. In iconography, these are depicted as black, faceless, small figures.

Of the hierarchies outlined above, only about a third are depicted in Orthodox iconography.   Seraphim are found in the Hagia Sophia, below the base of the dome.  Seraphim are shown with having six wings, often with a pair covering either their feet and/or their face. Cherubim, who are known to have four faces (that of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle) and four wings are painted having a human face. Archangels and Angels are the last two orders of angels which are depicted in iconography.  Of these only Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are mentioned by name in the Bible.  Michael and Gabriel hold a special place in Orthodoxy.

 In fact, the Orthodox Church has a feast day celebrating all angels, but which mentions specifically Michael and Gabriel.  Each November 8th is the "Synaxis of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel and the Rest of the Holy Incorporeal and Heavenly Powers." Michael and Gabriel are also given their own feast days, September 6 for Michael and March 26 and July 13 for Gabriel. March 26 is the original day celebrating Gabriel as it is the day after the feast of the Annunciation(Gabriel announcing to Mary that she is carrying Christ). It was later changed to July 13in some churches as the original date March date  fell within Lent, a time of fasting.

As evidenced by the icon I painted, angels and and archangels are shown wearing tunics and robes, or mantles.  Gabriel is typically dressed in blue or white.  The original icon from which I copied my icon had him dressed in a pale green tunic with a pale goal mantle. Gabriel is also often shown holding a lily, a trumpet, or a lantern. These items signify Gabriel as God's intercessor and messenger, bringing the news of man's salvation.Angels are often shown holding a staff, which represents the authority given to them by God.  Sometimes they are shown holding a disk with an "X" marked on it, the "X" representing Christ.  In the icon I painted Gabriel's right hand is raised in supplication, this is seen often in iconography.  An interesting fact about Byzantine Iconography is that angels are always represented as men, albeit beardless, and never as children or babies. as we often seen in other religious paintings. Archangels are shown having two wings, as Gabriel is in my icon, although in scripture they are seen without them.  The wings thus take on a symbolic meaning, representing their heavenly role.

Within the Orthodox Church icons Michael and Gabriel are often painted on the side doors of the templon, Michael to the north, Gabriel in the south.The middle of the iconostasis of a Byzantine Church,called the Beautiful Gate; is where one often finds an icon of the Annunciation. In addition, icons of the Virgin are often flanked on either side by Archangels Michael and Gabriel.

The Significance of Color in Byzantine Iconography

Every aspect of writing an icon in a ritual infused with meaning.  Not the east of this is the choice in paint/pigment color.  As I have mentioned earlier the red bole applied before gilding represents the earth and man; the gold God's breath and Divine Light.

Often those represented in icons are shown wearing specific color; Mary, Christ's mother often in blue, Christ in red.  The significance of this is not to be overlooked; instead it is to read by the viewer.

The following are list of colors and their significance in Byzantine Iconography:

PURPLE: Often a color of royalty, as purple is a hard to acquire color, this color also represents the Kingdom of God.

RED: Used to represent humanity; Christ is shown in red as a reminder of his human nature. Red also symbolized blood, and earth.

BLUE: Symbolizes the God's Kingdom not on earth.  Christ is often shown wearing a blue robe over a red tunic, thus expressing his dual nature. Mary as well is often shown wearing blue underneath a red cloak, symbolizing her Heavenly role and earthy existence.


WHITE: Typically represents purity and divinity.  It is seen on angels, babies, and the shroud of the dead.  Christ after is death is shown in white as well.

GREEN: Reprsents the earth, youth, and hope.  The Archangel Gabriel in the icon I chose is seen wearing pale green which I believe represents the hope of the messages he delivers.

BROWN: Symbolizes man's earthly nature.

BLACK: Generally represents evil. The fallen angels are painted in black with very few distinguishing features.



 

TA DA!!

                                              The Completed Icon..............in acrylic

The Finishing Touches

Lessons

I've completed the icon.  I must admit, I gave up on the tempera icon.  I need more time to understand the medium. I can say that I have learned much from the process.  I did keep the icon, although every time I look at it I am disappointed.

I am most disappointed in that I wasn't able to complete the icon entirely by traditional means.  Some of the things I was unable to do and changed for my acrylic icon are the following...

1. Gilding: Traditionally gold leaf is applied to parts on the icon, typically the background, or around the halo.  The area to be gilded is prepped first with red bole, a reddish clay.  Symbolically this red underlay represents the literal earth from which humanity has risen.
     The gold leaf represent "God's breath," breathing life in to the clay, into man. The gold also represents heavenly light.
      Not all icons use gold leaf.  Halos on icons have been painted in different colors, yellow, red, and even green.  I used 'fine gold' acrylic for mine.

2. Highlights: While I did highlight my piece, it did not have the effect I was aiming for.  Highlighting the icon, as all aspects of writing an icon, has symbolic meaning. There are two highlights. The first highlight represents the "light of nature" or natural light. This light comes from the side and above. This highlight is slightly lighter than the colors that you have been painting with, and is layered thinly over 3/4 of the piece. It must be mentioned that the icon, especially the flesh tones, is made up of many layers of paint. The second highlight, called Anthropos, represents human intellect and culture; it covers about 1/2 of the previously painted highlight. The third highlight, Theocasm, represents angelic light.  This last highlight is brighter and more specifically placed.

3. Olifa: When the icon is finished, using tempera, it then is set aside in a dust free place for two to three weeks to cure. Then olifa, a blend of two kinds of linseed oil, is applied to surface to create a finish.  Before applying the oil, the icongrapher makes a sign of the cross on themselves, then over the icon and then pours the oil onto the icon in the shape of a cross.  The oil is then sperad by hand evenly across the surface, including the sides.  The icon then sets for three hours, and then the oil is wiped off with a paper towel.  You repeat the wiping process over the course of the next several hours until no more oil can be removed.  The icon then dries for the next 3 to 10 days.
    As I painted in acrylic, I used a gloss finish on my icon, saving the drying wait. 
    It is interesting to note that olifa is used as it makes the surface area of the icon "kissable" and "touchable." One can reapply olifa as needed.


    

      

An Icon in the Making

At last, I am feeling somewhat successful.  Albeit, I switched to acrylic.  I have two icons now...tempera and acrylic.  I need more than a semester figure out how to paint using tempera. I can say I've learned a lot, unfortunately, not enough for my work to show it yet.

Below are the latest pictures of the acrylic piece..

The Other Icon...

Here are some photos of the icon I am painting using acrylic paints. This is going better.

Still having Trouble

This is so much harder than I ever imagined.  The face is still hard to get right; as evidence by picture three I sanded the face again.  I almost gave up, it just looks poorly done and my efforts are not represented in the outcome.  I am still working on the acrylic piece at the same time, hoping that will come out a little better.

I also decided to forgo the gilding.  Cost and the fact that I am dissatisfied with my piece thus far have me questioning the expense of the the gold gilt.  Instead, I opted to paint the background gold.

Icon Redux

I sanded more...learning so much. Wish I had learned it sooner.  My tempera is much better; hardly any water. I read a recipe that called for the dry pigment to be added directly to the egg yolk. I must say this was much better.

Images of my progress..

A Tale of Two Icons

                                                           I call this one "iconoclasm"

I can only start over. A revisit to my tempera recipe and the comment of a reader made me realize something was wrong.  My tempera SHOULD be drying quickly, not slowly....aaaaaahhhhhh.  What else to do, but start over.

The upper icon with the sanded face and wings is my original tempera icon.  Sometimes it it just best to start over.  So I've sanded the worst parts and will readjust my tempera and see how it goes.  It just can't be any worse. Right?

the bottom is my second, acrylic icon in process.  I'm working on them at the same time.

Latest Pictures and some news on Gilding

I am really not pleased with the blotchiness of the application.  I am painstakingly touching up things, working hard to even out he skins tones...have I mentioned tempera has been a difficult medium for for me? I have, haven't I?

I've held off on the gilding(the application of gold, or other metal, to the surface of the icon) until the end per the advice of the iconographers at the Iconography Institute. According to my artist's manual, gilding actually happens at the beginning. But the iconographers I talked to said it's just too easy to drip paint, scratch, or otherwise ruin the gilt when it is put on at the start.  Best to wait until the end, less to go wrong...we'll see.

Plan B

I'm still working on the traditional icon, but I've decided to attempt one using acrylic paint as well.  I'm just not pleased with the results of the tempera.  I have never used tempera before and have been struggling. We'll see if the acrylic fares better.



 The newly gesso'd board.

 

The outline of the icon     

                                                           Beginning the underpainting

Have I mentioned that I've never painted with tempera before...

The learning curve for icon painting is a slow up hill climb.


Things I wish I'd know beforehand, in no particular order...

1. There's a reason no one paints with egg yolks anymore.
2. Tempera takes a long time to dry.
3. Acrylic paint is the the Holy Grail of paint, too bad I'm not using it.
4. Tempera takes a long time to dry; yes I know I've already mentioned it.
5. There's a reason icon writers pray before starting their piece.
6. Tempera paint is very hard to work with; if the order mattered, this would be number one.
7. I'm feeling guilty for not being Catholic anymore and for never having been Orthodox.

Pictures of my process and progress

                                                                            Dry Pigment

                                                                            Tempera

                                                                     More Colors

                                                                    First Layers

The Underpainting...and tempera paint

My first attempt at painting with tempera.  I must say, it was a struggle to find the powered tempera. I was fortunate to have inherited some tempera, but I needed to purchase some more especially for the underpainting.  Once the icon image is transferred to the prepared board, one paints the entire board in various values of a an earthy green color.  This underpainting is important for the creation of the lifelike hues needed for the flesh.

To create the tempera I consulted several sources.  Recipes varied a little, so I opted for the simplest one.  Part one required the acquisition of egg yolk.  The yolk and white of one egg were separated.  The membrane of the separated yolk was then pricked so that just yolk, and no membrane, could be retrieved.  To this yolk an equal amount of water was added.

Next I donned a breathing mask, measured about 1/2 tsp of 'earth green' tempera and mixed this as well with an equal amount of water in a separate vessel.  I then combined equal parts of the pigment mixture with the egg mixture to make my tempera.

I then carefully underpainted the entire surface of my icon, save for the area I hope to gild. Pictures of the process follow...

                                                                     Yolk separated

                                                       Yolk and prepared pigment

                                                        Tempera for underpainting

                                                            Underpainting begins

                                                         First stage of underpainting

                                                              completed underpainting

Transferring the Image

I have spent the better part of two weeks gathering the supplies and preparing my board for my icon. Today I set out to copy the "cartoon" of the icon my board.  I photocopied a picture of my icon to fit the dimensions of my board, and then charcoaled the back of it so that I could place the image on the board and essentially trace it.  This is traditionally how it is done, although it feels 'plagaristic.' However, the image on an icon above all else must be recognizable, without creative input from the writer.  So the icon is copied.

                                                     Preparing to trace the icon

                                             The back of the cartoon is charcoaled.

                                                    The image is transferred to my board.