Icons

While visiting friends and family for Christmas, I went to see the featured exhibit at The Museum of Russian Art in the Twin Cities. The exhibit features 54 magnificent 17^th and 18^th century icons from the Yaroslavl Art Museum in Russia. These icons are quite extraordinary considering they are from the “The Golden Age” of Yaroslavl’s cultural life and survived the Soviet’s anti-religious campaign after the Revolution of 1917 when thousands of icons were destroyed. In the early 1920s a small group of scholars and art restorers from Yaroslavl formed an art restoration committee and rescued hundreds of valuable icons by relabeling them “folk art” and removing them before churches were destroyed.

TMORA’s gallery space is a rehabbed Spanish-revival church (former home of Mayflower Congregational Church) and as I moved about with other icon viewers the subtle sound of Russian Orthodox chanting played over a sound system. Most of the icons are from various tiers of iconostases (the 5-6 level wall of icons separating the nave from the altar in an Orthodox Church) and therefore many were between 5-6 feet tall. I had never seen such large icons. Each one told a story either from the Gospel narrative or from an aspect of tradition (such as depicting a martyr). The use of rich colors, offset by glimmering gold created depth and light and an otherworldly effect. The sheer size and rich detail drew me into each one. At several moments I forgot I was admiring art in a gallery and found myself prayerful and in an attitude of worship.

I have always been fascinated by icons as a form of art and as an important part of our Christian heritage (partly due to my affection for Eastern Christianity). A hand painted icon from Greece portraying the Lord’s Supper sits on a shelf in my office and a reproduction of the famed “Old Testament Trinity” hangs in the entry of my house. However, it was during this museum visit that I began to better understand icons as a portal to the holy—a vehicle, if you will, to the awareness of the presence of God in one’s midst. In these brief holy moments, I have experienced the mystery and allure of icons in a remarkable way.

Unlike many other forms of Christian art, Icons have often been as controversial as they are revered. At one time seen as idols, their use was often banned by many Christian sects. Today they are often simply seen as being out-dated and foreign in relationship to our contemporary American Christian faith. However, icons still have a place in our faith today. More than just a connection to and appreciation for the past, icons can provide an inspiring and much needed means of focusing on God in a world of distractions and idols clamoring for our attention.

Anyone in Minneapolis in the coming weeks should visit The Museum of Russian Art. “Transcendent Art: Icons from Yaroslavl, Russia” ends January 24, 2009. 

Sunshine, 2°