In this second part, the french iconographer Stéphane René gives us some important keys to penetrate into the coptic iconographic art with its techniques, its history but also its profound spirituality. The first part of the interview is here.
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Russian and Byzantine iconographers see iconography as a “whole” which comprehends not only the “technical” part but also the spiritual one. So they pray and fast while painting. Is it the same for you?
The whole process of writing an icon is a prayer, not a prayer of words but a prayer in action. Of course one is free to say prayers of words while working or even sing psalms, but there are no strict dictates or rules in the Coptic tradition that I know of. It is left to individuals to do what works best for them. The same with fasting: it is up to the individual to decide on these things. Sometimes an iconographer will spend 15-20 hours per day up scaffoldings, in often very awkward positions; it represents a great output of energy and if in addition one was obliged to deny his/her body necessary nutriment it would make things very difficult indeed. However, if an iconographer is part of a monastic community, the monastic rules governing fasting and prayer will also apply to his/her work as an iconographer.
Where do discipline and tradition end and where does the artist’s inspiration begin? In other words: how do you find a balance between personal inspiration and the respect of the tradition?
A good icon, in my opinion, should have none of myself and all of myself in it. I know this sounds like a contradictory statement, but it is not. My focus is on following the master, not on gratifying my own ego. Personally I don’t care about having my own recognizable style. This work is not about me, or my style. It’s about something much bigger than that. These ideas belong to modern secular art that is ruled by egotistic notions. Conversely, I must put all myself, my attention and intention, in my work and there is no room for approximation or slackness. Many ‘would be’ iconographers are too concerned with developing their own style and signing their work with a large and incongruous signature, rather than try to follow the master and the canons he teaches. They have made themselves masters and create so called icons that are full of themselves, the very antithesis of what an icon should be. With the advent of the Internet there has been a flurry of such ‘iconographers’ aligning themselves to the Neo-Coptic school. The majority of these sites are nothing more than a virtual bazaar, equipped with shopping carts and the all important credit card logos – a Khan-El-Khalili online as it were.
What do you think about the statement that Coptic Christianity lacks – mainly, for historical reasons, for it separated from the Orthodox ecumene – a “theology of icon” differently from the russo-bizantine orthodoxy which has a complex theological system of icon?
Firstly, it is not quite right to say that the Coptic Church separated from the Orthodox family: it was thrown out of it for political reasons. Also, it ‘lacks’ nothing: it could be argued that the genesis of Christian iconography first happened in Egypt and then spread and developed throughout the Roman Empire. In my opinion, there may have been a case of more or less simultaneous polygenesis, with Christian ideas fertilizing local cultures resulting in the creation of a new art that reflected the new faith. The development of Coptic art is intimately linked to the history of Egypt. Coptic art has as much theological basis as Russo-Byzantine art but has been the subject of much less research and also to some extent, the victim of a European bias that considers it less relevant because it is primarily African and therefore non-European. It also has a very elaborate symbol system but mostly unknown for the same reason that there is no research published on the subject.
What makes an icon Coptic? What are the main similarities and the main differences between the Coptic icon and icons of other Christian traditions?
This is an interesting but difficult question to answer. In general, the main difference between Christian artistic traditions is one of stylistics, i.e. form. The content is broadly identical since it is always based on biblical text. Hence the iconography of the main feasts, the life of Christ, etc… are identical. Some of the hagiography will differ slightly according to the local culture and saints’ names may differ, but that is as far as it goes. So as already mentioned, we are left with difference in form or style mainly. The Greco-Byzantine style for instance, was first and foremost an imperial art, reflecting the glory of the emperor and his court. Balkan iconography came straight out of Byzantium and so did Russian iconography much later and these traditions all have Byzantium as a common denominator. Coptic art on the other hand came from the grass-roots so to speak, often the result of local effort and artistic expression interacting with and stimulated by faith. There was also a noted hatred of all things Byzantine by the native Egyptians, Christian or not, who considered themselves oppressed by their Byzantine overlord. Early Coptic iconography developed in rural areas, especially monasteries, such as Bawit or the Kellias, and many others up and down the Nile valley. To the question ‘what makes an icon Coptic?’ there is no straightforward answer when discussing ancient icons. It is a different matter when discussing Neo-Coptic iconography: what makes an icon Neo-Coptic is the canon of proportion used in its creation. If no canon is used, the icon is nothing but the expression of the individual’s whims and subjective personal ideas.
If you could choose two Coptic icons (one of the pre-neo-period and one of the neo-period) is your favourite icon and why?
I have no favourite icon. All icons are my favourite icons. If you mean which iconographic subject is my favourite, I would say Christ Pantocrator and the Transfiguration, because the essence of the Christian message is fully contained within these two themes, what ultimately form one and the same theme.
How many hours do you work per day? Do you work alone or with a team? Did you paint any church? Did you do any exhibition of your icons?
I spend an average 6-8 hours a day in studio. Constant practice is one of the requisites for becoming an iconographer, with emphasis on the word ‘becoming’. One is perpetually in a state of ‘becoming’, which does not allow for complacency. Each new icon I write is like the first one and I consider myself a student even after so many years of practice. Dr Isaac always said: ”if you are not solving problems you are not really working, you are just doodling”.
I work alone, not by choice, but because it is very difficult to find people interested enough in England, and because this is not the kind of work you just pay somebody to do. Of late, I sometimes ask a student or two to come and help with panel preparation and laying the proplasmos (dark tones). I have done some monumental work, especially in California, Germany and Austria. Each time I have worked alone on scaffolding from beginning to end.
I was the first of Dr Isaac’s students to mount exhibitions of contemporary icons. When the idea was first put to me back in the 80’s, I was very sceptical about it, thinking that icons should be in churches and not commercial galleries like some kind of commodity. I also did not want people to perceive icons as just another artistic individual style on the same level as modern art, art as decoration or just art for art sake. Eventually I changed my mind and held my first exhibition in May 1989 at a famous gallery in Kingston Jamaica. I thought that if I could not take the people to the church, the least I could do was take the church to the people. It worked and the exhibition was actually sold out two days before the opening. Since then I have had a few in Los Angeles and London mainly, but I can’t say I enjoy them. I much prefer to work on commission, as this way I know that a church or an individual is actually waiting for the work and where the icon is going.
Who are you favourite painters (not only icon painters) and why?
I don’t really have a favourite painter as such. I like some modern painters like Picasso, Chagal, Braque, Malovitch, Monet, etc… But I also like Indian and Islamic miniature painting for instance as well as the mummy portraits. My personal taste in art is very eclectic and spans many traditions and styles. I am on the other hand unmoved by the art of the Renaissance, which I find over ‘fleshy’ and rather spiritless.
Once a lady told me: I don’t like Coptic icons because they show pagan symbols like the “ankh”. As an iconographer, do you have anything to say to this lady?
I would say to this lady that she needs to open her mind a little and understand that Christianity did not suddenly spring out of a vacuum. It is a question of embracing the past rather than rejecting it. All the so called pagan symbolism in the Coptic icon was baptised into Christianity, like the ankh, certainly, but also like the enthroned Virgin suckling the Holy Child or the Mounted Horseman transfixing the dragon of darkness. All these themes can be called ‘pagan’ but they also happened to be central Christian themes. It is no wonder that Christianity was accepted so readily by the Egyptians as they found in it all the major themes of their ancestral religion renewed and re-interpreted in the light of the new faith. Much ‘pagan’ symbolism is likewise thinly camouflaged in Western Christian art, like Christ who is often depicted enthroned in the middle of a Vesica Pisces, or the Virgin standing on a crescent moon. These symbols are part of our collective unconscious and part of a cosmology that predates Christianity by thousands of years.
Why do you think there are still few people who fully dedicate themselves to iconography in the Coptic Church?
I think there are many reasons. I mentioned one earlier, which is that art is generally considered a hobby or a pass time, or something to keep children amused. Art is not seen as a viable career like the medical profession or accountancy for instance, or even just business. These are deeply seated cultural attitudes, perhaps tainted with the backlash of colonialism, that will take time to shift. As also mentioned above, the new breed of internet iconographers are mainly interested in promoting themselves as the latest Coptic icon master. More importantly, since Fanous has gone, there is no more school or central place where one can go to study. The question remains, what is to become of Coptic Iconography in a post-Fanous Coptic church? This is the question we should really ask.
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