The Online Icon Course traces the development of iconography, as it grew technically from the arts of the ancient civilisations around the Mediterranean, into the art of Christian iconography, as artists travailed to find a way to express the revelation of God made man, in Christ Jesus.
All the Great Councils of the Universal Church, impacted on iconography, resulting in the canons of iconography in the 8th. century and the development of a unique art which, by its techniques, both points beyond this world to the divine, and celebrates the entry of the divine into this world to transform it. It gives credit to the orthodoxy of western iconography in the Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque west, while pinpointing the roots of divergence, which would lead eventually to Reformation iconoclasm.
The course follows the historical progress of these techniques, up to the Baptism of the Rus’ in the 11th. century. Finally, it ends with an overview of the Christian arts in the liturgical buildings of the Orthodox East and the Medieval West, and explores ways an authentic iconography can be developed in the western diaspora.
Each Unit comprises one Lecture day and one Feedback session the following month.
Sessions are on the first Saturday of each month, beginning 4th Saturday of September.
The Lecture day, 11.00 – 4pm, comprises two lectures 11am -12.30noon & 2.00pm – 4.00pm. The first lecture is a general study of the subject: the second lecture is about how this is applied technically in the icon. Homework is given at the end of the lecture day, which can be presented in written or visual format, or both. The short Feedback session the following month, 11.00 -12.30, comprises student presentations, feedback and discussion.
This course is open to anyone who wishes to understand the iconography of the Church in more depth. It is particularly useful to those involved in teaching and catechesis, and clergy who – rarely being trained iconographers themselves -find themselves having to make decisions about the content, quality and placing of icons in churches. For those studying and practising iconography, it offers the opportunity to study technique in context of its tradition, which can rarely be covered in depth in the workshops available in the UK.
Separate ‘hands on’ workshops (not included in course costs) are available in Shrewsbury, on 3rd Saturday of the month. Ask.
FULL PROGRAMME (4 years): STARTS SEPTEMBER 2025: enquire on ‘Contact Us’ form.
