• Mother of God
  • Jesus Christ
  • "The Being"
  • Archangel Gabriel
  • Archangel Michael
  • Love the detail of the falling shoe... - Haddy Bello
  • Can also be translated "The One" - He Who Must Be Named
  • it's a symbolic thing. it was explainned to me that the child Jesus here was having nightmares or premonitions of his destiny..and he came running to his mother---the angels are holding symbols of his passion. :) - Estaba El Senhor InigoDeloyola

Christmas 2004: Theotokos of the Passion

by A J Tudury
egg tempera (8" X 11")

cartoon

Farl's tells the story of the icon under his photo socorro. Marian Devotions fill in some of the details of the story pre-15th century and publish a prayer which uses the Our Lady of Perpetual Help icon.

Symbolic Links:
petroglyphs,
Chinese typography,
kanji,
Japanese typography,
mandalas,
icons and symbols,
Buddhist symbols,
Hindism,
Judasim,
Hebrew typography,
the Sikhs,
Islamic iconography,
Arabic typography,
Christian images

and

signs (this link gives a list of links for signs!)

Comments and faves

  1. ★

    MARCHETTo, a mere excursion, marylea, Joy Eliz, and 43 other people added this photo to their favorites.

  2. ajpscs (71 months ago | reply)

    this lovely and stunning!

  3. SG....artist (71 months ago | reply)

    very nice painting!

  4. DUCKMARX (71 months ago | reply)

    Thank you

  5. a mere excursion (71 months ago | reply)

    beautiful

  6. Dr. Doc (71 months ago | reply)

    Striking work! Rich and beautiful art.

  7. fineartvaughan (71 months ago | reply)

    Amazing work. Very wonderfully executed.

  8. DUCKMARX (71 months ago | reply)

    thanks jonathan. I look forward to savoring your art recipes.

  9. Shane Vorhaben (71 months ago | reply)

    Great painting Duckmarx....very rich colors....I really like the symbols (hebrew?)...what do they mean?

  10. DUCKMARX (71 months ago | reply)

    Shane, the symbols are Byzantine. Most of the alphabet is identical to modern Greek. An exception is "C" which is the Byzantine equivalent of "Σ". There are also contractions like the letters "α" and "Ρ" joined in archangel. The squiggle lines on top indicate that it is an abbreviation. I have put notes on the image to translate each set of symbols.

  11. Shane Vorhaben (70 months ago | reply)

    Hey Duckmarx....thanks for the update on the symbols...the notes are really helpful......don't ya just love symbols........

  12. DUCKMARX (70 months ago | reply)

    Shane, I too am fascinated with symbols:
    petroglyphs,
    Chinese typography,
    kanji,
    Japanese typography,
    mandalas,
    icons and symbols,
    Buddhist symbols,
    Hindism,
    Judasim,
    Hebrew typography,
    the Sikhs,
    Islamic iconography,
    Arabic typography,
    Christian images

    and

    signs (this link gives a list of links for signs!)

  13. marylea (70 months ago | reply)

    Thanks for the notes on this beautiful painting. I have a similar icon. Now I can interpret it! I really appreciate it. This image is stunning, and inspiring, both. Is this a reproduction of an original icon (your note: "circa 2004")... Who is the artist?

  14. DUCKMARX (70 months ago | reply)

    Icons, for the most part, are copies of designs that people have found helpful in their prayers. Iconographers aspire to be humble (sort of a paradox) and downplay their role in producing (or, in this case, copying) an icon by not signing them (...but posting them on flickr?)

    Not having signatures may contirbute to the fuzzy dates of icons. Our Lady of Perpetual Succor is supposed to have been painted in the thirteenth century

    One of the reasons that I love this icon is that the symbols of the passion can add poignancy to the Blessed Mother's look.

    Thanks for your question Marylea. I appreciate the opportunity to blah blah blah.......

    (SOOOO I posted the above, my wife reads it and says "Why don't you just say that you painted the icon from a photo? Humble schumble."

    Nothing like cutting to the chase!)

  15. marylea (70 months ago | reply)

    You are a funny man! I suspected you may have painted it, but didn't want to presume. It is lovely. And of course now that I look at your photostream I can see that you are an artist of accomplishment! I love your drawings. So glad to make your acquaintance here on flickr. Keep up the good work! :-)

  16. DUCKMARX (70 months ago | reply)

    Hmmm...I guess that would explain all of my darling's mysterious laughs and chuckles.

  17. Paris Breakfast (70 months ago | reply)

    Very beautiful BLUEs tooo

  18. Happy.Phantom (69 months ago | reply)

    You are an incredible artist, Duckmarx! The painting/ Christmas carde is absolutely beautiful! I wonder what one has to do to get on your holiday card mailing list! ; )

  19. Sekana Radovic (69 months ago | reply)

    Nice Crismas card!

  20. The GC Four (69 months ago | reply)

    very nice

    Seen in Your Favorite 100+ Viewed Group

  21. luis_colan (68 months ago | reply)

    This is very beautiful. The blue in this painting is electric. What kind of blue did you use?

  22. DUCKMARX (68 months ago | reply)

    Thank you all.

    luis, I used ultramarine blue dark pigment from Sinopia . . . but I am sure that you can get an eqaul at Kremer pigments. If you are interested in color, visit Paris (but I guess you already know that!)

  23. loveitaly (66 months ago | reply)

    These bring me back to sitting in churches as a child hearing high Masses...

    this is really stunning...

  24. macrocurry (65 months ago | reply)

    Absolutely beautiful

  25. DUCKMARX (65 months ago | reply)

    Thank you Sue.

    Thanks Marta. !

  26. Gothic Toad [deleted] (64 months ago | reply)

    Beautiful!

  27. DUCKMARX (64 months ago | reply)

    Thanks Ray

  28. Estaba El Senhor InigoDeloyola (63 months ago | reply)

    what did you use for the gold background?

  29. DUCKMARX (63 months ago | reply)

    thanks for the fave. Gold leaf was used for the background.

  30. Estaba El Senhor InigoDeloyola (63 months ago | reply)

    yeah i thought so too.
    how about the gold patterns on their vest? did you have to scratch the paint to reveal the gold leaf under? i hope you dont mind me asking you...im planning to make my stylized version of this icon and i have no experience or whatsoever painting directly on gold leaf...my only reference is this and this similar icon given to me by my jesuit boss. thanks

    i love its details

  31. DUCKMARX (63 months ago | reply)

    Estaba, for the background, paint it first with a earth color (a red color is recommended). Paint it next with acrylic gold size. Here is a step by step guide to the "oil" gilding technique.

    For the gold on the image, I use shell gold. Here is more information from the Iconofile forum.

    Iconofile is one of the links in Christian Iconography that you might find helpful.

    I appreciate and welcome your interest in Christian iconography.

  32. Estaba El Senhor InigoDeloyola (63 months ago | reply)

    I CANT WAIT TO START!!!! a massive thanks for these links, Duckmarx. I have been painting religious art for this Jesuit institution.
    We're nearing to the end of our project after 4 long years of happy employment and I JUST NEED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

    and btw i really liked that shade of blue that you used for the Madonna's cloak. ---metallic blue?

  33. DUCKMARX (63 months ago | reply)

    Its ultramarine blue. When you use unadulterated pigments in egg tempera it is like you have never really seen color before. I was so enchanted with this color that I left it pure. It demonstrates what an unsophisticated neophyte I am.

  34. Estaba El Senhor InigoDeloyola (63 months ago | reply)

    ** and will it be a mortal sin to use an acrylic gold paint for the background instead of gold leaf? i have a canvas here attached to a plywood wc is like half an inch think and measure 20'x 25 inches thats huge and thats a lot of GOLD LEAF. :)

    also what do iconographers use to paint these picture? oil paint? acryllic? enamel? ---thanks

    and YES it's a LOVELY SHADE OF BLUE

  35. DUCKMARX (63 months ago | reply)

    What do iconographers use to paint with? Fr Brendan McAnerney is my icongraphy mentor. He teaches people to 'write' icons using acrylic paint. Many of the original Christian icon designs currently used originated between 900 and 1500 when egg termpera was the medium of choice. The few iconographers I know use either acrylic or egg tempera.

    . . . use an acrylic gold paint for the background instead of gold leaf? The direct answer to your question is you can use acrylic gold paint for the background. The traditional supprt for an icon is a gessoed wooden panel. This provides a wonderful surface for gilding. Personnaly I would not gild on canvas but would either use a yellow ochre or a cream color for the background with gold colored paint for the halos.

  36. Estaba El Senhor InigoDeloyola (63 months ago | reply)

    gold leaf and a gessoed wood panel are not available here :( not even a gold acrylic...i checked it yesterday. Sigh
    sucks when you wanted to do something and not being able to do it.

    again thanks for all these infos.

  37. DUCKMARX (63 months ago | reply)

    Estaba, I understand your disapointment regarding the availability of "traditional" materials. I suggest that you ignore what 'should' be used and do what an artist always does . . . Use what you got.

  38. evissa (61 months ago | reply)

    Wonderful image and the notes bring it to life.

    Please consider posting to Saints and their symbols. We'd love to have your photo added to the group.

  39. ausfi (53 months ago | reply)

    I have a photo of a similar icon that belonged to a friend of mine. I just added it into the Orthodox icon pool. It was good to find more about the letters etc. in your painting.

  40. jjgg77 (44 months ago | reply)

    Our Lady of Perpetual Help is one of my favorites! thanks for the posting and the painting! From one painter to another (my husband taught me! He's really a great teacher!)

  41. millinerd (40 months ago | reply)

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  42. DUCKMARX (40 months ago | reply)

    thanks for the invite, MJ, I added it.

  43. SF_Catholic (34 months ago | reply)

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Mary, Queen of All Nations, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  44. + | Deo Optimo Maximo | + (32 months ago | reply)

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Images of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Around the World, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  45. IanReesArt (29 months ago | reply)

    Very beautifully done... I love the ultra-bold colors... the gold juxtaposed with the electric blue - excellent!

  46. Čajka (29 months ago | reply)

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Seasons’ Magic P1 / A2 - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  47. happy*mess (27 months ago | reply)

    INCREDIBLE!! the use of the intense blue and gold make this very authentic and ethereal.

  48. supsupsu [deleted] (27 months ago | reply)

    very good

  49. .:.Audric10:. (25 months ago | reply)

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Birhen Maria ng Pilipinas, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  50. Dorian Speed (22 months ago | reply)

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called The Domestic Church, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

  51. This photo was invited and added to the The Domestic Church group.

  52. sophiayoung (21 months ago | reply)

    Congratulations! Your photo has received the Amber Award from FotoVotr. It has been selected from the Flickr community because of its interest and popularity. For more information, please visit the FotoVotr Amber Group. We would be honored to have you join us!

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