Godly art

Margot Siegel looked at the icon of Christ hanging in the front of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Northwest Washington and smiled as she recalled a trip she took nine years ago to the Vatican.

A tiny icon on display there moved her so deeply that she came home and persuaded her parish to allow her to organize an exhibit of religious artwork.

Her church hosted the first Pan Orthodox Icon Exhibit in 2000 for what Mrs. Siegel described as a “small gathering.” Three other showings of religious artwork have been held since then and a fifth will be held at the church this weekend.

Nine years since its inception, the exhibit is expected to draw thousands of people — including diplomats from Greece, Romania, Cyprus, Ukraine and Bulgaria — to this small parish.

“I wanted to do an icon exhibit that would demonstrate the great variety of the images of our faith,” Mrs. Siegel said. “However, my goal was to acquaint people to the world of Orthodoxy in a modest way.”

The Rev. Nicholas G. Manousakis, the proistemenos, or pastor, at Sts. Constantine and Helen, said he supported Mrs. Siegel’s idea, and soon afterward the entire church became involved in organizing the exhibit. Father Manousakis said it is important for people to understand what icons represent, even in today’s fast-paced culture.

“There are some things in life that must remain constant in an ever-changing world. These icons remind us of this constant,” Father Manousakis said. “It’s not about what the icons are, but what they represent and the person’s Christ-like demeanor.”

The exhibit features icons from across the country, choirs performing traditional Antiochian, Greek and Slavic songs, and iconographers teaching classes to those interested in the art.

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople earlier this month wrote a letter to Mrs. Siegel congratulating the parish on the exhibit.

“The success of this exhibit is reflected in its growth and popularity over the years. As a result, it now attracts people from various faiths and cultures who come to experience the world of iconography and to learn more about our Eastern Orthodox tradition,” Patriarch Bartholomew said.

One of the iconographers attending the exhibit will be Dennis Bell, an artist from Ohio who has come to the exhibit on several occasions and who enjoys addressing the group about what he loves doing.

“It gives me an opportunity to ’talk shop’ and discuss with people what I have learned over the years,” Mr. Bell said. “We get to share notes and see what other people have done.”

Mr. Bell said he has loved painting since he was a child, but his career as an iconographer started 30 years ago when his love of art and church converged. He said an icon is not supposed to portray a physical reality as much as a spiritual one.

“Icons are like the horizon between heaven and earth. When you pray in front of an icon it is like you are praying in front of a window into heaven,” Mr. Bell said. “Even those who are not Christians can stand and appreciate and believe there is something holy there, and sometimes this causes them to study about it.”