Icon

 

Last night’s dream: “Instructions to the Archbishop of Moscow, on the Making of an Icon. Find a solid block of wood in the bombed-out theatre that housed the faithful below ground. A seat back of finest timber 40 x 80 cm is ideal. The dress circle has a good supply line, though some examples will be charred. Clean the wood with potable water, if available, wipe and dry. Gouge and hammer the timber image with a handy street weapon, for example a chisel or scraper. These tools can be found lying about on the footpaths. Once smooth, the timber is treated with oil, though you may have to wait for fresh imports from Poland. You are ready to sketch in the chosen saint of your icon. Find a model amongst the remnant of remainers in the city, perhaps in a local estate or at the docks looking at the damage to the places that were their world. And still are. Make sure their face has been washed and their hair and beard combed for the correct Byzantine look. Outlines of the saint are drawn using a grey compound of gesso and concrete dust scooped from bomb craters. Be careful not to fall into a crater as the mud level is deceptive. Your palette should include such helpful reminders of sources as lapis lazuli from antique Afghanistan and old gold from the ruined streets of Syria. Pay close attention to the face of the saint, his devastation and loss. You could compose a small homily about him on the subject of resilience. His eyes must follow the viewer with an intensity and benevolence second only to your own. Unless the food runs out, you should complete your icon after several sittings. Edge the frame with sunflower gold and set behind a line of candles. Be careful though not to position the candles too close to the completed icon or it will catch fire. This could lay waste your days of careful preparation and application, leaving you feeling unhappy, or even beside yourself for a short while. The city is almost empty, so consolation will not come readily. If you need counselling, it is wise to carry your phone with you at all times. Google Maps may be your only guide given half the street signs are flattened and twisted. A piece of glass between icon and flame will avert this disaster. There are still plenty of broken shards of window about the place that will serve the purpose. Clothing should not be demonstrative. Forgo a mitre and cope, in preference for a cassock. The hem of an old cassock is ideal for wiping the brushes after each session. You are virtually incognito, though some iconographers wear mufti because they are less likely to be mistaken for an enemy alien, arrested or shot on the spot. With practice you could try for a second, third, or fourth icon. Time is on your hands. The results gaze back at you with unnerving force.”