Icons: Martyn Kelly sees the bigger picture

‘An Icon never merely depicts: it reveals deeper truths and challenges.’

by Martyn Kelly 1st July 2022

The problem with religious icons is that, stripped from their context, they are rarely iconic. The stiff poses, unnatural perspective and ancient subject matter mean little in a modern secular society. But an Orthodox believer will stand in front of an icon and decode it immediately. Each one represents a silent, visual ministry with roots far into the past. It does with pictures what Quaker ministry does with words. And the Orthodox faithful will respond in the same way.