St. Joseph the Righteous and His Colors
In iconography, colors point to and support the underlying meaning of the image.
St. Joseph the Righteous, the earthly father of Jesus, a carpenter, carving wood, building furniture - (who can miss the rich connections to the wood of the cross?) - wears a yellow-orange golden outer garment and a blue inner garment.
Iconographers use the color spectrum of light (red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, dark blue, violet) as a tool to bring meaning into the icon.
Yellow is the color of the Old Testament man - anthropos - who is under the law and guided by it, already “further” along the spiritual path than red Adam whose name in Hebrew means “red clay.” (red-orange-yellow) The outer robe indicates the outward mission, so a yellow garment indicates that St. Joseph has embodied the virtues of obedience of the Old Testament law. As the Psalms says, “Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them.”
The inner garment shows the inner nature of the person - a blue garment indicates that they have great spiritual sensitivity, blue being the color of the heavens.
The red cloth which St. Joseph uses to hold two doves recalls several ideas. St. Joseph is so poor, he can only bring the smallest offering to the temple for the circumcision of his son. A red cloth in iconography reminds the viewer that something holy is happening at this moment, in the icon and in one’s own heart - a red cloth covers the tabernacle in the Old Testament, red is color of Christ’s blood on the cross.
Here the doves, the red cloth quietly remind the viewer, that only through one’s poverty and humility, just as St. Joseph did, can one come to the cross, where we encounter the bold love of the Father who through the Son, emptied himself for us, to lead us into His Kingdom. St. Joseph’s simple humility becomes the viewer’s humility.
May it be blessed.
Instagram Speedy Giveaway
Instagram Speedy Giveaway Details:
First person to identify all three Mandylions in the Wrestling with Angels Collections will receive a free Deisis Trifold. Must use Instagram to play.
Wrestling with Angels Inaugural Exhibition at the Museum of Russian Icons
Detail of The Unsleeping Eye by Vladislav Andrejev, 2010, Egg tempera on gessoed wood panel, 24.75 x 20 x 1.5 inches
From The Museum of Russian Icons Summer 2019 Newsletter:
The Museum is pleased to premiere Wrestling with Angels, an exhibition of forty-six luminous contemporary icons by sixteen iconographers from the Prosopon School of Iconology and Iconography. On view from July 19-October 20, 2019, the exhibition will feature icons by the founder of the Prosopon School, Vladislav Andrejev, along with works by master iconographers, instructors, and apprentices.
Visitors will encounter the icons as they would within an Orthodox church, beginning with depictions of events and persons from Hebrew scripture that would be found in the narthex (or vestibule); and continuing with icons that would surround the congregation in the nave, including images of Jesus and his mother Mary (known in the Christian East as the Theotokos, Greek for “God-bearer”). The exhibition concludes with icons that would be found on or behind the iconostasis (the screen or wall that separates the nave from the altar), including icons of the principal feasts of the Christian liturgical year as well as icons of mystical subjects that point to the second coming of Christ.
Wrestling with Angels is a reference to the first icon on view, a work depicting the mysterious wrestling match between the patriarch Jacob and an unidentified stranger as described in Genesis.
A centerpiece of the exhibition is the deisis (Greek for “supplication”), a group of five large icons with Christ in Glory at its center. The deisis in this exhibition includes portrayals of Saints Gregory Palamas and Gregory the Theologian, whose mystical theology is central to the Prosopon School’s teaching.
Since its founding in 2000, the Prosopon School, among the first American schools of iconography, has introduced thousands of students worldwide to this sacred art of the Christian East. The artistic discipline of iconography is the means through which students are introduced to the larger discipline of iconology: the exploration of what it means to have been created in the image and likeness of God. The Prosopon School accomplishes this by breaking the process into distinct technical steps and associating these with the theology and teachings of the Orthodox Church, especially those of the early Church Fathers.
The Museum offers a six-day intensive workshop by the Prosopon School each August. There are a few spaces left in this year's class. Visit our website: museumofrussianicons.org/classes-workshops for information.
ONLY A FEW OPENINGS LEFT! Six-Day Intensive Icon Painting Workshop with Prosopon School of Iconology
Monday, August 5 – Saturday, August 10, 8:30am-5:00pm
Members $900, Nonmembers $995. Call 978.598.5000 to register.
Learn to paint icons with renowned instructor Vladislav Andrejev from the Prosopon School of Iconology. Working with Prosopon faculty, participants will study the techniques of painting icons, including transferring the image, applying the gold leaf, and the use of egg tempera paint. Students will use the traditional multi-step process to paint their own icons of Archangel Michael. Previous students can make special arrangements with the instructor to paint another subject for their icon workshop.
No previous artistic experience is required.
LECTURE: Creativity and Tradition in Iconography: A Balancing Act with Iconographer Maureen McCormick
Sunday, August 18, 1:00-2:30pm
Members $6, Nonmembers $12
Maureen McCormick is a latter day iconographer, affiliate instructor of the Prosopon School of Iconology and Iconography, and iconographer in residence at Trinity Church, Princeton (NJ). She attended her first iconography workshop with Vladislav Andrejev, founder of the School in 1996 and was immediately drawn to the medium and to the mystical theology that informs this centuries-old sacred art of the Christian East. This illustrated lecture will explore the tension between tradition and creativity in the process of designing and executing icons in the 21st century. Using recently completed icons – including one inspired by an icon in the Museum’s collection – Maureen will discuss the myriad decisions, artistic and theological, that the iconographer must make, all the while remaining within the canon of a centuries-old sacred art.
Maureen holds an MFA in printmaking from the Tyler School of Art of Temple University. She moved to the Princeton area in 1986 to join the staff of the Princeton University Art Museum. In early 2013, after years of juggling a satisfying but demanding career with her study of the icon, Maureen stepped down from her position as Chief Registrar and Manager of Collections Services to devote herself more fully to iconography.
CURATOR’S TALK: Why Wrestle Angels? Who’s Asking? with Exhibition Curator Lynette Hull
Saturday, September 28, 1:00-2:00pm Members $6, Nonmembers $12
Wrestling with Angels explores how God relates to man and how man wrestles with God in order to understand life’s meaning. In this curator’s talk, discover the unspoken assumptions behind the icons, how the iconographer communicates these assumptions artistically, and why they matter. The 45-minute lecture will be followed by a Q&A with the curator.
Lynette has studied iconography with Vladislav Andrejev for fifteen years. She lectured at Princeton University, Cambridge University, England, University of Toronto, Canada, Wheaton College, and many other universities, seminaries and churches. She has participated in icon exhibits throughout the US and Russia. She organizes teacher workshops and conferences for the Prosopon School, occasionally assists Mr. Andrejev, teaches beginner workshops, and holds open studios at her home.