The icon painter must act as an interpreter of their time. They must perceive the concerns and needs of the Church and its members, express them, and try to find solutions through art. One of the concerns of our time is general value conservatism and the growth of so-called internet Orthodoxy. These are reflected in everyday parish life, for example, by an undue emphasis on gender roles. In the Orthodox Church, where women's opportunities for action and influence are already very limited (depending on the local church), the narrow gender roles brought by value conservatism restrict them even further.
On this course, icons will be painted of new female saints whose lives show that women's role in the church is not limited to making coffee. Possible subjects include Venerable Gavrilia (+1992), Saint Olga of Alaska (+1979), and Venerable Martyr Maria of Paris (+1945). Mother Gavrilia was the second woman to be enrolled in university in Greece. She traveled around the world without money and always unhesitatingly went wherever God called her. As a physical therapist specializing in foot care, she worked without compensation among the poorest of the poor in India, and in missionary work in North America, Africa, and Europe. In her missionary work, Mother Gavrilia said she used five “languages”: a smile, tears, touch, prayer, and love. Matushka Olga belonged to the Yup'ik indigenous people of Alaska. In addition to her many duties, she worked as a midwife and developed a way to help women in her community who had been victims of domestic and sexual violence. Maria of Paris, during her multifaceted life, served as one of Russia's first female city mayors, for example. After emigrating to France, she dedicated herself, after her monastic tonsure, to serving the poorest and most wretched in Paris. During the Nazi occupation, she sent food aid to prisoners and helped Jews escape the country. She was denounced, and Mother Maria died in Ravensbrück concentration camp on Great Saturday in 1945, when she went to die on behalf of another person, a mother of a large family. The saints presented above have, through their very different, often unconventional life paths, glorified the image of God within themselves in such a way that holiness has radiated from them particularly powerfully. In the words of the Apostle Paul: “You shine like stars in the sky”. (Phil. 2:15)
The student chooses and composes their icon subject with the help of the instructor, according to their accumulated painting experience. The icon panel and other tools and materials needed for the course can be purchased from the institute. The course instruction begins on June 8, with accommodation for the preceding night included in the course price; any meals on June 7 are paid at normal prices at Trapesa. Please note that those under 35 years old receive a 40 percent discount on icon painting courses. The instructor is icon conservator and painter Antti Narmala. The language of instruction is Finnish.
The Epass mobile application can be used as a payment method for this course.
