Saturday, October 17, 1998

Russian religious icons to be displayed

By LORETTA FULTON

Senior Staff Writer

They're not idols, they're icons.

That's a major distinction Dr. George Knight hopes viewers of a forthcoming exhibit at the Grace Museum will understand. He likened the difference to the ever-present pictures of Jesus in Baptist churches he was familiar with growing up in rural Louisiana.

"We didn't pay homage to the pictures," said Knight, professor of Greek and New Testament at Hardin-Simmons University. The representations merely reminded churchgoers that Jesus of Nazareth was a real person.

Knight will share his knowledge with the public when he moderates a lecture on Oct. 29 at the Grace titled "Understanding Russia: Religious Icons."

The lecture will be led by Mariana Sain-Morar, a Romanian artist, conservator and art historian. The session will be from 7-8:30 p.m. in the ballroom at the Grace.

The lecture will be in conjunction with the exhibit, "Windows to Heaven: Russian Religious Icons," which will be on display at the Grace Tuesday through Feb. 7.

Knight has a wealth of archaeological experience in the Holy Lands and spent two summers as a visiting professor in Corinth, Greece, Abilene's sister city. While there he lived just a few blocks from the Church of the Apostle Paul, a Greek Orthodox Church filled with Greek icons.

Russian iconography has its origins in Greece, and Knight first was introduced to icons while on digs owned by the Greek Orthodox Church in Capernaum from 1980-87.

"That was my first real longtime exposure," Knight said.

Although many Westerners may think icons serve as forbidden idols of worship, they are wrong, Knight said. The word merely means "likeness," "image," or "representation."

However, the devotion to them may seem a little strange to Westerners. Knight recalled seeing flowers placed around icons in an Orthodox church.

"You may even see some people kneel down in front of it and even kiss it -- that's a little shocking for a West Texas Baptist," he said.

Originally icons served as instructional tools for people who could not read or write.

"Icons were merely a way of telling stories," Knight said. "They had a real teaching significance."

Although that aspect of iconography may be lost on Westerners, the artistry put into the works won't be. The intricately crafted icons will be alive with color and detail.

The Russian icon arrived in that country toward the end of the 10th century from Greece when Prince Vladimir of Kiev was converted to Christianity. The event gave Russia exposure to the European culture of the time.

Greek icons served as models for Russian icon painters who over time developed their own nationalistic details, though the original pattern was closely followed according to prescribed ordinances issued by the church.

Those icons were painted on thin panels of wood with tempera paint, using pigments mixed with egg yolk. It's the artistic style that varies between Greek and Russian icons, Knight said, rather than substance.

"Once you get used to seeing them, you'll recognize the distinction between the two," he said. "The czars put a lot more money into theirs."

Russian icons incorporate more gold than Greek icons, which gives them a different appearance.

"It often makes them appear a little brighter and lighter," Knight said.

The display of icons is the first of several Russian-themed exhibits at the Grace this fall, including Russian impressionism from 1930-80. The Grace is the only museum in Texas chosen to premiere the exhibit of Russian art from the Soviet era.

"The exhibit apparently is a real coup," Knight said.