Mario Lautier Vella, Holy ghosts: The icon and the uncanny

Holy Ghosts - The Icon And The Uncanny Mario Lautier Vella

Abstract The Christian Orthodox icon, with its ambiance of spiritual piety, reverence and meditation, is also a channel for the uncanny – the sensation of unease, mystery, secrecy and ambiguity as discussed by Freud in his seminal 1919 essay.

Examining the aesthetic and theological aspects of an icon reveals further unique associations with the uncanny (in its various guises) and plays a complex, crucial role in the engagement with the icon as intended or as an unwitting conduit of the uncanny.

The icon and the uncanny are bound even closer when considering the work of contemporary artists who nod to Orthodox traditions in an unorthodox fashion. The result is artwork that evokes the uncanny. Yet sensing the uncanny drives the spectator to question and assess the motivation and meaning of the images shown, in a bid to rid oneself of the uncanny associations the work evokes.

Introduction Icons have been the subject of analysis since emerging as a dominant art form in the 4th Century. They remain a recognisable, highly valued form of painting that is as significant to collectors and academics as it is to Christians. Their seemingly enigmatic portrayals of Christ and other holy figures are like nothing else represented in Western or Christian art. As a focus of worship, icons invite closer inspection and consideration – yet do they ever impart all their meaning?

The Black Madonna of Czestochowa, a portrait allegedly painted by St Luke, Jasna Góra Shrine, Poland.

From http://www.jasnagora.pl/ (accessed March 24 2011)

This essay is inspired by the sense of mystery and intrigue an icon can conjure and how this leads to notions and sensations relating to the uncanny. It presents a concise overview of how an icon can be perceived as an instrument of the uncanny leads to how new perspectives on an age-old style of art. It concludes with an examination of contemporary icon painters who are questioning and addressing issues of tradition, representation and faith in their work and by doing so, arrive at new approaches to the uncanny and its relationship with the icon.

Defining the uncanny By initially considering what it is to be uncanny or to experience the uncanny, one can begin to comprehend an icon’s positioning alongside particular hypotheses of a sensation or experience that remains highly subjective and the source of much debate.

Freud and the uncanny Published in 1919, Freud’s essay, ‘The Uncanny’ draws upon a number of literary sources including works of

Theotokos (2011), Marijke Tinga, From http://sacredspacegallery.com /Theotokos_1.html (accessed April 1 2011)

fiction, psychology texts, lexicons and dictionaries, and presents a number of theories on the uncanny.

One of many definitive conclusions Freud reaches states the uncanny “…belongs to the realm of the frightening, of what evokes fear and dread.” (Freud, 1919: 123) But a linguistic analysis of the words ‘uncanny’ and ‘canny’ provides different understanding and definitions.

‘Heimlich’ and ‘unheimlich’ Exploring the roots of the German word ‘heimlich’ and its antonym, ‘unheimlich’, Freud turns to Daniel Sanders’ 1860 dictionary, ‘Wörterbuch Deutshcen Sprache’ in which the author presents a multitude of meanings for both ‘heimlich’ and ‘unheimlich’. Sanders’ definitions encompass the public and private space, the fictitious and the real, the esoteric and elucidated, with ‘heimlich’ having its roots in domestic settings (‘heimlich’ meaning ‘belonging to the house’) and being translated as ‘homely’ and ‘dear and intimate.’ (Freud, 1919: 126-127) When Sanders applies ‘heimlich’ to both Christian and Judaic dogma, via definitions taken directly from the Bible, the word takes on much darker and complicated connotations, referring to ‘die heimliche Weisheit’ (‘the secret wisdom’), ‘heimlich seufzen, weinen’ (‘to sigh, to weep secretly’) and ‘…Heimlichkeiten werfen’ (‘…Hidden places’). (Freud, 1919: 129-131) Sanders also provides a key definition to Freud’s understanding of the uncanny, that of ‘heimlich’ meaning ‘familiar’ thereby ‘unheimlich’ becoming ‘unfamiliar.’

(Freud, 1919: 126-127) The secret life of the uncanny It is Sanders’ understanding of the uncanny being that of the secret and hidden that leads to the work of German psychologist Ernst Jentsch, who was more concerned with how the “affective excitement” of the uncanny was generated as opposed to defining exactly what the uncanny is. (Jentsch, 1906: 3) Jentsch shifts the focus of the uncanny from the realm of emotional response to one of perception as he relates it to the secret life of objects and how they can induce a state of the uncanny, pointing to encounters with animate items that may in fact be dead and inanimate objects that may be alive with an unfathomable life force. (Freud, 1919: 135) Taking a cue from Jentsch’s text, Weber (1973) considers the affective excitement of experiencing the uncanny as a driving force for investigation rather than a signal to retract or retreat – an act made “…in defence against this crisis of perception and phenomenality, a defence which is as ambivalent and which expresses itself in the compulsive curiosity…the craving to penetrate the flimsy

appearances to the essence beneath….the desire to uncover the façade and to discover what lurks beneath.”

(Weber, 1973: 132) The uncanny, ‘intellectual uncertainty’ and death Weber’s association of the uncanny as a crisis of perception leads to another key notion of the uncanny – that of “intellectual uncertainty” – a concept Freud associates with Jentsch’s earlier text. (Freud, 1919: 125) Cole (2006) expands these ideas further by stating intellectual uncertainty occurs: “…when boundaries we thought were firmly established are shown to be fragile or even non-existent” and when “…the boundaries between living and dead and fiction and reality become blurred.” (Cole 2006: 105, 111) The double and the uncanny The German author E.T.A Hoffman contributes the doppelganger – the double of an individual who not only looks like them, but is able to communicate telepathically with them - to Freud’s inventory of the uncanny. Freud expands on this further when he says the uncanny manifests via “…the constant recurrence of the same thing, the repetition of the same facial features, the same characters, the same destinies...” (Freud, 1919: 142) Having established the key themes and concepts of the uncanny, one can begin to consider how the various interpretations of the uncanny can be associated with the icon and how an icon can cause the uncanny to emerge.

Early Christian art and the uncanny The icon as a dominant art form emerged at a time when Christianity transformed from a covert cult to a stateapproved religion. Previously, Christians met and worshiped in secret and their art reflects the cautious clandestine nature of their practices where images were as shadowy and secretive as the artists responsible.

With this in mind, one can consider another argument made by Weber (1973): “Uncanny is a certain indecidability which affects and infects representations, motifs, themes and situations which…always means something other than what they are and in a manner which draws their own being and substance into the vortex of signification” (Weber 1973: 1132).

Echoing Jentsch’s concerns of an “intellectual uncertainty” brought on by the uncanny, Weber’s understanding of the subject and its ability to “affect and infect representation” proves vital when considering early

3rd Century wall engraving of fish with anchor, Domitilla Catacombs, Rome.

From http://www.domitilla.info/idx.htm?var1=docs/ gallery2.htm (accessed March 22 2011)

Christian artwork. One can argue that it is only through the intercession of the uncanny that this particular art can be understood and through a deliberate attempt to restore a sense of familiarity via semiotic analysis that a “secret wisdom” (as offered by Sanders’ above) can be extracted.

Suddenly everyday objects such as fish, shells, anchors, birds and lambs are imbued with a mysterious power, and come together to form a complex codex of Christian concerns. Camilleri’s (n.d.) reading of a 3rd Century fresco found in St. Agatha’s catacombs in Malta (shown right) reveals how key matters of faith were communicated though a complicated composition where a shell signifies God, the giver of life, an embellished Greek letter R becomes a cross whilst the Greek letter C signifies Christ – a prime example of the uncanny affecting and infecting representations, and where signification via associations, wordplay and religious doctrine becomes key to both Christian artist and spectator alike.

Yet here we also have the uncanny working in favour of the artist and his cause – where the familiar deliberately transcends into the unfamiliar in order to protect the message within, where Jentsch’s “affective excitement” of the uncanny inspires Christians to decipher the images seen and where the uncanny world of Christian art protected the messages within.

3rd Century fresco of a shell, St. Agatha’s Catacombs, Malta.

From http://www.megalithic.co.uk/modules.php?o p=modload&name=a312&file=index&do=sho wpic&pid=30479 (accessed March 22 2011)

The emergence of the icon Following the Roman Emperor Constantine’s sudden conversion to Christianity in 313AD, the religion and its art entered the mainstream. Obscure symbolism became mass-produced iconography that sat alongside bold depictions of Christ as emperor enthroned in contemporary cityscapes – the ‘imperial Christ’ (White, 2008) as a bold personification of the triumph over the old pagan ways.

The “Orthodox” depiction of Christ – the bearded figure still recognisable today based on Roman depictions of gods and philosophers (Dick, 2011) – was embraced by the early Christian fathers who quickly decreed strict rules as to Christ and other Biblical characters should be portrayed.

The Byzantine Church and its artists also drew further guidance from a number of legends and depictions of Christ and his mother Mary, supposedly painted from life by the Evangelist Luke.

Visual imprints taken as evidence of Christ’s life on earth also became significant. Known as “‘eikones acheiropoietai’ - images not made with hands” these portraits were considered particularly holy and in some case miraculous. These included the legendary portrait of Christ left on the veil of Veronica (a name translating as ‘vera icon’ meaning true image. (Quinot, 1991: 15, 23) It is also during this period that paintings called icons become the dominant, definitive form of representing Christ and other Christian characters.

16th Century Russian icon of St. Luke painting the Virgin and child, artist unknown.

From http://www.museum.ru/alb/image.asp?12822 (accessed March 28 2011)

The definitions of ‘icon’ The numerous applications and translations of the word “icon” are as multifarious as those of the word “uncanny”. The word ‘icon’ has its root in the Greek word ‘eikon’ meaning “image”, “likeness” or “interpretation” (Lalla, 2004). Lalla (2004) also notes how Plato used the word ‘eikon’ to discuss “images as they are lesser, common, worldly objects” - an argument used later by the iconoclasts who abolished the use of Christian imagery.

Yet the early Church, like the pagan religions before them, realised the potential of the image to educate the masses. They quickly utilised this “lesser, common” method as both a means of communication and a means of instilling the idea that an artwork could become a vessel for divine intervention – notions that are still held dear today.

The ‘uncovering’, ‘writing’ and reading of an icon The Orthodox Church remains the most fervent supporter of icons, believing them to be proof of the existence of God and of his regular intercession. These standpoints also shape the understanding of how these works of art are produced.

Icon of the first martyr, St. Stephen (2003), Marie Levin.

From http://www.greekicons.org/6orthodoxicons/3-saint-stephenmartyr.html (accessed March 28 2011)

Icons are not painted but “uncovered” (Birnbaum, 2008) – a suggestion that their divine subjects are somehow revealed and not a product of their artist’s imagination.

The artist is not perceived as a painter but as a “writer” and a “vehicle” (Birnbaum, 2008) directed by God to portray His truth, but not before the artist completes purification rituals and meditates in order to “…embody (the archetype’s) state of consciousness within themselves.” (Luchakova & Johnson, 2010) Facial features in an icon A closer study of an icon, be it a historical piece or a contemporary artwork, reveals a peculiar approach to portraiture and the depiction of the human form, where deliberate facial distortions add to the sense of the unfamiliar, thus the uncanny.

Yet, like the early Christian art that preceded it, an icon relies on deeper reading – a reading that reveals how faith and divine intervention leave their mark, in the form of accentuated foreheads referring to the subject’s wisdom, large eyes referring to divine vision (Iconreader, 2010) and large ears instructing the spectator to listen to God. (Gilberto, n.d.) Minimised ears, mouths and elongated hands also reflect the subject’s focus to the heart where God’s message is received (Iconreader, 2010), with the overall altered portrait serving as an indication of the subject having “received the Divine Grace” (Boguslawski, 1998).

St. Stephen (detail) (2003), Marie Levin.

From http://www.greekicons.org/6orthodoxicons/3-saint-stephenmartyr.html (accessed March 28 2011)

The icon’s gaze A characteristic and significant feature often found in an icon is its gaze - a direct stare at the spectator that can be viewed from all angles. As discussed above the eyes in an icon have spiritual significance. Yet they have also been the cause of further contemplation amongst Christians, artists and theorists alike, leading to new perspectives on the icon’s relationship to the uncanny.

For an artist, the central positioning of the eyes on a canvas or surface assists in determining the vertical centre line and central axis of the painting and assists the viewer to find their initial base in the work (Cormick, 2005: 168). Yet, an icon holds more power over the viewer who, according to Marion (2005) “discovers himself invisibly seen by the painted gaze of the icon." (Marion 2005: 21) Marion’s reference to the invisible can be linked to concepts around vision and the gaze that pre-date iconpainting and even Christianity. Plato was the first to consider the notion of a two-way form of vision where interconnectivity between viewer and object allows blessings and grace to be issued. He believed in an “instrument of visual power” that went via the eye of the viewer to the object but which also carried “influences” from the object back through the same channel and back to the soul (Lindberg, 1981 in Sheldrake, 2005: 33) - a combination of ‘extramission’ (active viewing) and ‘intromission’ vision, where particles from an object, also referred to as “simulacra” were believed to fall into the eye. (Sheldrake 2005: 33)

Christ (detail), (year unknown), Aidan Hart.

From http://www.aidaenhart.com (accessed April 4 2011)

Plato’s idea of an invisible, two-way transmission of vision, communication and experience is shared by the Orthodox faith where an icon serves as “a medium for receiving healing and grace.” (Scouteris, n.d.), and a “mediatrix” through which “a veritable communion is established between the faithful and the mystery portrayed with it.” (Bobrinskoy, 1991 in Quinot, 1991: 9) Thus, Marion’s notion of invisible power becomes particularly significant it can be related directly to Orthodox ideals as well as Plato’s concerns of unseen influences. It can also be related back to the theories of the uncanny and its preoccupation with the hidden, secret and unseen, thereby highlighting the crucial role vision and perception play in both viewing an icon and sensing the uncanny.

When deliberating on the icon further, Marion (2005) states: "...the icon offers a phenomenological basis for its subversion of visible by the invisible: the play of gazes, which crosses the painted visible in accordance with the economy of prayer and love, and which provokes the irreality that originates from them." (Marion, 2005: 21)

Palestinian Christian woman, May Hazboun, prays in front of an icon of Mary and the baby Jesus above the grotto of the Church of the Nativity, December 22, 2002 photographer David Silverman/Getty Images.

From http://www.life.com/image/1698753 (accessed March 28 2011)

Marion’s argument above infers to a number of variations of the uncanny. His idea of “the subversion of visible by the invisible” suggests the uncanny is at work here. His suggestion of a “play of gazes” between spectator and object can also be applied to Jentsch’s theory of the secret life of objects - the ability for a seemingly dead object to interact with the viewer in front of it, who, in sensing it, may be aware of both the spiritual and the uncanny in the form of the hidden and the invisible power contained in the visible object – the icon.

Icons, prayer and the omnipotence of thought Marion’s inclusion of prayer in the play of gazes and the subversion of the visible by the invisible can be linked directly to Freud’s theory of the “omnipotence of thought” – something he associated with the uncanny.

(Freud, 1919: 154) The “omnipotence of thought” is a central concept in Freud’s interpretation of the “universal obsessive neurosis” that is religion, (Freud, 1907 cited in Clack 2002: 227) where one witnesses the obsessive actions of the devout who believe they can master their world through thought exercises such as praying. (Clack, 2002 in Radford and Grau, 2002: 226) The omnipotence of thought is also of concern to Jentsch who, when considering the uncanny and representations of the human form, noted how one can sense the uncanny if a particular image “appears to be united with certain…mental functions” (Jentsch 1906, p: 10).

A Russian Orthodox Christian kisses an icon depicting Tsar Nicholas II in Saint-Petersburg, February 17 2011, photographer unknown.

From http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic le/ALeqM5gHEVde9zmtfBQAnIfy3H539dfu2w?do cId=CNG.ed01c1f733f7929c0e0ee596f28a0c53.4 91 (accessed March 28 2011)

Hence, this interaction between an image and mental processes proves enigmatic and unsettling for Jentsch, Freud and Marion. Yet for Orthodox Christians it is a fundamental aspect of viewing an icon – an engagement with art as a means to connect with divinity via a two-way form of connection, as discussed above, may be deemed uncanny in itself.

The use of light in an icon Another characteristic of an icon that could be deemed uncanny is its use of light. Traditional icons typically present portraits against a flat, gold-embellished background that allows the painting to omit light; yet the portrait casts no shadow (Pietrowski, n.d.), in a space where only “the inner light of sacred figures” is allowed to shine (Boguslawski, 1998).

Iconreader (2010) addresses this and related ideas of realism by stating: “... (The icon) is not naturalistic; it does not represent something ephemeral, but rather it represents something eternal. (Icons are) windows to Heaven...un-natural, yet profoundly real, depictions.” (Iconreader, 2010)

A Greek Orthodox nun in the Apostolos Andreas monastery in Dipkarpaz, north Cyprus. April 18 2009 (Reuters/Daylife).

From http http://cantatedomino.blogspot.com/2009/04/more-photosof-orthodox-easter.html (accessed March 28 2011)

All in all, the spectator is left gazing into “an ambiguous space” (Pietrowski, n.d.), where representation and familiarity is reinterpreted to suit religious instruction, and where the spectator is invited to connect and meditate rather than merely observe, in a bid to experience the power held within the artwork – something that the uncanny is both instructive and decisive in doing.

Icons of modern day saints and ‘saints’ The uncanny, sensed through a shift from familiarity to unfamiliarity or through intellectual uncertainty, the omnipotence of thought, repetition and the double, all come into play when considering more contemporary approaches to icon-painting and the subjects portrayed.

Icon-painting as an art form continues to thrive, but amidst portrayals of those deemed holy for centuries are more modern day figures – and this allows room for the uncanny to thrive once more as the spectator questions the portrait before them, its significance and the interplay between tradition and a more modern approach to realism and sanctity.

Icons of Saint Eugeny Rodinov Saint Eugeny Rodinov was a teenage Russian soldier canonised as a martyr saint in 2002 after refusing to remove his crucifix for Chechen rebels, who promptly executed him in 1996. His canonisation gave the Russian Orthodox Church a modern day poster-boy, one laden with an age-old air of bravery and just cause in the faith but who is also tainted with an air of political propaganda.

Examining and comparing the icons of the saint, shown right, reveals an interesting take on artistic styles and concerns and supports arguments of the uncanny being a feature of the icon.

Icon of Russia’s latest martyr, St. Eugeny Rodinov (2002) by Ivan Kusov From http://www.iconsexplained.com/iec/iec_idb4c_ @one_page.htm#names_index (accessed March 30 2011)

Ivan Kusov’s painting is a curious mix of the traditional and modern – his portrait of Rodinov wears a Russian uniform yet also dons the long cloak usually found on the heavenly subjects in icons. His features and hands are proportioned in the traditional Orthodox style, with the artist’s considerations of light, weightlessness and perspective paying reference to age-old icon-painting practices and Orthodox doctrine.

Yet the other icon of the same saint (shown right) is a strange interpretation of traditional and contemporary approaches. Still recognisable as an icon through the portrait’s arrangement, gaze, written text and halo, the most striking feature is Rodinov’s face whose features are clearly based on photographs. The disproportioned eyes, ears, nose and mouths of his fellow Byzantine saints have been omitted for a more realistic portrait, whilst the usual gold background has been substituted for a flat yellow tone which somehow manages to cast a realistic shadow on the saint’s face and neck.

The miraculous icon of St. Eugeny Rodinov, artist and date unknown, Church of St. Lukas, Penza, Russia From http:// http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/news/201 0/02/icon-of-soldier-beheaded-for-not-takingoff-his-cross-gives-myrrh-in-penza-church (accessed March 30 2011)

The result is an odd hybrid of stylistic and aesthetic considerations; a painting that retains a strong connection to the past (for here is an attempt at a true icon; a true likeness in the linguistic sense of the word) but which settles at a strange mid-point between convention and modernisation.

It also demonstrates how what we believe to be familiar notions or examples of an icon have been challenged, taking us into the realm of the unfamiliar and the uncertain - the uncanny.

An alternative reading of the work (perhaps a sign of the presence of the uncanny) considers the doubt and noncompliance of some Orthodox Christians to acknowledge the saint or the canonisation – a prime example of an icon generating a different uncanny response, that of intellectual uncertainty, and on a social scale.

Bartholomew (2004) recognises similarities between Rodinov’s death and a character in a Dostoevsky novel and notes how “a Holy Martyr in Chechnya is just what’s needed now to stop Russians questioning what Russia is actually doing there in the first place.” (Bartholomew, 2004)

Photo of St. Eugeny Rodinov, photographer and date unknown.

From http://papakiara.wordpress.com/2010/03// (accessed March 30 2011)

In the case of the second Rodinov icon, the choice to introduce a more faithful representation of the solder actually takes the icon further into an uncanny space and one where such arguments like that presented by Bartholomew actually serve to subvert the attempt to break from tradition – perhaps Rodinov hasn’t quite earned his right to join the throngs of saints, therefore his icon depicts a soul very much of the real world than that of the divine.

The work of Robert Lentz An artist who stays faithful to traditional icon-painting styles to explore contemporary ideas of sainthood and reverence is Robert Lentz. Based in New York, Lentz is a Franciscan friar as well as an artist, whose work draws on a host of references that reflect his commitment to “the indigenization of Byzantine iconography in the various cultures embraced by the Church.” (Trinitystores.com, n.d.)

The results are icons that directly challenge the archetypal images of Christ, his mother and the saints, with Lentz successfully breaking from tradition whilst also embracing it.

Lentz’s 1984 painting, Jesus Christ, Liberator (shown right) portrays Him as a black African wearing orange Massai and white Saharan tribe colours in a work that “depicts (Christ’s) solidarity with the Black peoples of the world” (Lentz, 1984).

Jesus Christ, Liberator (1984), Robert Lentz.

From: http://www.trinitystores.com/ (accessed April 3 30 2011)

Other portraits show Jesus as The Apache Christ (1984), shown right, and depicts Him as “a Mescalero holy man, greeting the sun of the fourth morning of the woman's puberty rites.” (Lentz, 1984), in a work that blends Native American and Christian symbols, all of which is framed by traditional Byzantine icon writing.

In his painting Mother Of The Disappeared (1986), Lentz presents a political Madonna whose child has been substituted by a crown of thorns. She dons a white headscarf and rosebuds, the uniform of the Latin American mothers who regularly protest in silence for increased government intervention in finding their kidnapped children. The painting is ‘signed’ by a handprint used as the calling card of an El Salvadorian death squad (Lentz, 1986).

As well as reinterpreting Christian subjects, Lentz gives iconic status to a number of social and political figures. By placing more modern day figures into the world of the icon, Lentz essentially canonises them.

Amongst the many Lentz has immortalised in his icons are gay campaigner Harvey Milk who is shown wearing the pink triangle armband gay prisoners were forced to wear by the Nazis, and depicted as if at the candle vigil held soon after his assassination, in an icon that is as much tribute as it is an apparition1.

The Apache Christ (1984), Robert Lentz.

From: http://www.trinitystores.com/ (accessed April 3 30 2011)

Other portraits include Martin Luther King and Steven Biko2 – the typically flat, gold Byzantine background now replaced with prison bars whilst scrolls announce memorable quotes. His portrait of the assassinated bishop Oscar Romero3 stands in a pose mirroring that of the traditional Orthodox Madonna and Child, except Christ is replaced with a contemporary child whilst the usual attending seraphim usually found in Byzantine depictions are now helicopters attacking an El Salvadorian cityscape.

Of his work Lentz says, “In style they resemble icons found on Mount Athos, in Greece. In content, they are often revolutionary...I am a conservative at heart, with a great love for tradition.

Perhaps it is precisely my love for tradition that recognizes that it must evolve if it is not to be come obsolete and die." (Lentz, 2003 in Lentz & Gately, 2003: 144).

Lentz’s take on tradition in his work immediately returns us to the fundamental role familiarity plays when considering image that nods to Orthodox tradition and subverts it through provocative portrayals or subject matter. A spectator may recognise certain aspects of the religious archetype that a work is based on but will be aware of the uncanny as they confront notions of 1 2 3

See below See below See below

Mother Of The Disappeared (1986), Robert Lentz.

From: http://www.trinitystores.com/ (accessed April 3 30 2011)

Harvey Milk Of San Francisco (1988), Robert Lentz.

Mother Of The Disappeared (1986), Robert Lentz.

From http://www.trinitystores.com/ (accessed April 3 30 2011)

From: http://www.trinitystores.com/ (accessed April 3 30 2011)

Steven Biko Of San Francisco (1995), Robert Lentz.

From http://www.trinitystores.com/ (accessed April 3 30 2011)

Oscar Romero of El Salvador (1987), Robert Lentz.

From http://www.trinitystores.com/ (accessed April 3 30 2011)

unfamiliarity and intellectual uncertainty and question the amalgamation of tradition, cultures, history and politics.

The work of Robert Lentz and the icons of Saint Eugeny Rodinov also render them as uncanny when one considers an argument Jentsch makes linking the uncanny to misoneism - a strong dislike of the new or of change, something that he in turn links to intellectual uncertainty:

“It is an old experience that the traditional, the usual and the hereditary is dear and familiar to most people, and that they incorporate the new and the unusual with mistrust, unease and even hostility.” (Jentsch, 1906: 3) One can also add that Lentz’s work and the icons of the Saint Eugeny Rodinov also invoke the qualities of the uncanny concerned with the double and death. Here the spectator is presented with representations that impart divine immortality on the recently deceased, where art is obligated to present a recognisable likeness where a familiar archetype cannot, but where the uncanny can also provide comfort, solace or closeness to the sitter depicted in the icon, who in turn is rewarded with eternal life and reward for their life once lived.

It is in these icons of a newly canonised saint, reinterpreted archetypes or ‘canonised’ social and cultural figures that the uncanny can also be found. An artist’s choice to break from tradition may lead to uncanny notions of doubt, unease and uncertainty – sensations that motivate us to look again at what we are seeing and reassess what we think we’re seeing.

Addressing this sense of the uncanny allows us to make sense of what we are gazing at and what is gazing back at us, in order to re-establish our boundaries, our sense of familiarity and ease once more.

Conclusion An icon – like the uncanny – is something other than what it first seems. As a work of art, it is constructed on a series of symbolic, spiritual and psychological syntaxes. It is through reading an icon that a new attribute is revealed – that of the uncanny.

Yet key qualities and theological considerations of the uncanny – the visible and invisible, the secretive, the symbolic, the hidden life of an object actually serve its intended purpose. Subsequently what may be interpreted as uncanny by some is actually something a spectator / believer may desire to experience if they are to gain the intended full experience the icon sets out to deliver.

When the icon and its subject is more contemporary, sensations of the uncanny arise from questions that arise surrounding the uncanny concerns of familiarity and unfamiliarity – as a spectator navigates their way through thoughts of accuracy and realism versus archetypal

Lubov Rodionova with a photo and icon of her son, St. Eugeny Rodinov, photographer and date unknown.

From http://papakiara.wordpress.com/2010/03// (accessed March 28 2011)

representation, tradition versus the modern, spiritual versus secular, as well as the validity of the use of the icon as a representative form.

Sensing the uncanny in an icon and then seeking the reasons for this occurrence reveals the power of this art form, and the powerful responses an icon can create. It also leads to insight in how visual representation and interpretation is subject to a number of outside forces, be it religious, psychological, historical, social or cultural.

This leads to one into a mind-space where doubt and unease is challenged by questioning and investigation in a bid to uncover truth, meaning and understanding. It is in this space where the uncanny is truly experienced.

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CORMICK, R. (2005) The Eyes Of The Mother Of God in VASSILIKI, M. ed. (2005) Images Of The Mother Of God. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Limited. Available from: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Qw9zUeRLJ1QC&lpg= PA168&ots=jT65ocvcjF&dq=icon%20gaze&pg=PR4#v=snipp et&q=gaze&f=false (accessed April 1 2011) DICK, B. (2011) The Chameleon Christ (WWW) A History of Christian Art. Available from http://www.historyofchristianart.com/files/Cameleon_Ch rist_Shepherd_Lamb_Cross_Crucifix.pdf (accessed March 22 2011).

FREUD, S. (1919) The Uncanny, translated by David McLintock, with an introduction by Hugh Haughton, 2003.

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GILBERTO, T. (n.d.) Sacred Images: Statues and Other Icons (WWW) Available from http://www.fisheaters.com/images.html (accessed March 27 2011) ‘ICONREADER’ (2010) The Holiness Of Icons in A Reader’s Guide to Orthodox Icons. Weblog (Online) July 9 2010.

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JENTSCH E. (1906) On the Psychology of the Uncanny, translated by Roy Sellars. Available from http://art3idea.psu.edu/locus/Jentsch_uncanny.pdf (accessed March 23 2011) KNIGHT, K. ed., (2009) Veneration of Images (WWW) The Catholic Encyclopedia. Available from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07664a.htm (accessed March 23 2011).

LALLA, N. (2004) Icon (WWW) Theories of Media: Keywords. Available from http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/icon.htm (accessed March 24 2011) LENTZ, R. (1984) Jesus Christ: Liberator (WWW) Available from https://www.trinitystores.com (Accessed April 3 2011) LENTZ, R. (1986) Mother Of The Disappeared (WWW) Available from https://www.trinitystores.com (Accessed April 3 2011) LENTZ, R. (1987) Harvey Milk of San Francisco (WWW) Available from https://www.trinitystores.com (Accessed April 3 2011) LENTZ, R. (1988) Navaho Madonna (WWW) Available from https://www.trinitystores.com (Accessed April 3 2011) LENTZ, R. & GATELY, E (2003) Christ In The Margins.

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LUCHAKOVA, O. & JOHNSON, K. (2010), Icons: Windows To The Divine (WWW) in The Theosophical Society.

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PIOTROWSKI, K (n.d.), Rediscovering The Icon: New Ways of Looking at an Ancient Artform (WWW). Available from http://jacwell.org/Supplements/Rediscovering_the_Icon. htm#Kim (accessed March 23 2011) QUENOT, M. (1991) The Icon: Window on the Kingdom.

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SCOUTERIS, C. (n.d.) “Never As Gods”: Icons And Their Veneration (WWW) Available from http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/liturgi cs/scouteris_icons.htm (accessed March 24 2011).

SHELDRAKE, R. (2005) The Sense Of Being Stared At – Part 2: Its Implications for Theories of Vision (WWW) in Journal of Consciousness Studies, 12, No. 6, 2005, pp. 32– 49. Available from http://www.sheldrake.org/Articles&Papers/papers/starin g/pdf/JCSpaper2.pdf (accessed April 2 2011) TRINITYSTORES.COM (n.d.) Brother Robert Lentz, OFM (WWW) Available from http://www.trinitystores.com/ (accessed April 3 2011)

WEBER, S (1973) The Sideshow, Or Remarks On A Canny Moment (WWW). Available from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2907668?seq=1 (accessed March 21 2011) WHITE, L.M. (2008) An Imperial Jesus. Frontline: From Jesus to Christ: Why Did Christianity Succeed?

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WOODS, D (1998) Theodosius I (379-395 A.D) (WWW).

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Bibliography / Additional Reading FORTESCUE, A. (1910) Veneration of Images. (WWW) The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. Available from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07664a.htm (accessed March 23 2011).

JOINER, C. (n.d.) Create A Quiet Place For Prayer (WWW) Orthodox Prayer. Available from http://www.orthodoxprayer.org/Place%20for%20Prayer.ht ml (accessed March 30 2011).

KELLEY, M (2004) The Uncanny. Verlag Der Buchhandlung Walther Konig: Cologne.