FEMALE FACES OF HOLINESS
Tender Strength is what strikes one who looks at these images of Christian holy women. Look at their faces, in their eyes, read their lives and you will wonder at how much can mean faith, hope and the love of God.
The Mother of God and 12 holy women of different historical periods, vocation and lifestyle can become for us apostles of tender strength, endurance and courage. ‘Holy’ in biblical language means both ‘dedicated to God’ and ‘different’. Holy women bear courageous witness of being different in their life for God and for their fellow humans.
This difference also characterizes the style of Eastern Christian iconography, that presents human person and the world as different from our everyday experience… The icons, represented at this exhibit, were made by the iconographers of the ‘RADRUZH’ Icon Painting School, using materials, techniques and style characteristic of medieval Western Ukrainian iconography.
We invite you to experience and to sense these brightness and depth of color, expression of lines and touching simplicity of forms, characteristic of traditional iconography brought to new life by brush and soul of contemporary artists.
We hope that our icons convey to the beholder something of the Mystery of Holiness and Life embodied in the lives of the holy women of Christian history.
ICON PAINTING SCHOOL UCU “RADRUZH”
was founded in 2005 at the Ukrainian Catholic University. The mission of the school is the study of the authentic medieval Ukrainian traditions of iconography, and its revival today. We build our own work on the firm foundation of the thorough study of medieval prototypes (mostly preserved in the National Museum in Lviv), their material composition, artistic style and theological meaning. We rely on the discoveries of restoration specialists in our endeavor to imitate medieval practices of icon painting in as detailed way as possible. We believe this, combined with new approaches and interpretations of traditional patterns, gives our school its unique face. Among our most important achievements is our learning program for student from all over Ukraine (run all year round) and for foreigners. Over the past years our program was attended by international students from Poland, Lithuania, Great Britain, France, the USA, Canada, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Russia.
Since 2011 more experienced iconographers of our school work in the format of Iconography workshop, where everyone can order icons for church or private use. In recent years we painted numerous icons and whole iconostases for our patrons in Ukraine, Germany, Canada and the USA. We pride ourselves in the fact that many people in different countries bring their prayers to God, His Holy Mother and the Saints with the mediation of icons made in our workshop.