Tag: Iconography

Art, Catholic Art, Catholicism, Christianity, Culture, Easter, Good Friday, Gospel Reflections, Gospel Teachings, Gospels of Jesus Christ, Holy Saturday, Holy Triduum, Holy Triduum, The Holy Triduum, Jerusalem, The Way of the Cross, Iconography, Icons, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Religion, Religious Art, Religious Education, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Sacred Art, Sacred Iconography, Sacred ImagesLeave a comment

Holy Triduum: A Video Pilgrimage to Jerusalem

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

This is a magnificent 30 minute overview of the places in Jerusalem in which Our Lord spent His last hours.  Please share with your families and others who would benefit from it. It is beautifully presented without the poor production values of other similar attempts.  This production was filmed, edited, and narrated by members of the Augustine Institute in Colorado.. Thanks. May you and your loved ones be blessed by Our Lord Jesus Christ and have a Holy and Blessed Easter season. https://watch.formed.org/holy-thursday/videos/triduum Continue reading Holy Triduum: A Video Pilgrimage to Jerusalem

Blessed Mother, Catholic, Catholic Art, Christmas, Culture, Gospels of Jesus Christ, Iconoclasm, Iconography, Mary - Our Blessed Mother, Religious Art, Roman Catholic, Sacred Art, Sacred Images, The Blessed Virgin Mary1 Comment

Vatican Creche – 2020 – A Contemptuous Insult

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

The Vatican, last week, unveiled the 2020 Christmas crèche in St. Peter’s Square. Historical tradition explains that St. Francis of Assisi was the first to promote the display of the birth of Our Lord. He believed that it would edify and improve  prayerful worship of Jesus, the moment of His Nativity, and subsequent events. For approximately 800 years the Christmas crèche has been portrayed in a respectful and accurate way. It combined different elements of the Nativity found in Sacred Scripture into one scene that conveys spiritual and historical truth to the viewer. Within the last fifty years people with … Continue reading Vatican Creche – 2020 – A Contemptuous Insult

Apologetics, Art, Beauty, Bible, Catholic, Catholic Art, Catholic Education, Catholic Spirituality, Catholicism, Christian Faith, Christian Spirituality, Christianity, Church History, Communication, Culture, discipleship, Easter, Evangelization, Faith, God, God the Father, Gospel Teachings, Gospels of Jesus Christ, History, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, Hope, Icons, Jesus Christ, New Evangelization of the Catholic Church, Orthodox Art, Religion, Religious Art, Religious Education, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Russian Orthodox, Sacred Art, Sacred Iconography, Scriptures, Spirituality, St. Andrei Rublev, Teaching, UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Holy Trinity – Communication Through Word and Art

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Is communication just a trait of human beings? Is it a trait of God? The Dogma of the Holy Trinity is one of the great Mysteries of the Christian Faith.  All Christians acknowledge and accept that The One True God, the divine Holy Trinity, are three separate and distinct Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is not three separate Gods. They are one God in three Divine Persons. This is known as the dogma of the “consubstantial” Trinity: each of the three Persons is God – completely and entirely. These ideas were debated and verified by … Continue reading The Holy Trinity – Communication Through Word and Art

Art, Art Education, Artists, Beauty, Catholic, Catholic Art, Catholic Education, Catholic Spirituality, Catholicism, Christian Spirituality, Christianity, Culture, Evangelization, Iconography, Icons, Orthodox Art, Religion, Religious Art, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Sacred Art, Sacred Artists, Sacred Iconography, Sacred Images, Saints, TeachingLeave a comment

Icons – Important Similarities/Differences

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Can you pick out the seven similarities between the two sacred icons of Church Apologists that are below? The differences?   Let’s take a look at the two icons above. Both are correct in the way they are represented. From an artistic and symbolic point-of-view there are distinct similarities. They have seven similarities: the beard (signifying experience, authority, and that the saint is an elder); a large, high forehead (signifying Christian wisdom as influenced by the Holy Spirit which is visualized through the saint’s works and knowledge); the Holy Cross upon the priest’s stole (it appears as a garment that circles the … Continue reading Icons – Important Similarities/Differences

Art, Artists, Catholic Art, Christianity, Iconography, Icons, Jesus Christ, Roman Catholic, Sacred Art, Sacred Iconography, Sacred Images, Uncategorized2 Comments

Jesus Our Savior – An Image that is a Work in Progress

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

I have the happy service of presenting a new workshop to interested adults from Massachusetts and Rhode Island beginning on Saturday February 14th, 2015. In an attempt to give everyone individual attention the class is currently filled at a limit of ten people. We will be pursuing our studies of painting sacred images in the Latin iconographic tradition. I hope to make the artists aware of the importance of studying the Latin and Byzantine origins of sacred images and its inevitable blossoming within the Greek and Russian civilizations. The workshop will run over a five-week period, for a total of … Continue reading Jesus Our Savior – An Image that is a Work in Progress

Iconography, Icons, Mary, Mary - Our Blessed Mother, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Sacred Art, Sacred Iconography, Sacred Images, The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth2 Comments

Albert Lapierre – Sacred Artist and Iconographer

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

This past July I had the pleasure of restoring an icon that was written by the fine artist, Albert Lapierre, from Attleboro, Massachusetts. It is a beautifully done and was commissioned by Joan O’Gara on the occasion of the birthday of her sister, Rosalind, in October, 1998. Rosalind told me that her sister knew of her appreciation and devotion to the Gospel account of the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth; however, Joan was not able to locate a print of this particular icon. In 1997 Joan decided to contact Albert Lapierre who was resposible for the creation of … Continue reading Albert Lapierre – Sacred Artist and Iconographer

Art, Artists, Iconography, Icons, Religious Art, Roman Catholic, Sacred Art, Sacred Artists, Sacred Images, UncategorizedLeave a comment

A Recent Art Workshop Leads to Another! – The Fra Angelico Institute

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

This past month the Fra Angelico Institute for the Sacred Arts was happy to sponsor a two day workshop. The purpose of this workshop was to introduce people to the idea that everyone has the capacity for expressing themselves in art. Using acrylic paints the participants were taught the process of “seeing” an image of a rose, breaking down its component parts, drawing the rose, applying and mixing pigments, painting the rose, etc. Our desire was to ultimately interest people, who possibly never considered themselves as having artistic talent, to see that they could paint a good quality representation of … Continue reading A Recent Art Workshop Leads to Another! – The Fra Angelico Institute

Aidan Hart, Art, Artists, Iconography, Icons, Orthodox Art, Orthodox Christianity, Religious Art, Roman Catholic, Sacred Art, Sacred Artists, Sacred Iconography6 Comments

Aidan Hart’s New Book on Sacred Iconography

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

The article below is reblogged from the always informative Orthodox Arts Journal. The article is the 9th in a series about sacred iconography that was written by Brother Aidan Hart, a British iconographer. Brother Hart has written extensively on all aspects of sacred iconography and has recently published a very comprehensive book on the subject called Techniques of Icon and Wall Painting. The editor at the Orthodox Arts Journal highly recommends it. Brother Hart’s articles are available at his website and he also offers sacred iconography workshops in Britain. This nine part article is well worth the effort of perusing … Continue reading Aidan Hart’s New Book on Sacred Iconography

Anna Gouriev Pokrovsky iconographer, Art, Artists, Beauty, Catholic Art, Christianity, Dimitri Andreyev, Evangelization, Iconography, Icons, Marek Czarnecki iconographer, New Evangelization of the Catholic Church, Prosopon School of Iconography, Roger of Helmarshausen, Roman Catholic, Sacred Art, The Rosary, Theophilus the Presbyter, Uncategorized4 Comments

Theophilus, Iconography, and the Contemporary Sacred Artist – Part One

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Today’s sacred artist within the Western tradition may have been exposed to many different artistic traditions. Artists may have been classically trained in a formal academy such as the Florence Academy of Art, or, they may have been educated at a secular institution that emphasizes a modern abstract expressionistic form of art. Other models are available, too. Some artists may have been self-taught, or, as in my case, study with specific masters of sacred art that offered intensive workshops to interested groups or individuals. Upon my retirement from a career in education, I finally had the opportunity to study and … Continue reading Theophilus, Iconography, and the Contemporary Sacred Artist – Part One

Beauty, Catholic Devotions, Catholic Spirituality, Catholicism, Christianity, Iconography, Icons, Mary, Mary - Our Blessed Mother, Religion, Roman Catholic, The Blessed Virgin Mary, Uncategorized2 Comments

Our Lady of Guadalupe – An Icon of The Woman Who Will Crush The Serpent

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Today’s feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of all the Americas, recalls the apparition of our Blessed Mother on the hill of Tepeyac in present day Mexico City. This approved apparition occurred from December 9th through the 12th 1531. Guadalupe is the Spanish translation of the Aztec phrase that Juan Diego heard Mary associate herself with – the name, interestingly, in Aztec means “she will crush the serpent of stone.” In the same year as this Marian apparition, rebellion and protest against the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church was sweeping Germany, France, and England. While millions of people were leaving the … Continue reading Our Lady of Guadalupe – An Icon of The Woman Who Will Crush The Serpent

Art, Iconography, Icons, Jesus Christ, Religious Art, Roman Catholic, Sacred Art, Sacred Iconography1 Comment

Fr. Richard Reiser’s Beautiful Icon of the Transfiguration

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

The article that is found below my opening comments, and the image of the Transfiguration, is reblogged, through the courtesy of Fr. Richard Reiser, pastor of St. James Catholic Church Omaha, Nebraska. I really enjoy Fr. Reiser’s iconographic style. He is able to convey the Scriptural truth of the Transfiguration while, at the same time expressing it in artistic language accessible to contemporary Christians. Fr. Reiser studied with noted master iconographer Philip Zimmerman who founded the St. John of Damascus Icon Studio in Pennsylvania. Father Reiser pointed out to me in an email, that St. James is larger than the other saints. … Continue reading Fr. Richard Reiser’s Beautiful Icon of the Transfiguration

Art, Artists, Catholic Art, Christianity, Education, Iconography, Religion, Roman Catholic, Sacred Artists, Sacred Iconography, Uncategorized5 Comments

Summer 2012 Workshop in Painting Sacred Images – A Few Reflections

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Over the past six years I have participated in numerous workshops in sacred art and have produced a number of sacred images, each of which helped me understand the techniques of this sacred art. In 2006, I participated in my first workshop at St. Michael’s Institute of Sacred Art at St. Edmund’s Retreat in Mystic, CT. The instructor was Peter Pearson, an Episcopal priest from Pennsylvania. He introduced the class to the beautiful and prayerful experience of painting a sacred image in the Russian Orthodox tradition; however, rather than using egg tempera paints (in which you mix the yolk of … Continue reading Summer 2012 Workshop in Painting Sacred Images – A Few Reflections

Art, Artists, Beauty, Catholic Art, Christianity, Gospel Reflections, Iconography, Icons, Jesus Christ, Orthodox Art, Religious Art, Roman Catholic, Sacred Art, Sacred Iconography11 Comments

A Sacred Image – The Sun of Justice, Jesus Christ

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

You are probably thinking, the poor old fellow has made a mistake in his spelling. Shouldn’t the title read “Son” of Justice? One evening a passage from Evening Prayer in the Divine Office caught my attention. It was the final prayer and it read: “Father, yours is the morning and yours is the evening. Let the Sun of Justice, Jesus Christ, shine for ever in our hearts and draw us to that light where you live in radiant glory.” That phrase provided this image’s title: Sun of Justice, Jesus Christ. My intent was to have the image direct the prayerful observer … Continue reading A Sacred Image – The Sun of Justice, Jesus Christ

Aidan Hart, Anna Gouriev Pokrovsky iconographer, Art, Artists, Greek Orthodox, Iconography, Marek Czarnecki iconographer, New Evangelization of the Catholic Church, Orthodox Art, Peter Pearson iconographer, Prayer, Religious Art, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Sacred Art, Sacred Artists, Sacred Iconography, Spirituality, Vladimir Grygorenko iconographer3 Comments

Icons, Icon Painters, and Praying With Sacred Icons: PART 3

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

My favorite sacred icon of  Our Lord Jesus Christ is the 6th century encaustic icon of Christ Pantocrator (Christ The Almighty One) from St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula. This sacred image was a paradigm shift in the way early Christians viewed and portrayed Jesus Christ. This icon (shown below) is not the thin young  Messiah of the Catacombs, or the Roman nobleman presentation of the first four centuries of Church art (for examples confer Pierre du Bourguet’s book on Early Christian Painting). The Sinai Christ Pantocrator is portrayed as a robust Semitic man, who knows exactly what He is about, what His … Continue reading Icons, Icon Painters, and Praying With Sacred Icons: PART 3

Art, Greek Orthodox, Iconography, Orthodox Art, Prayer, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Sacred Art, Sacred Artists, Sacred Images6 Comments

Part Two: Icons, Icon Painters, and Praying With Sacred Icons

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

The sacred icon is a visual aid that helps the person enter into a conversation with God, an angel, or a saint. If a sacred icon is to be painted with this purpose in mind then it it is a major responsibility of the sacred artist to construct the icon so that it may serve, rather than interfere with or destroy, that purpose. Thus, it is necessary for the sacred artist to curb the desire for ornateness, since it might detract from the prayer itself by focusing the viewer’s eyes on embellishment versus Person, or saint.  Of all the physical … Continue reading Part Two: Icons, Icon Painters, and Praying With Sacred Icons

Art, Artists, Catholic Art, Christianity, Greek Orthodox, Iconography, Orthodox Art, Prayer, Religious Art, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Sacred Art, Sacred Artists, Sacred Images, Uncategorized11 Comments

Icons, Icon Painters, and Praying With Sacred Icons: Part One

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

A few issues have come up in discussing some basic terms with people. I would like to be clear on how I have come to understand these words because it may affect how we view our “ministry” to be painters of sacred icons and or sacred images. From my understanding, the word icon in English, Greek, and Latin, is the word for image. In our usage as sacred artists, it refers to a sacred image of Our Lord, Our Blessed Mother, angels, or specific saints. The purpose of a  sacred icon is that, as a piece of sacred art, it … Continue reading Icons, Icon Painters, and Praying With Sacred Icons: Part One

Catholic Art, Iconography, Orthodox Art, Sacred Art Guild, Sacred Iconography, Sacred Iconography Guild, Sacred Images1 Comment

Sacred Iconography and Personal Creativity – Do Not be Afraid!

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

What is iconography? The Sacred Iconography Guild is one of the twelve Sacred Arts Guilds that is sponsored by the Fra Angelico Institute. As of this post we have six members of this Guild who have expressed interest in learning this particular artistic tradition of the Church. Unfortunately, many people in the 21st century do not know the traditions of the Western (Latin, that is the Roman and affiliated rites of the Church) or the Eastern (Orthodox, that is the Coptic, Greek, Russian, and other Middle Eastern Rites) of Christ’s Church. All of these Rites have beautiful liturgies, the Sacraments … Continue reading Sacred Iconography and Personal Creativity – Do Not be Afraid!

Catholic Art, Orthodox Art, Sacred Art Guild, Uncategorized4 Comments

Welcome to the Fra Angelico Institute

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Our First Post As our first post – on August 1, 2011 – I would like to explain that the mission of the Fra Angelico Institute for the Sacred Arts is to promote the creation of Christian sacred art and unite the creative process to the artist’s personal prayer life. Over the coming months we will be discussing various topics within the sacred arts, the creation of sacred art, important sacred artists from the past and present, and the development of our personal prayer life in union with our personal creative efforts. The Fra Angelico Institute for the Sacred Arts … Continue reading Welcome to the Fra Angelico Institute