Iconography Apprenticeship Year 1

The Apprenticeship Year 1 course focuses on teaching students the art of iconography, specifically concentrated on faces and the creation of an icon featuring the faces of both the Theotokos and Christ Child in the "Kazan" style. Students will engage in numerous practice studies, both on toned paper and in sketchbooks, and will eventually make use of hand-gessoed traditional boards and real gold. The course, emphasizing the "prayer of the hands," combines the study of iconography's theology with its artistic practices, using egg tempera as the primary medium. Year 1 students will develop skills to draw faces in the Byzantine style using geometry and memory, with a final oral exam assessing their progress.

This course requires a significant commitment, with weekly 75-minute classes, homework assignments, and the organization of supplies. Unlike shorter workshops, the Apprenticeship introduces students to geometry as a foundational element in iconography and will introduce gilding in later years.Traditional materials are required, with the instructor sourcing reasonably priced options but emphasizing the commitment to acquiring and maintaining supplies inherent in liturgical art.