Icons worth $9.5M on show at McDougall Gallery

Press, 3 September 1980, Page 21

Icons worth $9.5M on show at McDougall Gallery

By

KARREN BEANLAND

Christchurch will be host to a unique collection of 95 icons for the next two months.

The icons, which came from the Byzantium Empire, Greece, Crete, Cyprus, and Russia, and which date from the early Middle Ages to the seventeenth century, have come to Christchurch directly from their home in the Wijenburgh, a twelfth century castle in the Netherlands. They are valued at $9,5 million. For the next three years, the ' icons will be exhibited in 15 museums in Germany, New Zealand, Australia, ’ and North America. After that, they will form the basis of a proposed museum for the study of icons. The exhibition, which will also be shown at Wellington and Auckland, is entitled “Ikon: Inspired Art.” In the art. of the Orthodox Church, icons have come, to mean special religious pictures, either painted on wooden panels or made into frescoes and mosaics, Because of the subject matter, it was first thought that' Icons should be painted only by- artists who lived devoutly. For that reason, early icons were . usually painted ; in special workshops attached to monasteries. The artists often remained unnamed, and many of the paintings

were done by teams. The earliest icons date from the Byzantine Empire. Its capital was the magnificent Constantinople, which attracted artists from all over Europe. However, most icons come from Russia and were painted during the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. Central Russia became Christian- in 988, and by the twelfth century it had become a very important centre for icon art.

Each centre had its own distinctive style. The early Byzantine works, were strongly influenced by the wide-eyed look and transcendental pose which had evolved from Egyptian mummy portraits.

The icons produced in Russia by the sixteenth

and seventeenth centuries . showed a new interest in naturalism and fine decoration in costume and background. One of the reasons for this- change was that secular workshops had developed, as people became more wealthy and wanted icons for private use in homes. . Icons have had a stormy past. Right from the earliest times there has been controversy over the use of paintings as a representation of divine beings.

The iconoclasts (which literally .means "image breakers”) were opposed to icons because they believed that Christ’s nature was divine and that it was wrong to show his likeness. Those who supported icons claimed that Christ had manifested himself on earth, so it was acceptable to show his likeness while acknowledging his divinity.

The controversy developed into open conflict during the 117 years from 726, years now known as the period of iconoclasm. Thousands of the religious jmages were destroyed. The issue was settled at a special synod at Constantinople in 843; after that icons were accepted by the church. This led to an increase in the number of icons painted and the

■ special monastic workshops where they were made. A strict set of rules for the presentation of the scenes was laid down. These were to reinforce the divine nature of what was represented. The bodies were elongated to make them elegant and majestic. No shadows were shown; these would have suggested that they were earthly bodies bathed in earthly light. Instead,

they were to glow with their own holy light. The Robert McDougall Art Gallery has undergone special preparation for the valuable exhibition. Much of the gallery has been repainted, and new lighting, hanging, and. air conditioning systems haVe been installed. New security systems surround the x gallery. These include a closed circuit television monitoring system and a special heatsensitive alarm system. Quarter-inch steel plates have been added to the doors, and .extra security guards will be on duty. The gallery director (Dr T.L.R. Wilson) flew to Europe and accompanied the icons on their journey to New Zealand, after arranging special loan and insurance contracts.

Sponsored by the Department of Education, the exhibition is seen as an important educational event. It will be accompanied. with a programme of films, slides, tapes, maps, charts, and technical displays. 1 ■ The . University . of Canterbury Department of Extension Studies has also arranged a series of lectures on Byzantine and Russian religious art to provide a background, to the exhibition. The director of the Wtjenburgh (Mr Robert Roozemond) will ’be*' in Christchurch for the opening of the exhibition on Friday. He will give two lectures .on . the icons while he is here. The exhi-. bition will open for the public on Saturday., . , •