Sotirios Panailidis - Iconographer    

What is most important for me as an iconographer is to conceive the tragic life of a Saint whom I paint and try to transfer it to the expression of his face and body so that the result would state that the depicted person is a sanctified form of human life. Only in this way does the art of iconography become interesting. Otherwise, it contradicts its very purpose when it merely copies older prototypes and techniques under the pretext that it maintains the historic character of iconography.

The claim that copying the old models for the sake of history and tradition is, and has been in the past, completely unfounded, and as a result it has not been able to make iconography a form of “living” art. On the contrary, we see that this tactic has weakened iconography and turned it into a “non-art”, that is, static in its evolution and reduced to mere copying. That is why contemporary orthodox iconography is not considered an art by a great number of people, but rather the copying of works of art.

So like every other form of art, iconography has to follow the demands of its time, which means to represent, collect and realize the spiritual, social and personal needs of contemporary people. In any period of time, man and his needs constantly undergo changes. If something has saved or will save iconography as an art, it is the adaptation of its technique and of its messages to the changing needs not only of individuals, but also of society as a whole, without affecting its religious and social character.

There are several theological and aesthetic rules in iconography, which we must respect and apply. Byzantine ecclesiastic painting was not monolithic. It had a developing course; it took elements from other forms of art, remolded them pictorially and substantiated them theologically. A fine example is the excellent work of artists such as Panselinos, Michael and Eutychios Astrapas, Theophanis the Greek, Theophanis the Cretan, Andrey Rublov etc. Based on the same theological starting point, these artists paved a new way in painting, which is unique and easily distinguishable for each of them and for the history of Byzantine art.

Of course, one could wonder whether the modernization of the orthodox iconography undermines its authenticity. However, the developing course of orthodox iconography in the Byzantine era itself shows that despite the fact that such a risk is possible, it will not necessarily happen. Orthodox iconography may adopt new and purely decorative artistic elements without losing its orthodox appearance and character. The influence of ancient Greek aesthetics, as well as that of the Fayoum portraits on Byzantine painting is obvious, however it does not mean that orthodox iconography is lost. The orthodox character of an artistic work depends on the knowledge of theology on the part of the artist and on its imprinting in the form of an icon. Iconography ought to be accessible to contemporary believers. In a time of loneliness, of lack of communication and love, Saints should be more accessible to us artistically, they should be more tangible, be our friends and our consolation. Only through such a relationship can we come closer to God. The artist has to give to the faithful the message that the depicted person opposite them used to be a human being like everybody else, who, through the love of Jesus, was lead to the sanctity and elevation of human nature itself.

Each one of us needs to realize that iconography is not just a worship medium but it is also ART, which means that each artist must be primarily concerned with aesthetics and artistic details rather than just confine himself to copying old prototypes. He who will manage to combine all the above and apply them in his work creatively will begin to pave a personal way of expression (style), or at least he will have set a new target to that direction, which is one of the most important, if not the single most important qualities of a conscientious artist. I firmly believe this and in my work I try as much as I can to fulfill such a difficult task.

Iconographer

Sotirios Panailidis

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