Birds & Men

As an extension of my previous works, Birds &Men, once again explores issues of authenticity through copies of Russian icons, birds and abstraction. The comparison of religious iconography with nature, and the abstract, draws attention to our perceptions of value. The intention of the icon is to usher the viewer into a place of reverence and contemplation. Contemporary culture often sabotages and increasingly challenges this space for consideration. The labour of the icon centers not only the spectator but also the artisan. The eye is easily seduced by the ornate glow of pure gold, once enticed the spectator is entranced by the austerity of subject matter. Captivated by the mystique of mannerisms and gestures, each figure is unique in character yet codified in meaning. From the punishing precision of facial hair, to the wisp of renegade feathers, each image demands pause in its deliberation and attempted exactitude. If only to stop and ask, “why? why bother?”, the icon has fulfilled its purpose.

Historically used as narrative prompts and homage to Saints, the icon carries emblems and symbols imbued with power. Hated for their reverential qualities, in excess of thirty million icons have been destroyed in Russia since October 1917. In the monthly Moskva (January 1990), Russian art historian Kuziniecov lists some of the malicious methods of icon destruction:

·      In the army for target practice.

·      In the mines as pavement for tunnels flooded with water.

·      In the marketplace as raw material for building potato crates.

·      In kitchens as boards for chopping vegetables and meat.

·      In apartments as fuel for stoves in winter.

He adds that massive piles of icons were also simply set afire or driven out to country and city garbage dumps.[1]Respect, therefore, is due to the provocation of emotional memory the icon carries, if not solely for the subject matter represented.

Copying icons from reproduced images serves to reclaim the innate quality of the icon by ‘breathing new life into dry bones’. Adopting the same method of iconography to present birds suitably venerates our rare native aviators whilst inverting the orthodoxy of the icon. A further parody inadvertently referring to the Virgin Mary as a ‘Bird’, lightly diffuses issues of gender bias within traditional religious contexts. The icon can at least dispel an automatic assessment of value through the examination of technical acuity, contextual applicability and historical discourse. That such beauty has suffered historical violence is worth considering.

Elizabeth Brookbanks

[1]Kapuściński, R (translated Glowczewska, K). Imperium. London: Granta Books, 2007. P 173.