Better than Eden has a Marian image linky going through the end of the month, and since I have a lot of images of the Theotokos that I really like, I thought I'd just do a whole post on them!
This style of painting doesn't usually do it for me, but there was something about the pose of Mary that struck me.
I have a very small copy of this icon somewhere, and I love the story of it. It is a Georgian icon, and the story goes that a man came into the church intent on destroying the icon, and slashed the face with a sword (you can see the slash marks across the middle). He turned around to leave the church, sword in hand, and was struck dead at the doorway. Don't mess with the Mother of God, ya'll.
This is one of my favorite Orthodox images of the Theotokos (Mother of God); it is from a Nativity icon. I love how she has her check nestled against Christ's, in the way you do right after a baby is born.
I saw this image earlier this year, and I just love it. The nursing Mother's gaze, the gauzy veil, the soft lighting, the whole thing.
We've gotten several Christmas cards with this image over the years, and I've saved them all (and framed one). I love the soft light behind Mary's head, and the richness of the palette is a visual feast.
This is more modern, but it has something evocative of the medieval Madonnas, I think.
This is a charcoal drawing of the Orthodox icon above. I have a copy framed in a shadow box that I set out at Christmas time. I like the simplicity of it. (Available in card form from SVS Press).
Such a real moment between mother and child.
What strikes me most about this image of the Theotokos is her eyes. There is something old and wise in them, and yet there is an innocence too. I love how Christ is nestled on her shoulder, gnawing on her cloak the way babies do.
I love this painting by Roberto Ferruzzi. I think it is my favorite of the Western images I've seen. A tad sentimental, perhaps, but light around the mother and child, the rich colors, the expression on Mary's face, the innocence of the sleeping child, the whole thing. I could stare at it for days. I saw a necklace version of it in an etsy shop called "Madonna of the Streets" and it really struck me.
Pietas pack such a gut-punch of intensity. I particularly like the lines of this one--you can see the fabric move in the stone, and the figures' expressions are at once serene and agonized.
Those moments when you just stare at your baby.
And cuddle the not-quite-baby-almost toddler.
These are all beautiful! I'm not usually one especially drawn to the Orthodox icons, but there are a few I love - one being the Theotokos from the Nativity. :)
ReplyDeleteI find iconography takes some time to draw you in. The style is completely inverted from Western art, which is that light shines from behind, and pushes out from the canvas, whereas icons shine from within, and draw the viewer into them, forward. Toward theosis. I've had some powerful experiences with icons, and it took me a long time to begin to appreciate and even begin understand them--I've still only tapped the surface (I'm a convert to Orthodoxy).
DeleteThanks for stopping by and commenting.
Oh my. All so so beautiful. I've never seen the black and white one of her with the gauzy veil. That is so gentle and captivating. And is she in a stable stall? How awesome. And the one with baby Jesus gnawing on her shoulder is just perfect. So so real!! I don't know much about icons but the more I learn, the more I am fascinated. There must be much behind the positioning of them in that one. Thank you so much for linking up, Juliana, and merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and for commenting! I do appreciate it. I have to say I think I'm tied for favorites between the Madonna of the Streets and the black and white with the gauzy veil. So pretty.
DeleteA good book for introducing icons is Jim Forrest's Praying with Icons, which introduces iconology in an accessible way, and also explains how they are used in the spiritual life.
I am from Georgia actually and even though am not Christian, I love Georgian iconography - so humble and beautiful. Orthodox Christianity seems very deep and spiritual to me in general.
ReplyDeleteNeat! I really like Georgian iconography--it is unique and so visually interesting. We have a copy of St. Nino that was done in Georgia and it is lovely. Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment!
DeleteBeautiful! Love the mother-child connection captured in so many ways. My absolute favorite of these is the black and white with gauzy veil--soft and sweet.
ReplyDelete