Translating the Imperceptible: Writing Icons

Verena’s professional work involved translating Dutch, German, French and English. At Art in Action, the School’s large arts festival, she and her husband used to organise the section for Russian Arts where Robert developed a love of icons. Later she took the next step in learning how to write icons. Read on to discover where that has led her. 

Translating the Imperceptible: Writing Icons 
Verena Watson, UK

Waking up to writing icons
It started with an explanation and demonstration of Russian icon painting at Art in Action. My husband Robert was instantly enamoured.  We bought that icon, hung it facing East as it should be – and for a while I ignored it.  It didn’t look like my image of Christ.  

Then one day whilst saying the Lord’s prayer, that image of Christ arose very clearly in mind.  It was my first experience of the power of an icon. I experienced its presence and energy in the heart.  Sometime later whilst reading a book, ‘The Meaning of Icons’, the thought arose “Paint icons”.  That same week, at an exhibition, Robert found a leaflet advertising a workshop, quite near our home.  

The next step in writing icons

 Learning to ‘write’ icons with the Prosopon school was like learning a new language.  Following the Russian tradition, we used a lot of Russian names and expressions. Then there was learning about the symbolisms, and the board. Then how to grind pigments and mix them with egg yolk, then wine or vodka as a preservative. Nevertheless, with patience it was relatively easy to produce a good-looking icon. On the course they gave us the design and mixed the pigments for us. 

Eventually I had learned enough to attend some of Aidan Hart’s workshops in Shropshire.  A well-known English icon painter, Aidan follows the Greek tradition. He is more realistic using bright, often contrasting colours. It’s stronger, some say, than the Russian tradition which is more mystic, expressionist, emotional, using muted colours. Aidan would start each workshop with a lecture. We would copy one of his own icons. It was more demanding but freer – no rules like “never use black”! 

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