![]() ![]() He’d become so lost in the process of making the best carving he could, but his bishop’s reaction woke him up. (Jonathan Pageau)įinally, when he felt he’d done his best, he gave the pendant to his bishop after the liturgy. Panagia carving, 2012, by Jonathan Pageau. It was wonderful.” His mentor’s feedback helped him improve. Pageau laughed when he said, “He was ruthless with me. He’d never made a miniature before, so he contacted a Serbian carver who guided him through the process, which took several days. When his bishop saw him carving, he asked Pageau to make him a panagia, the pendant featuring the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child that Eastern Orthodox bishops wear when giving Divine Liturgy. Pageau first started carving in his spare time because it was something he loved doing. Pageau took a university-level course in Eastern Orthodox theology with iconography expert Father Stephen Bigham, who mentored him in the language of iconography. Boxwood, and leather, with basma (metalwork) by Andrew Gould. He found that Eastern Orthodoxy had a well-developed theological explanation of why icons existed, and he was now making objects for a sacred purpose: to be used in the church or in private devotion. It wasn’t just arbitrary images,” he said. “This type of art was completely integrated into the social fabric. Making art in the Eastern Orthodox tradition solved both his problems. ![]() Researching Eastern Orthodoxy, Pageau resonated with its theology and practices, particularly its more mystical approach to Christianity-so much so that he eventually converted to Eastern Orthodoxy. Anne and the Virgin,” 2014, by Jonathan Pageau. Then he found that in Eastern Orthodoxy, the tradition had been preserved and developed. ![]() Pageau became disappointed that this type of art no longer existed. And he noticed how the artists created patterns of meaning that he likens to a sacred algebra, where they took elements from one image and then transposed them in another. “I really fell in love with the language I thought it was amazing.” He could see the Bible stories in the art. She laughed, and told him that was not quite true, for she felt sure he would. One day he took all his art and threw it away, saying to his wife that he’d never make art again. All he wanted to create was something real and tangible but, in the postmodern art world, that was impossible. Secondly, he found postmodern art to be cynical and ironic. First, he grew up Protestant and image-making was taboo. After graduating from art school, he began creating modern art but found it unfulfilling. Growing up, he became interested in visual art. Pageau believes that iconography could be called the traditional art of the Christian church.ĭuring the Renaissance, the Western church slowly moved away from that transcendent medieval visual language and began making realistic art full of gestures and emotions. Linden wood with gold leaf 4 inches by 5 inches. Peter From the Waters,” 2022, by Jonathan Pageau. He explained that in the first millennium of Christianity, the church developed a sacred visual language that, although not mandated, spread throughout the Christian world.Ĭhristians visiting churches, from England to Syria, could understand the sacred art they saw even when local styles differed, as there was a clear iconographical language that crossed cultures. ![]() “Iconography really is a deep well of wisdom and of insight that Christianity developed in its burgeoning state,” he said by telephone. (Jonathan Pageau) The Traditional Art of the Church Soapstone, gold leaf, basma (metalwork), serpentine, onyx, and lapis lazuli 9 inches by 12 inches. Michael and the Sword,” 2020, by Jonathan Pageau. Primarily, he carves icons for liturgical purposes and private devotion.īut he’s also created a thriving online community where he teaches iconography, restores the symbolic worldview, and talks with thinkers such as Jordan Peterson who, Pageau says, are trying to “restore a sense of meaning and to help heal the deep nihilism that is infusing our culture right now.” “St. Pageau is doing his utmost to spread the word that symbols are alive, well, and all around us. Just as icons guide Christians in their spiritual life, so secular symbols throughout our traditional culture-as in our songs, stories, and images-can guide us, giving us hope and purpose each and every day. Soapstone, gold leaf, basma (metalwork), serpentine, onyx, lapis lazuli, and antique pine frame by Andrew Gould 18 inches by 32 inches. Michael Killing the Dragon,” 2019, by Jonathan Pageau. Pageau sees symbolism as an antidote to the nihilism that pervades our world. His brilliant icon carvings hark back to a bygone world that seems relevant only to Christians, yet the icon represents the pinnacle of a symbolic world we’re all immersed in. Canadian icon carver Jonathan Pageau is bringing symbolism back to life. ![]()
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