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Prayer in paint: New icon to instruct, inspire

Katie Scott | Catholic Herald

Fr. Jerry J. Pokorsky, pastor of St. Michael Church in Annandale, blesses “The Baptism of Our Lord” after Mass Sept. 28.

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This close-up of the new icon shows St. John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. The 6-by-4 1/2-foot icon hangs to the right of the St. Michael altar.

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Iconographer Veronica Royal points out details of her icon after it was blessed.

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Bold blues, deep greens and delicate, precise lines drew
parishioners’ eyes to the new icon inside St. Michael Church
in Annandale. With Christ at the center, His head encircled
by a golden halo, “The Baptism of Our Lord” is the fruit of
an ancient tradition given fresh life.

Father Jerry J. Pokorsky, St. Michael pastor, commissioned
iconographer Veronica Royal to create the piece earlier this
year, and he blessed it at the end of the noon Mass Sept. 28.

The blessing was held the day before the parish’s feast day
and coincided with the annual parish picnic.

“Father Pokorsky wanted a traditional icon; he wanted
something that if people stood in front of it, they could
understand it and be drawn into prayer,” said Royal, a
parishioner of St. Ambrose Church in Annandale.

“I’ve always thought that icons are beautiful,” said Father
Pokorsky, who first met Royal and her husband during his
mid-1990s assignment at St. Ambrose. So when he decided St.
Michael Church needed an additional work of art, he knew
exactly who to ask.

The 6-by-4 1/2-foot icon hangs to the right of the altar in
front of the baptismal font – a commanding piece that
complements the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the left.

As she does before beginning any icon, Royal spent hours
researching her subject and contemplating the event she was
to depict.

During a visit to Rome last April, Royal was inspired by the
artwork of the Eternal City, and her vision for “The Baptism
of Our Lord” began to unfold.

“Using the canons of traditional iconography, I wanted to
create a piece that was cohesive in a more modern space,”
said Royal. “Even though many want to bring iconography into
the 21st century, we’ve got to follow traditions laid down
since the beginning.”

Iconography was developed in the second and third centuries,
with church tradition teaching that St. Luke was the first
iconographer.

Within the Byzantine and Russian traditions, icons typically
are painted on wooden panels that are first prepared with
gesso – a kind of primer – and painted with natural pigments
and egg. Acrylic often is used in Greece, as is canvas rather
than a wooden board, especially for large pieces. In
present-day iconography, wall paintings usually are completed
in a studio, brought to the church and glued on the walls.
For “The Baptism of Our Lord,” Royal used acrylic on canvas,
and the work was framed.

Before the paint is applied, the drawing of the icon is
called a “cartoon.” Royal said the drawing is either
transferred by copying it using carbon paper or by freehand.
Gold leaf is added in select places, such as for halos,
followed by paint, the name of the work and varnish.

Icons never are signed. “The work is offered for the glory of
God – not to advance the painter but to advance the church,”
Royal said.

Like all icons, “The Baptism of Our Lord” is rich in meaning.

“I wanted to portray the visible and invisible,” said Royal.
The icon is Trinitarian, with the Holy Spirit depicted as a
dove above Christ’s head, and God the Father conveyed through
an opening in the heavens at the top.

An iconographer for about 18 years, Royal conducts a local
icon-making workshop, runs a program for the Arlington
diocesan Fiat discernment group, teaches classes for Catholic
Distance University, and is in the process of writing a
three-day seminar on the history and theology of icons.

Many of her icons are painted for individuals and priests to
mark special events like weddings and baptisms.

Royal said icons are intended to be present to the viewer in
all states of life.

“If you think about Renaissance art, it evokes an emotion,”
she said. “Icons are not focused on emotions, just like our
faith is not focused on how we feel. It is there for you in
all states – when you’re sad, when you’re happy, when you’re
contemplative, when you’re angry, when you’re searching.”

Kathryn Rizzardi, a St. Michael parishioner, said initially
she felt “The Baptism of Our Lord” was a little unusual. “But
then it draws you into it,” she said after the blessing. “It
captures the essence of the baptism.”

And that’s exactly what Father Pokorsky and Royal hope the
piece will continue to do.

“How often do we consider the story of the baptism?” said
Royal. The icon “reminds us that it’s Trinitarian, it reminds
us of the teachings of John the Baptist, of the real
beginning of Christ’s journey on earth. It reminds you that
there’s another sphere that we should consider.”

“An icon – bright, striking colors without shadows suggesting
timelessness – is the visual version of a dogma,” added
Father Pokorsky. “An icon is a window to eternity.”

Find out more

To learn more about Veronica Royal’s work, go to her
website
.

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