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ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1972
Telling Story
Of Nativity
"And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from
them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, let us
now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is
come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
"And they carne with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph
and the babe lying in a manger." Luke 2:15-16.
As even little children know, the words of St. Luke tell the
story of the Miracle in a manger. Shepherds watching in the
fields, herald angels singing —these things Christians can
picture today because of St, Luke, the physician who be-
came Christ's disciple.
Traditionally, St. Luke did still more to preserve the spir-
itual treasures of the Christmas story. He literally pictured
the Madonna.
According to this tradition, St. Luke was an iconographer
as well as a physician, and as such he created the first im-
age of the Madonna, a painting that became the guide for
many icons in later centuries.
As legend has it, St. Luke's icon of the Madonna and his
other paintings were the forerunners of the style of artistic
expression known as Byzantine art.
Oppressed and suppressed in some eras, Byzantine reli-
gious art has so original and distinctive a style that it re-
turned again and again, to thrive throughout 12 centuries,
Today, it is enjoying a rebirth, through the efforts of dedi-
cated iconographers.
Showing Images
Iconography is a system
for representing Christian
subjects by means of pictures
or images. Originally, the
term meant "portrayal," and
applied especially to panels
portraying the figure of
Christ, the Madonna, a saint
or some scene from the Bible,
according to the Grolier
Book of Art.
In the Greek Orthodox
Church icon technically
means a movable religious
painting. However, iconogra-
reetinqS
Here's to a very
Merry Christmas full
of peace and
happiness.
m
ZURICH VARIETY STORE
Leeland and Anne Willert
Heartiest
wishes for
you and the family
for the merriest
Yuletide ever!
GASCHO'S DRY GOODS
ED, CHARLOTTE and MARY
ZURICH
phy often refers, more broad-
ly, to wall paintings and
mosaics as well as portable
icons.
Going Iconoclastic
The art of the Byzantine—
or Eastern Roman — empire
first flourished under the
rule of Justinian, in the 6th
century A.D.
But trouble loomed ahead.
When Emperor Leo, III
came to power, he brought
with him a deep hatred of all
images, especially icons, say
the editors of the Encyclo-
pedia Americana.
As an Iconoclast—hater of
icons—Leo forbade the cre-
ation of religious figures and
images, and the Iconoclastic
Age began in 726,
Paintings on church walls
were whitewashed, ivories
and mosaics removed, count-
less works of art destroyed.
Comics GEet. Help
When icons returned to
favor in the 9th century, the
Iconoclastic Age had been
responsible for the loss of
much religious art — but it
had some benefits.
Secular art gained by it,
as artists ,of the monastic
schools began to work under
the patronage of the nobility.
Even modern comic strips
owe something to the Icono-
clasts. The monastic artists.
who turned to secular work
brought with them the By-
zantine method of telling a
story through a continuous
series of drawings.
Syrnbolisin Rules
Surviving wars, crusades
and conquests, Byzantine art
flourished till the middle of
the 15th century.
Over the years, Byzantine
artists influenced others, but
were rarely influenced by
others. Though the early
Renaissance brought realism,
the colorful, decorative and
formal qualities of the By-
zantine style remained vir-
tually unchanged.
In Byzantine art, highly
stylized figures appear, with
little or no three-dimensional
effect. Gold backgrounds sug-
gest almost no sense of space.
Familiar scenes such as
the Nativity show painted
figures that are allegorical,
mystical, symbolic—but
never realistic in color or
form.
For believers of the Greek
Orthodox faith and other
Eastern churches, the sym-
bolic nature of Byzantine art
has a deep religious signifi-
cance.
Considered solely as an art
form, the Byzantine tech-
nique is renowned for its
beauty and decorative char—
acter. In its symbolic ap-
proach, this ancient art is
closer to the art of today
than the representational
works of more recent cen-
turies.
As in all forms of art, the
story of the Nativity has been
a source of inspiration to
iconographers through the
ages.
The Madonna and Child
have long been favorite sub-
jects for icons, while Byzan-
tine triptychs often showed
Guarding the Home
Sweden has an unusual
gift -giver — it's a goat! Ac-
cording to tradition, the Yul-
bock or Yule goat comes to
the door of Swedish homes
on Christmas Eve and tosses
the family's gifts through
the doorway.
Another legendary guest
at Swedish holiday celebra-
tions is Tomte, a kind-heart-
ed elf who guards the home,
A dish of food is placed in a
quiet corner, so that Tomte
may feast as he secretly ob-
serves the family fun.
Christ, Mary His Mother and
John the Baptist.
Other early iconographers
turned to St. Nicholas, bishop
of Myra, as a subject worthy
of attention. The good bishop
is known in legend as the
forefather of Santa Claus,
Glad Oki4stntasl'idinqs
To all, we wish the spiritual rewards
that are so much a part of Christmas.
LUCKY DOLLAR FOOD MARKET
ZURICH
Clarence Gascho and Family
In the true and hearty spirit of an
old-fashioned Christmas, we wish
you the best, and thank you warmly.
STADE HARDWARE
Harold Stade Doing Stade
ZURICH
zf
'LVe'll take just
a minute .. .
to wish you a
wonderful
Christmas!
RICHARD BEDARD
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
R 2 Zurich
is
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