Jan 2005 Vol 54 No 1
Richard Temple, though more obliquely, says much the same. His
text, unemotional and dignified, makes it radiantly clear that icons are not
only beautiful but divinely beautiful. They have a purpose, they exist only to
draw us closer to God and affect us with the pure power of holy grace. It is obvious
that we are far away from curatorial expertise and questions of attribution. Yet
these questions are not wholly alien.
Icons - this is their lovely paradox - are genuine works of art,
and all scholastic norms apply. But that is their minimal level of existence.
At their heart they are works of ardent faith, and their whole significance is
spiritual.
The artist, in this unique case, does not set out to 'make a work
of art': that will happen as a happy side effect. The artist sets out to create
a human artifact that will unite the viewer with Our Lord. He or she prepares by
prayer and fasting. The painter's soul must be pure, quiet and silent before God
so as to convey an image of His Mystery. All movements of the ego are abjured. As
Temple says: "In accordance with the
icon tradition, the painter works strictly within a set of established rules.
He invents nothing from his subjective imagination. He is not more free to introduce
novelties than the priest celebrating the liturgy. Like the priest, he regards himself
as the channel through which the unchanging tradition passes." One
need only imagine Giotto or Michelangelo or Rembrandt faced with such constrictions
to realise how totally different is the art of the icon painters origin.
Temple explains its development, its modifications - slight
under various cultures - its central themes. But the overpowering importance of
this book lies in its illustrations. I always distrust generalisations about art
that are not very closely linked to illustrations. Here is the book's special triumph.
All that Temple avers, he proves, by showing us, in glorious reproduction, what
he is talking about. Since he runs one of the world's great icon galleries, he has
been able to take many examples from
his own stock, either present or past.
When we look, and continue to look, at these pictures, the meaning
of the subtitle, Divine Beauty, becomes clear. I say 'continue to look',
because the icon is not meant for the casual gaze. Eve r y icon is painted to be
an object of prayer. Of course, we do not pray to the icon but through it. It is
a gateway, a meeting place where the mystery of God and the eagerness of the believing
heart meet. Here God blesses us, here we accept that blessing, here allow it to
change us. It seems almost a vulgarity to say more. Read the book and give thanks,
as I did.
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