Studying Byzantine Icons

Akritas / Distributed by Greece in Print (Young Readers) [Published date: 1999]. Soft cover, 63 pp. First English Printing: July 1999. Text in English. Artistic Supervision and Illustration Llana Ioannidou, Translated by Georgia Kofinas.[From introduction] Dear Readers, The purpose of this book is to introduce you to Byzantine art. Byzantine art is not just drawing, but something quite different. These works are even known by a special name -icons. They are not just hung on the wall, we venerate them and pray in front of them. This is because icons are not just beautiful, but also show us ways to live our lives. Icons were first used in the places where the early Christians would gather to worship. In the places where the martyrs had given up their lives for Christ, the Christians would celebrate a Liturgy. They believed that the martyr did not die, but lived forever, and was present at every Liturgy. This is why they painted the martyrs on the walls of the church. Byzantine art is really a way of life. It is a life of victory over death. It is a life of the Resurrection and everlasting love and happiness. Because it expresses eternal life, it reveals the meaning of life now. Icons often give us examples of how we should live. They bring us beyond the here and now. They make beauty something everlasting because Byzantine art is classic and remains stable in its basic lines. For this book, we have chosen a series. of well-known saints -one for each month- to help you become familiar with Byzantine art. By doing the Assessments in the book you will not only learn the history of this art, but you can become an iconographer yourself. After you have deciphered the symbolism of each icon, you will be able to get into the spiritâ? of the iconographer.