Contemporary Iconographers About Image Making and Iconography
On October 26, 2024, The Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis (TMORA) opened the first exhibition of Oleg Kushnirskiy’s icon collection. In anticipation of the exhibition, we spoke with contemporary iconographers about how they work on images, how they use sources and examples from the past in painting icons, and the significance of the Kushnirsky Collection and other similar collections.
We organized this interview in cooperation with the International Online Art Communication School by Julia Sysalova, whose graduates are our interviewees living in Europe and the USA. Julia Sysalova is a cultural and art critic who curates and organizes international exhibitions and projects by individual artists and groups. At the Art Communication School, which she founded, she teaches artists strategies of art management and the approach to creative practice as a complex project, in which both the consistent development of art concepts and self-presentation skills are important.
How did you become an icon painter?
Natalya Radünz, Düsseldorf, Germany
For me, it all started with a pilgrimage where I was blessed to paint icons by the rector of an Orthodox church in the city of Krefeld in Germany. After that I thought for a long time whether I could do it at all. After all, icon painting is not just a craft or an art. It is a spiritual experience that finds material embodiment on the levkas.
Iconographers believe that icons are not created by the artist – they are guided by the saints and the Spirit of God. Icon painting requires not only technical skill, but also a deep spiritual life, observance of the commandments, churchgoing. I did not immediately see how it would fit into my life. But after some time, with the blessing of Tikhon Archbishop of Ruza, the administrator of the Berlin-German diocese, I went to a monastery and painted my first icon.
Inna Voronov, Miami, USA
I never thought that I would be involved in icon painting. I am an artist by profession, but life happened that after moving from the Altai Krai to Moscow, I worked in business and art took a back seat. At some point I felt that I had reached a dead end, because I was not living my life, nothing else brought me joy.
One day a friend invited me to visit her friend, an artist. In her house I saw an icon that she had painted as a result of her studies in icon painting courses. I was very impressed by this discovery – it turned out that icon painting can be learned, and I decided to give it a try. I went to the icon-painting workshop of Catherine Ilyinskaya, passed many exams during the training and received a blessing. A little later, again by chance, I found myself in Israel, where I visited all the holy places. A year later, I was already writing icons for temples, completely leaving my unloved work. My art has been dedicated to icon painting for sixteen years. All this time I have been studying the secrets of the craft and constantly improving my skills. In my work I use thousands of years of experience and traditions of icon painting.
Olga Ivkin, Portland, USA
I am an artist. I studied at the Stroganov Moscow State University of Arts and Industry and took courses at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University of Humanities as an independent student. I was interested in iconography, studied symbolism and the history of icons, and took courses in theology. At the same time I was sure that I would become a designer, iconography was just a subject of study for me. But life took a different course. My family and I moved to America, and it so happened that during a pilgrimage, Archbishop Olympius of Chicago and Detroit blessed me to become an iconographer. At that time I was not ready, although the support of the Archbishop inspired me.
In time, we had a daughter, and all of us could not find an icon of a newly glorified Orthodox saint with her name on it; they had not yet been created. My husband suggested: “You have studied, you have been blessed, why not write an icon for your daughter?” And I decided and wrote my first icon. I took it to the church to be blessed, and almost immediately I began to receive orders from parishioners, clergy and churches. Then everything developed rapidly: the orders became more and more, and icon painting became my main business. I am grateful to God for putting me in this ministry. Icon painting helps me to concentrate on prayer and to study the history of the Church more deeply.
Alla Ditla, Jurmala, Latvia
My path to icon painting began with the study of religions. I took several courses on the history of religions, and in one of them, at the Christian Academy in Jurmala, I took a course on Orthodox symbolism. One day, after a lecture, I noticed that some of the students did not leave. It turned out that they had stayed for a class on iconography. I was interested and joined them. At that moment I was far from creativity, but I felt an impulse. Soon I began to study iconography at the Latvian Christian Academy in Jurmala, and later I studied at a distance at the Russian Icon Painting School in Samara.
How does iconography today combine tradition and modernity? Is there room for creative freedom in iconography?
Olga Ivkin, Portland, USA
In modern iconography there is an established language that is understood by the faithful and approved by the Church. If in free creative work the artist is looking for his own language, then iconography is an already established language, like the one I speak now. I use words, symbols, put them into sentences, but my speech is authorial, and the use of clear language makes my speech more accessible and understandable. It is the same with an icon – creativity is possible, but there are certain expectations: the saint must be recognizable, his image must contain certain elements. So one day I had the idea of writing an icon for my daughter, in which a saint and a guardian angel guiding the child together. I did some research and did not find any icons with this or a similar theme. Then, with the bishop’s blessing, I created the composition myself, following the iconographic canons, of course. Often icons with a composition that has no analogy in history are painted according to the order of families. In this case the artist can combine in one icon saints who lived in different historical periods.
Inna Voronov, Miami, USA
Since ancient times the icon has been called “a sermon in colors”. Therefore, the icon painter, painting, renounces himself and surrenders to the will of God. If a painter, when creating a picture, tries to show his individuality and originality as vividly as possible, relying on his feelings, thoughts and moods, the iconographer, on the contrary, follows the Church tradition and shields the future icon from his perception of the world. In drawing, he relies on the iconographic canon, a living tradition tested by time. The canon consists of the technical methods that allow the divine truth to be conveyed as accurately and succinctly as possible, as well as the iconographic subjects themselves. For example, there are more than 600 versions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, copied from generation to generation. Each master iconographer unknowingly brings into the picture his spiritual understanding, his faith. That is why there are no identical icons.
Iconography requires the preservation of traditions and conformity to ancient images. Although icons of different centuries may differ, the basic rules must be observed.
To create a true image, one must know a great secret. Unless the iconographer realizes it with all his soul, heart and life, he will not be able to create a true, living image of the saint. This secret is that the master who paints an icon renounces himself and gives his soul to the Lord so that He may realize His divine plan through the artist’s hands.
A great creative work is the creation of new iconography. When I receive an order for an icon for which there is no specific image, I am asked to suggest options. I begin with a careful study of the saint’s life and canonical images. Then I discuss the options with the client and together we choose the most appropriate image. It is impossible to completely change the image, but it is possible to complicate the composition by adding nature, angels, or other saints if it is appropriate and a blessing has been received. For example, at the request of the client, the halo can be made not simple, but with ornaments, rays, embossing, or on the contrary, modest. When I am asked to make a list of the image, I write an exact copy. I put my prayer and revelation into each icon.
Natalya Radünz, Düsseldorf, Germany
I studied various iconographic schools and finally decided on Russian canonical iconography. I consciously decided not to mix it with Byzantine or Greek techniques. In my work I stick to the traditional tempera technique, using mineral pigments, gold, silver and lead mixed with egg yolk. At the same time I am aware that everything I paint is new. I would like to tell you about a case that well reflects the essence of my work as an iconographer.
Once I was commissioned to paint an icon of St. Natalia. My first impulse was to make a list, but I was faced with the fact that there were practically no models to copy: one icon I found was too dilapidated, and the others were of poor quality. Then I began to study the hagiographies of the saint to better understand her spiritual image. During a pilgrimage, my friends filmed me in a random pose. In the picture, I am standing at full height and pointing with my hand. Later, when I was researching images of Natalia, I came across an icon of her in exactly the same pose. This seemed to me to be a sign, although the order was for a waist icon, not a full-length icon.
The icon turned out to be completely different from what I had originally envisioned. I photographed each step, and with each layer a new Natalia appeared, even with ethnic features that tied her to the place where she lived. In the end, it was a somewhat new approach, but at the same time I strictly followed the canon: I kept the traditional elements – clothing, color, reverse perspective and composition.
Alla Ditla, Jurmala, Latvia
I paint icons in the traditional technique with pigments on levkas, but I am also interested in using the latest technologies to create images. Artificial intelligence is capable of creating absolutely incredible concepts and plots. I find it very exciting to work with Midjourney, to choose prompts and get unexpected results.
Although I am Orthodox, I enjoy exploring different religious movements and juxtaposing images from different faiths.
Through my art, I strive to make creativity accessible and understandable to most people. Through new forms of presentation, I want to give people the opportunity to look inside themselves and discover something new. I look for ways to inspire those who may have forgotten what it means to create and help them reconnect with their inner source, just as I found mine in an iconography class.
How do you work with historical sources? What is the significance of collections like Oleg Kushnirskiy’s icon collection in your work?
Olga Ivkin, Portland, USA
Collections of icons from the past are certainly very important. While museum collections are often organized around a historical period or school, private collectors often organize their collections according to other principles. For example, Oleg Kushnirskiy places great emphasis on icons with stamps depicting feasts and hagiographies of saints. This is very valuable material for the modern iconographer, allowing for a deeper study of iconography and the life of the saint.
Natalya Radünz, Düsseldorf, Germany
Such collections are a living lesson for an iconographer: not only do they serve as a source of inspiration, but they also allow one to learn about sometimes little-known but significant iconographic features.
Alla Ditla, Jurmala, Latvia
In the work of an iconographer it is important, among other things, to understand the regional peculiarities of iconography, because each school brings its own characteristics. For example, Mstyra icons are known for their fine details and faces, Kholui icons for the complexity of their composition, and Palekh icons for the elegance of their lines and ornaments. Oleg Kushnirskiy’s collection allows us to study all these characteristics on fine examples.
Inna Voronov, Miami, USA
It is important that Kushnirskiy’s collection of icons is open for study – you can see them live in the exhibition and in very high quality reproductions in the book. We would also like to note their preservation and the high quality of scientific restoration, as icons often arrive with lost layers of paint and other damage.
Tell us about the icon that is the most important to you at the moment.
Alla Ditla, Jurmala, Latvia
For me, of course, it is my first icon – the one I painted in my first icon-painting classes. It is a picture of the Mother of God. It is the only icon that I will never sell or give away.
Natalya Radünz, Düsseldorf, Germany
For me each icon is significant and unique, it is impossible to single out one. During the work, through incessant prayer and fasting, which help one to gather oneself inwardly, one is deeply penetrated by the life of the saint. By trying to capture the elusive image, which must not only be captured and fixed in the mind, but also written on the form, one truly comes to know him, he becomes truly native.
But if I have to choose, the most important icon for me is probably the one that has not yet been painted. I have been commissioned to paint a large-format icon in a Russian Orthodox church, two by one and a half meters, depicting fifteen Orthodox saints who shone in the German land. Now I am preparing for this very difficult work and I thank God for showing me this way of service.
Inna Voronov, Miami, USA
In fact, you immerse yourself so deeply in each icon that at the moment of writing it becomes the most important. The other day I was going through my archive, opening photos of different icons, and I realized how dear they all are to me, how different they all are, how much inner work is involved in each of them.
Olga Ivkin, Portland, USA
Before I start to create an icon, I always re-read the life of a saint, and each time it is like a live communication. You paint a picture and you feel that the saint becomes your friend for life. Of course, after the icon is finished, it becomes an image to pray to, but that feeling of deep connection remains forever.
