I have seen on the web, and have found from my own experience, that people can be very bigoted when it comes to icons. If an icon is not produced by their particular church or jurisdiction, or according to their own tastes, they can be very dogmatic and exclusive. I had originally intended on writing, or rather complaining in print, about such narrowness, but in retrospect decided that I would be morphing into the type of grouch that they seem to sometimes be.
Rather, I thought, why not dwell on the beauty of icons, and the uplifting thoughts they inspire, rather than become a bigot in reverse? So here goes.
This icon "The Virgin of Tenderness," was a favorite of St. Seraphim of Sarov.
One of the glories of iconography is its diversity: diversity in tradition, in style, and in artistic expression. While there are common factors, anyone who has studied iconography can see that there is such a wide variety of iconographic expression, and anyone with an open mind can learn to appreciate such a broad spectrum of beauty. When looking at a rainbow, do we grouse at the the blues and the greens, and say that only the reds and yellows have beauty?
Granted, some iconographic forms better express theological concepts, and some artists are better equipped to depict with beauty the celestial subjects they portray. And there are other forms loosely called “sacred art” which fail entirely at these objectives. A wise observer will know the difference.
Each individual will, of course, have his preferences in style. For instance, I prefer the iconographic styles of the east rather than most Western religious art. I prefer Greek iconography to Russian. And I prefer the icons and frescoes from the 16th century, the “Cretan” style as found in the Monasteries of Mt. Athos, more than other eras of iconography. Yet my preferences do not keep me from appreciating other expressions of sacred art, nor do they dictate what is the best or most correct.
An example of a style which was poorly received in its time is the icon of “The Virgin of Tenderness” (available from Talaria Enterprises), as seen above, which St. Seraphim of Sarov had a copy of in his monastic cell. This style was seen as a departure from iconographic norms, was too fleshly, too sentimental for the times. But today there are reproductions of this icon in monasteries, churches, and homes throughout Russia, as well as monasteries, churches, and homes throughout the Christian world. Because of a willingness to appreciate new forms of beauty our pallette of iconographic styles is enlarged, even while acknowledging the more strict forms as being better suited to expressing a certain celestial and unearthly quality of the holy subjects depicted.
So may each of us be eager to appreciate the beauty of icons, in whatever form they may come, and not become bigoted and narrow minded in our approach to these holy icons.
Monastery Icons 