Sunday, December 10, 2006
Liturgical Art and Icons
Here are some principles delivered by Fr. Mark Melone (pastor of St. George Greek Catholic Church in Sacramento, California) for us to consider
- Bad art makes bad theology – Iconography should be based on faithfulness to revelation and the teachings of the Church and not on artistic style and technical ability. Unfortunately, there are a number of talented icon painters, who are currently producing works that are not in cynic with Catholic tradition, e.g., icons of Gandhi are being made today.
- Form and function and truthfulness are aspects of beauty – While symbols have their place, Fr. Melone warned against letting symbolism drive liturgical use. Father cited an example of a liturgist who had created a triangular baptismal font to represent the Trinity. Unfortunately, its symbolism was lost, because it was not very functional (some parishioners saw the sharp edges as dangerous). Fr. Melone also stated that we should not be slaves to a particular liturgical style.
- View the entire icon scheme of a church as a whole – When designing a church, a master scheme should be developed and art should be placed in it based on this plan. One should not go out and buy a statue or icon and then try to find a place to put it.
- If you cannot afford it, do not buy it – It is better to have nothing than something that does not truly give glory to God.
- Don’t let anyone else call the liturgical shots – It is the pastor’s responsibility to provide a parish with orthodoxy and vision. This function should not be delegated to others.
- Spend time and money on the baptistery – In many churches this area is overlooked, but should not be.
- Orthodox iconography is the patrimony of the entire Church – While we associate icons with the churches of the East, they truly belong to the whole Church.
Labels: Liturgy
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