Icon Workshop: Completed Icon

Well, here it is: the icon of Christ that I completed the other week in a workshop. It's 13 x 17 inches (see previous posts for materials used.) I'm still a bit shy about displaying my work. I love doing the garments on icons but still struggle a bit with the faces. I may go back and do a few touchups on his face.

American iconographers are moving toward using more English on the icons (for obvious reasons!), but the abbreviations on Christ's icons are universal and are usually kept in Greek. A brief explanation: 'IC XC' are the abbreviations for Jesus Christ. The Greek letters in the halo mean, "I am the one Who is."

The large clusters of letters on each side of the halo spell Pantocrator. From wiki: The most common translation of Pantocrator is "Almighty" or "All-powerful." In this understanding, Pantokrator is a compound word formed from the Greek words for "all" and the noun "strength" (κρατος). This is often understood in terms of potential power; i.e., able to do anything, or omnipotent. Another, less literal translation is "Ruler of All" or "Sustainer of the World."

I'm off to take another workshop next week, although I'm not sure yet who the subject of my icon will be!