Interested in learning more about iconography? Great!
Here are some resources that we found useful when learning about icons along with some websites recommended to us by iconographers. We hope that they are useful to you as you dive into this beautiful part of our faith. Videos and links for younger kids are at the top of the page and resources for older kids and adults are at the bottom of the page.
ORTHODOX PEBBLES VIDEO - ALL ABOUT HOLY ICONS
A short animation to help teach young Orthodox Christian children about holy icons.
In this new 5-video series from the Office of Religious Education of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma, Father Marek Visnovsky will be talking about how icons are made and the symbolism behind each stage of the process - for kids!
A website containing an abundance of articles on icons and their meanings. It is very useful for anyone with questions as to why certain elements are featured in icons. Many iconographers use this website to make sure they have the traditional features of each icon - plus, it’s nice to know what each part of the icon means.
This website contains links to videos and books about how icons are made and how embroidered icons are made. It is immensely helpful for new iconographers to get an idea for what goes in to writing these holy art forms. It is operated by Fr. and Mat. Tregubov, who also contributed their wisdom to the 2023 Children’s Calendar!
BOOKS ABOUT ICONOGRAPHY
THE MEANING OF ICONS
The nature of the icon cannot be grasped by means of pure art criticism, nor by the adoption of a sentimental point of view. Its forms are based on the wisdom contained in the theological and liturgical writings of the Eastern Orthodox Church and are intimately bound up with the experience of contemplative life.
The introduction into the meaning and the language of the icons by Ouspensky imparts to us in an admirable way the spiritual conceptions of the Eastern Orthodox Church which are often so foreign to us, but without the knowledge of which we cannot possibly understand the world of the icon.
"It is not the purpose of the icon to touch its contemplator. Neither is it its purpose to recall one or the other human experience of natural life; it is meant to lead every human sentiment as well as reason and all other qualities of human nature on the way to illumination."
THE ICON: WINDOW ON THE KINGDOM
In recent years there has been a sort of 'rediscovery' of icons by Western Christians. There is an increasing awareness that the icon is not merely a work of art, but is also an aspect of diving revelation and of our communing with God in the Church. Quenot's analysis of various icons and their theological elements enables the readers to appreciate the various aspects of the icon more fully. Michel Quenot has sketched a brief yet highly descriptive history of iconography together with a discussion of the canons and laws which govern this ancient art form. Translated from the French and already published in eight languages, The Icon: Window on the Kingdom includes 33 color photos and 34 black and white illustrations. Among its many illustrations are included examples of works by modern iconographers, which show the icon to be a living and vital art form, bit outmoded or stagnant. The book also covers historical sources, theological and biblical foundations, iconographic themes, and the icon's role in the life of believers. It includes discussion of current discoveries and recent scholarship from catacomb art through Egyptian, Byzantine, Balkan, Russian and contemporary iconography.
PICTURES OF GOD
When the Son of God came down from heaven to become a man like us, He made it possible for us to see Him, touch Him, and make pictures of Him pictures which we call icons. This little book brings God and His saints vividly into children's lives through icons, explaining in the simplest terms what each icon means and what the role of these holy pictures and the holy stories and people they depict can be in our lives. The colorful pages of Pictures of God are perfect for occupying little hands in church, for explaining the world of icons in the first years of Sunday school, and for read-aloud time with little ones at home.