How to Read Eastern Orthodox Icons: A Guide to Their Symbolism & Style

The tradition of icon painting began to develop simultaneously with the development of Christianity. In the modern era, avant-garde artists who searched for new expressive methods directed their attention to Eastern Orthodox icon painting. This tradition developed in a direction different from that of the West and built a surprisingly rich iconography and instruments of narrative construction. Read on to get familiar with Orthodox icons and their expressive artistic language.

The earliest known canons of painting date back to the 6th century CE. However, after the East-West Schism that divided the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches in 1054, theological and artistic concepts began to develop independently from each other. Eastern Orthodox art had its roots in Byzantine tradition but gradually developed its own style and symbolic systems. In the 20th century, many European modernists, including Henri Matisse, re-discovered Orthodox painting as an original and revolutionary expressive form that rendered space and emotion in a radically different way. Among the key features of Orthodox icon painting are the elongated silhouettes and manipulation with planes and perspectives that are much more complex than in Catholic art.

Orthodox Icon Painters Manipulate Perspective

In most sources that attempt to explain Orthodox art briefly, authors say that it employs an inverted perspective. Unlike in linear perspective, traditional for Western art, the horizon lines in inverted perspective meet in front of the work rather than in its center, and objects become wider as they move further from the viewer.

This concept is not limited to constructing painted spaces. Some objects, particularly those important for the narrative, are represented in several conditions at once. A great example of such an approach is scrolls and books. Apart from being universal symbols of wisdom, they can also carry messages relevant to the scene unfolding or addressed to the viewers. In that context, books and scrolls are sometimes painted both closed and open, with their exterior and content equally visible. Still, it somehow does not affect their recognition as objects.

Architectural elements and furniture are often depicted similarly, with several points of view present. A city can be seen from both the inside of its walls and the outside, and a building can show its roof and interior. When it comes to painting city walls or vast bodies of water, like in the scene of Jesus being baptised in the River Jordan. Such perspectives represent both the view on water from Jesus’ point, and the side view of him being baptized. Thus, manipulation of perspective in Orthodox icons allows painters to include more information and impressions concerning a single scene without the need to choose one limiting worldview.

Like Cyrillic text, the narrative in Eastern Orthodox icons unfolds from left to right. There are, however, some peculiarities when it comes to retelling complex narratives of the saints’ lives and martyrdom. Such types of icons often employ sequential comic book-like ways of depiction. For instance, large frontal images of martyrs are often accompanied by a square arrangement of the most important scenes from their lives, from their first miracle to their death.

The arrangement of figures and objects is determined by their importance. Usually, the most important figure is placed in the center of the composition and is the largest of all. Figures that are secondary in the hierarchy but still crucial are usually placed on the central character’s right side. That means that spatial relationships (e.g., directions of right and left) are determined not by a viewer but by the characters depicted. Generally, the faces of Orthodox saints tend to be more austere and detached from the viewer than in Western religious painting. The churchgoers found themselves being critically examined by the figures they revere.

Narratives and Dynamism

Like with all art, Orthodox icon painting relies on small details to build contexts and narratives. Once again, the importance of the scene determines its mode of depiction. For instance, the Orthodox tradition preserved a legend concerning the Dormition of the Virgin, when a Jewish priest, Athonios, attacked the burial procession that carried the Virgin Mary’s body. As he tried to push her body off a bier, an angel cut off his hands with a sword. Then, Athonios realized the power of Jesus and Mary, repented, and accepted the Christian faith, after which his hands grew back.

Athonios’ story was a subplot to the larger narrative of the Virgin’s Dormition and Assumption, and thus it was limited to a small fragment of the larger image. In Orthodox scenes of Dormition, one could recognize the priest by either the thin red lines on his wrists or the gap between his arms and hands. Such a way of depiction includes both the narrative of Athonios’s punishment and his healing.

Similarly, in many other scenes, Orthodox painters combine several stages of movement to make the depiction as concise and expressive as possible. For instance, a typical scene of a figure running from its oppressor includes the victim’s head turned back towards the source of the threat and their arms and legs stretched forward, indicating movement.

Another key feature that becomes obvious quite soon after an initial encounter with Orthodox icons is the limited color palette. Painters relied on natural pigments that were available in their areas. They extensively used gold, which signifies the divine light of God, and red, which acts as a symbol of Jesus’ human nature and the suffering of his body. For that reason, red decorations are prevalent in Orthodox rituals around Easter, which commemorates the death and resurrection of Christ. Black and gray are used for demons and destructive forces. The combination of red and black illustrates Hell with its pitch darkness and burning flames.

In some 18th and 19th-century Orthodox icons painted on commissions for the aristocracy, colors like pink, light blue, and light green began to appear. Most likely, this was the result of the commissioners being inspired by Mannerist paintings from the West. Like in the Western tradition, the color blue is a symbol of the Virgin Mary. She is often painted in a blue robe and a purple cloak, as purple was made by mixing red and blue.

The Orthodox Trinity

One of the most popular subjects for Orthodox icons is the personification of the Holy Trinity. However, it is widely different from its Western interpretation. Western painting usually refers to the New Testament definition of the Trinity that defines it as the unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in person, including recognizable figures of God and Jesus. Orthodox tradition, however, relies on the Old Testament concept of three identical angels who are not persons but symbols of one God in three figures. The physical likeness of the figures, as well as the absence of any personality, hints at the fact that they are not just three components of a larger concept, but one equal presence.

One of the strangest of all Orthodox icons that frequently confuses those unfamiliar with its context is the image of Saint Christopher. In some of the icons, the saint is depicted with a dog’s head and a halo. Such a monstrous look would be more typical of a demonic entity rather than a saint, yet it clearly reflects the specific myth that was created around Christopher in some segments of Orthodox culture. According to the story, Christopher was born a cynocephalus—a dog-headed monster whose tribe lived somewhere on the outskirts of the known world. Christopher was a violent and aggressive pagan and killed many Christians before founding his own faith and repenting. For his newfound faith, Christopher was killed and later made a saint.

Another version of the story, particularly popular in Romania, states that Christopher was a regular yet immensely beautiful young man who asked God to disfigure him to stop the attention he was getting from women. In any case, the official church representatives usually denounce the image of Saint Christopher with a dog’s head, but it is still present in some conservative communities.