ICON PAINTING GUIDED BY PRAYER - SAMARDŽIJA PRESERVES ANCIENT ART

PALE, JANUARY 7 /SRNA/ – Svetlana Samardžija from Pale, who is dedicated to icon painting, says that everyone engaged in this ancient artistic tradition is guided by prayer.

In an interviews with SRNA, Samardžija said she has been involved in painting since early childhood, while her love for icon painting emerged with the opening of the Archangel School of Icon Painting within the Cathedral Church of the Holy Archangel Gabriel in Pale, under the guidance of Archpriest Nemanja Mandžić. "Initially, it brought together a larger group of children and adults, but later Professor Goran Janićijević focused on working with adults. During the three and a half years I have spent in icon painting, I do not know the exact number of icons I have created, but the most beautiful and most demanding technique we practiced was fresco painting, or mural painting, which can be seen in medieval monasteries, in Kosovo and Metohija and here as well," Samardžija stressed. She explained that icon painting requires a special technique and strict adherence to canon, although each artist weaves something personal into their work. "These achievements are invisible to the untrained eye," Svetlana said, adding that professors and icon painters recognize them easily. "Sometimes I feel that I am not doing this alone, because every icon painter is guided by prayer and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Every class begins with prayer and blessing, and in this way icons are created. In essence, we are not painting an image, but that saintly essence of each individual saint," Samardžija pointed out. One of the works she is particularly proud of is Saint Gerasimus of the Jordan, painted in egg tempera with acrylic on a canvas measuring 60 by 50 centimeters. According to her, the technique is medieval, depending on the use of gold or silver leaf, while the binding medium is egg yolk mixed with natural pigments. The time Svetlana needs to complete an icon varies from three to four days, and sometimes up to a month, depending on inspiration and size. Her inspiration stems from her love of painting and her connection with the Church, as well as active participation in liturgical life. She noted that the most beautiful works are created after the liturgy, especially on the eve of holidays dedicated to saints.