WORKSHOPS MAY / JUNE 2010
These beautiful sacred images play a central part in the Orthodox religion. The interior of every Orthodox Church is magnificently adorned with icons and in most Orthodox homes some of the Holy figures may be found.
These magnificent and stylized pictures are not (as is often thought) objects of idolatrous worship, but are the instrument by means of which Holy persons may be venerated. In no instance are they, themselves, an object of worship.
This accounts for why there is no tradition of naturalistic realism in their execution: The depiction of each personage is governed by strict conventions. Through the material icon, one is directed beyond to a transcendental glory.
The icons painted on the walls of the churches throughout Greece are an early form of animation. They are a ‘book’ explaining the Orthodox faith for those unable to read. Icons are not only revered in church: virtually every house contains an icon stand (iconostasis) containing various icons deemed to have an importance to the family. They represent certain Saints for whom family members are named. Almost all personal names in Greece are shared in common with a Saint, and instead of birthdays, Saints’ days are celebrated. In times of need a person may beseech these Saints for help. Perhaps the single most revered Saint in Greece is the Virgin Mary.
Are you interested in icons? Would you like to learn about and then go on to paint your own icon, under the tutelage of one of the most foremost authorities on icons in Greece?
Anthi Balsamaki is one of the most respected iconographers at the Benaki Museum in Athens.
A graduate of the Athens School of Fine Arts (the icon painting workshop of K. Xynopoulos), she is in charge of the Benaki Museum icon painting workshop.
To date, she has had eight solo shows; she has been responsible for the icon decoration of many churches in Greece and abroad; and her works are in many private collections. She is one of the few women icon painters permitted to paint the icons on church walls, having received a special dispensation to this end from the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. She is the author of a series of books discussing the technique and the symbolic nature of images in Orthodox iconography.
Madro Travel is offering you the opportunity to meet her and partake in an icon- painting tutorial whilst you are on holiday. Groups will be a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 12 people. The cost of all materials and the cost of instruction is included.
Techniques of Byzantine icon painting (portable icons) Beginners' class
This fantastic experience and the resulting unique souvenir can be yours for only
70 euro.
It can only be booked through Madro Travel!