Sacred Images: Iconographer Laura Clerici

Iconographer Laura Clerici

"My mother told me that I started drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil," says iconographer Laura Clerici, the gallery's featured artist this month. "I took art classes after school most of my childhood, but gave it all up when I studied at Georgetown and then joined the Foreign Service.  Thirty five years later, while stationed at the Embassy in Moscow, I wanted to take up painting again, so I studied iconography, thinking that a brush is a brush.  To my surprise, I found that I made good icons."

The Annunciation by Laura Clerici
 (Tempera and Gold on Board)

Icons (from the Greek eikones) are sacred images representing the saints, Christ, and the Virgin, as well as narrative scenes such as Christ's Crucifixion. While today the term is most closely associated with wooden panel painting, in Byzantium icons could be crafted in all media, including marble, ivory, ceramic, gemstone, precious metal, enamel, textile, fresco, and mosaic... In Byzantine theology, the contemplation of icons allowed the viewer direct communication with the sacred figure(s) represented, and through icons an individual's prayers were addressed directly to the petitioned saint or holy figure. Miraculous healings and good fortune were among the requests.(Brooks, Sarah. "Icons and Iconoclasm in Byzantium". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/icon/hd_icon.htm (originally published October 2001, last revised August 2009))

"The “Annunciation" (right) is based on a life-sized (!) 12^th Century icon now at the Tretiakov Gallery.  "Mary and Gabriel converse in static poses, but the image is still powerful and energetic," says Clerici of the piece. 

Clerici is an iconographer in the Byzantine tradition, but she came by this almost by accident.  She entered the Foreign Service after studying at Georgetown and London School of Economics.  In that capacity she served in Poland during Martial Law, worked as a refugee Officer in Central America, as a disarmament official at the US Mission to the UN during the first Iraq war, then was one of the State Department Officials honored for constructive dissent during the breakup of Yugoslavia.

While assigned to Moscow as American Consul General, she opted to take instruction in iconography rather than classical art studies to resume her art study.  She discovered a talent for the work and found that it helped “center” her during three turbulent years in Moscow.  She continued to study the craft aspects of iconography, often coming to the US for workshops from oversees assignments.   Since her retirement from the Foreign Service in 2006, Laura has concentrated her attention on iconography and working as a volunteer interfaith chaplain at Alexandria Inova Hospital. 

"Resurrection" by Laura Clerici
(Tempera and Gold on Board)

"In 'Resurrection' (left), Jesus breaks the gates of Death and Hell, and he pulls Adam and Even (i.e. humankind) out of their graves, witnessed by Jewish kings, prophets and patriarchs," Clerici explains. 

Clerici says the  'Mandylion' (below) "is an icon historically tied to the Shroud of Turin (which in Constantinople was folded to just show the face) and to images of Veronica’s veil.  A simplified variation of this image is usually the first icon students complete, and it is called 'The Image Not Made by Hand,' referring to the story of Jesus imprinting his face on a cloth (just like Veronica’s) for King Abgar. This title also reminds iconographers of the teaching that the real iconographer is the Holy Spirit and we are merely her tools."

"Mandylion" by Laura Clerici
Tempera and Gold on Board

"Icons are for 'the glory and adornment' of home and church so I strive to capture the jewel-like beauty of Byzantine icons," she says. "Additionally, because the technique I use requires multiple applications of color, creating an icon can be time-consuming, and this gives me the opportunity to sink into myself, a creative mental state all artists hope to achieve.  When someone spontaneously comments 'What a beauty!' the pleasure it gives me is beyond words."

Iconography is a medium which many people have never seen up close; these beautiful images constantly draw people into the gallery to view the fine detail in the stunning work.

--Sandi Parker, Gallery Co-Director