fbpx

Iconography at Magdalen College

On Saturday, February 9, the college had its first Iconography class of the semester.  Students in Iconography learn the skills necessary to create beautiful icons, as well as the spiritual component of icon-painting.  By the end of the semester, they each will have completed an icon.

Student in Iconography Class“Iconography is a very prayerful and meditative process. One of the prayers we often pray before beginning class mentions praying with not only one’s heart but with one’s hands as well. The work itself is a prayer and the end product is meant to draw others to pray as well. Traditionally, iconographers do not sign their work, showing that the point is not their artistic expertise but the person in the icon. This sense of humility and being at the service of something greater than yourself permeates the whole process,” said Olivia Syphan ‘19.

Iconography is taught by Keri Wiederspahn, who holds a B.F.A. in sculpture from Parsons School of Design in New York City.  She has worked on numerous projects in the field of sacred art for more than twenty years, and currently is director of OQ Farm, a 500-acre farm in Bridgewater, Vermont, dedicated to creating a sanctuary for the artistic and spiritual advance of sacred art, and is working with master iconographer George Kordis on the new International Centre of Contemporary Iconography in Athens, Greece.

Learn more about Music and Art at Magdalen College.

– Contributed by John Milliken ’22

 

Leave a Reply