Icons are paintings rooted in the Orthodox religion of Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Apart from serving as religious objects, icons are appreciated by collectors all over the world for their artistic value and their charm.

History of Icons

The art of painting icons has its origins in the Byzantine empire of the sixth and seventh century. When Grand Prince Wladimir of Kiev married the Byzantine Princess Anna in 988, Christianity came to Russia. With the Christian-orthodox religion the art of icon painting spread into the East. In Russia icons became a very distinctive form of religious expression and contemplation. The word icon comes from the Greek word eikon, which means image.

In 1453 the Byzantine Empire was destroyed by the Islamic Turks and many works of art were lost forever. But the icon survived - in Russia, Crete and the Balkan region. Aside from being a means of religious worship, icons have an old tradition as a collector`s object as well. Rich Russian families - like the Stroganovs - gave orders for icons to cloister workshops.

Icons - Images of the Soul

Icon painting has followed traditional iconographic rules. The subjects can be divided into two groups. There are those icons that depict Christ or other holy figures like the Virgin Mary and those that show scenes and events from the life of saints. Icons can show the same subject and look similar although painted in different centuries. Nevertheless, there are hundreds of different icon themes.

By the way, you will never find an icon with a person casting a shadow. Saints do not cast shadows!

How Icons are Made

Icons were painted by faithful painters - usually monks - in monastic seclusion. Different from the Western use of a canvas, an icon is painted on a solid woodblock with as many as 30 layers of color and lacquer. Therefore the colors remain fresh and in good condition even after years. Icons had to be robust. They were used as religious objects being carried around in processions, kissed by worshippers and being exposed to the smoke of candles and oil lamps. The colors consist of natural pigments. Warm colors prevail.

How Icons came to Western Countries

First collections of icons in the West go back to the 18th century. But the big popularity came after World War I and II. During the communist regime, icons were destroyed by the thousands or were moved to museums or came to Western countries - either with immigrants or as legal exports from the former Soviet Union. Out of 1700 churches that existed in Moscow before the Revolution in 1917, only 300 are left.

The Renaissance of Religious Icons

The orthodox religion has been rediscovered by the East Europeans after the fall of communism. Many people have returned to their old traditions. The demand for icons in their original religious meaning is back. The nouveaux riches in Russia have started collecting icons. Prices for old icons consequently have moved upwards.

Fortunately the renaissance of the icon is not limited to collecting old icons. New icons are painted by contemporary artists. It is amazing how the art of painting icons could survive decades of communist rules. Commissions for new icons are placed by churches, religious individuals and communities and increasingly by Western collectors. Icons are not necessarily collected for religious reasons, but for their intrinsic artistic value and fine craftsmanship. Major centers for contemporary icon paintings next to Russia are Greece and Romania.

There are however huge differences in the quality of contemporary icons. Many icons - mainly those made in Greece - are often mass produced using photomechanical silkscreen techniques. But there are still some artists who paint icons in the old traditional way. And prices are still affordable.