Page from my Book; Life in Christ
The title, All Things are Possible, comes from a passage in Mark 7:27, where Jesus references how a camel cannot fit through the eye of a needle. Luke’s 11th chapter describes how Jesus casts out a demon from a mute person.
Jesus steps forward, committed to free what is bound up or corrupted through wrongdoing. The tension between the calm detached disciples and the one agonizing on the floor who requires healing is noteworthy. In this icon, the black bird emerging from the person’s mouth is symbolic of the demon. The contorted body is troubling; the agony is familiar to those who feel possessed, out of control or unable to speak. One of the disciples reaches forward, touching Jesus on the arm as if calling him back and away from this strange encounter. The disciples stand, in amazement, as witnesses.
Another woman approaches with covered hands, seeing this as a sacred moment. Her covered hands show her reverence for sanctity; perhaps she needs healing herself. She arrives, overwhelmed with gratitude for curing her friend, and recognizes all things are possible.
Iconographers use a technique to distinguish the difference between generated light of the sun and the interior spiritual light of God. The spirit of God in Creation is not recognized by a light source. Divine light does not cast shadows, it comes from within, shining life-giving glory onto everything it comes in contact with. The garments seem to sparkle, and the floor seems to glow. In the Renaissance, artists depicted candlelight and sunlight to draw attention and give drama or atmosphere to an event or person. This is another subtle alteration employed by Renaissance artists, adapting sacred art to reflect a more human understanding rather than spiritual mysticism.
Buildings are not meant to identify or document a specific place or historical city. Receding vanishing point perspective and abstract forms become design elements not meant to indicate an actual structure. Events happening in narrative icons can happen anywhere. The flatness of the walls, draped clothes, or the shape of the domed buildings all help to abstract the composition, distorting reality to emphasize a spiritual dimension. Black areas in an icon are usually small and mark the absence of God. All these visual techniques push the limits of realism, taking the viewer out of this earthly world. These techniques serve to draw us into the sacramental scene out beyond what we are witnessing.
Life in Christ