The New Icons by Yorgos Papadopoulos | Solo Exhibition
1st June - 1st July 2010
Vessel Gallery is proud to present a stunning new interpretation of one of the most sacred art forms.
Inspired by the most holy representations of the Orthodox religion, architectural glass artist Yorgos Papadopoulos has created intriguing, challenging versions of the Madonna, Jesus and Saints.
Made from carefully controlled shattered glass, these unique canvases depict archetypal images in a wholly new and relevant way, from the electrifying neon pink Madonna to a serene Saint George.
Icons not only were traditionally viewed as representing deity, they were considered to be holy in themselves, or ‘acheiropoieton’, untouched by human hand and created by saints. This strict visual tradition where conformity of colours and expressions is valued above all else and handed down from one generation of artists to the next, contrasts sharply with the Western view, where novelty and developing a new aesthetic are prized the most. For Papadopoulos the ultimate challenge is to reconcile these two diametrically opposed traditions, so a search for a new iconography is not something to be undertaken lightly.
Inspired by the most holy representations of the Orthodox religion, architectural glass artist Yorgos Papadopoulos has created intriguing, challenging versions of the Madonna, Jesus and Saints.
Made from carefully controlled shattered glass, these unique canvases depict archetypal images in a wholly new and relevant way, from the electrifying neon pink Madonna to a serene Saint George.
Icons not only were traditionally viewed as representing deity, they were considered to be holy in themselves, or ‘acheiropoieton’, untouched by human hand and created by saints. This strict visual tradition where conformity of colours and expressions is valued above all else and handed down from one generation of artists to the next, contrasts sharply with the Western view, where novelty and developing a new aesthetic are prized the most. For Papadopoulos the ultimate challenge is to reconcile these two diametrically opposed traditions, so a search for a new iconography is not something to be undertaken lightly.
