2. Where did the word “icon” come from? The word icon is Greek and means an image, or representation of a holy image. Icon refers to all kinds of religious images, but it is most often associated with paintings on wood.
3. What are icons and how long have they been around? An icon is an image of a person or event taken directly from Christian scripture and created in a specific manner, according to specific rules. Historians date the appearance of the iconographic style to the first three centuries of Christianity. They have been around for almost two thousand years.
4. How did icons first become popular? Some people believe that icons were first popular in people’s houses and then later began to appear in places of worship. By the 4th and 5th century, they were commonly used in places of worship, like churches.
5. Why have icons? The idea of using icons came about because most Christian converts came from pagan cultures and most of them were illiterate, or could not read. Because of this, many of these converts had trouble understanding bible teachings and the icons became a way to teach the historical events of the bible. They were basically like picture books of the bible. Early church leaders allowed these icons in the church because they allowed people to better understand the church’s teachings.
6. What types of icons are there? Iconic style incorporates many artistic elements from the ancient art styles of Greece, Rome, Syria, and Egypt.
7. Iconoclasts Even though icons were popular, they kept arousing the suspicions of some religious traditionalists who saw them as breaking the second commandant, “Thou shall not make unto thee graven images”. In 762, the traditionalists banned all pictorial representations, or icons, and began the destruction of the holy images. This period of time is known as the iconoclasm.
8. Do we still have icons today? Icons are still being painted today. There are many modern artists and craftsmen who uphold the great traditions of Iconography. Many of the most famous icons can be found in Russian museums and private American collections.
15. Vocabulary Words Halo: Light emanating from a holy person, usually rendered as a circle of gold around the head. Pattern: Anything fashioned or designed to be used as a model or guide for something to be made. Iconographer: An artist who specializes in the creation of religious icons and upholds the traditions of the ancient art form.
16. Vocabulary Words Burnish: To polish gold leaf with cotton or a special polishing tool. Egg Tempura: The painting medium created by mixing pigments with melted wax; employed in many of the earliest panel icons. Symbols: Something used for or representing something else.
