LICA KOJA SVETLE Nekad su lica svetitelja na ikonama stroga, a nekad s ikona isijava lepota i ljubav Isusa Hrista. Šta se to mistično, tajno, blagodatno dešava u procesu stvaranja ikona, pitali smo našeg sagovornika. – Percepcija Boga oscilira, te je za neke Hristos nemilosrdni sudija, a za neke milosrdni i ljubeći Bog. Za mene to mistič- no i blagodatno se odvija pre svega u evharistiji. Moj odnos s Bogom se na prvom mestu ostvaruje na liturgiji, to jest u evharistiji. Pričešće je božja objava ljubavi čoveku, poziv u večni zagrljaj i neraskidivu vezu, a ja se na taj poziv vrlo ra- do odazivam. Stvaralaštvo je za mene psihosomatski pro- ces, koji na kraju daje rezultat – kaže Nikola.
A fusion of Byzantine spiritual art and contemporary and timeless painting, personal, inspired by theology and life in the times of smartphones and apps... All the artistic and colourful moments in which we live overlap through the eter- nal words and messages of Jesus Christ in the icons of Nikola Sarić. He studied at the Faculty of Applied Arts, before pur- suing additional education at the Acad- emy of the Serbian Orthodox Church for Conservation and Iconography. His paint- ing style even attracts those who’ve nev- er been inspired by icons. - Byzantine painting is one of the foundations upon which I build. Colour- ed with personal experience and knowl- edge, the result has taken on a contem- porary form, because I still happen to live and work in these times. I am fas- cinated and thus inspired by the entire body of human creativity, from prehis- toric drawings to current discourses, and everything I’ve seen and experienced has influenced my work in some way and to some extent – says Nikola, explaining his style of iconography. Although many first think of the dog- mas and rules of the church and church painting, this thirty-year-old artist man- ages to embellish the works in his cre- ative playground, recreating famous scenes and images from the Gospels in a new way. - An iconographer combines both theology and the visual arts, areas that demand enormous creative potential. If we need to talk about rules in iconogra- phy, they can in no way be related to the
Byzantine style, because such rules or can- ons simply don’t exist. The answer to this dilemma can be found in the etymology of the word icon, which implies an image of someone, with a focus on the similar- ity to the original that this emulates. So, an icon is essentially an image of some- one or something that we recognise in terms of content, and which we simulta- neously compare to an original work, re- gardless of the author, style, time, place, material or technique. I am, therefore, just a painter who is inspired by theological, literary and artistic sources – says Niko- la, explaining his work. His Cycle of life comprises imag- es from the Gospels and illustrations of some biblical events. The central event, the birth of Jesus or the baptism in the River Jordan, are explained by additional motives that more fully illustrate the cen- tral story. Circular compositions give them the appearance of a kaleidoscope, as if all the actors are interwoven in God’s palms. - Different perspectives of observa- tion interweave, so we simultaneously ob- serve the same idea from different theo- logical angles, but also at the same time visually. I discovered the circular compo- sition in ancient Greek paintings on ce- ramics, in which I found the potential to realise ideas that would become extreme- ly rhythmic and dynamic in that format. The Cycle of life deals with Christ as an example of a universal man or every- man. Through twelve pictures we follow and peel back important events from his life and activities, and they provide us with answers to the existential questions that we all pose.
FACES THAT ENLIGHTEN Sometimes the faces of saints on icons are harsh, while some- times the beauty and love of Jesus Christ radiates from them. We asked our interlocutor what happens during the process of creating icons that is mystical, secretive and blissful. - The perception of God fluctuates, so for some Christ is a merciful judge, and for some he is a compassionate and lov- ing God. For me, what is mystical and blissful first unfolds in the Eucharist. My relationship with God first comes to re- alisation in the liturgy, i.e. in the Eucharist. The Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is the proclamation of the love of the di- vine for man, a call to an eternal embrace and an unbreak- able connection, and I very joyfully respond to that call. Creation is for me a psychosomatic process that ultimately yields results – says Nikola.
| 91
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator