Icons- what are your favorites?

[Julie]

Recently, I discovered that icons are super helpful to me. They really draw me in and I'm able to pray more deeply and with better concentration. Α little over 6 months ago, I was given a tiny little diptych of Theotokos on one side and Christ Pantocreator on the other, and during WYD, I came into possession of a (slightly nicer, but still small and not actually painted) St. Francis. 

I'd really like to add to my collection, and get a "real" icon (though not terribly fancy, since I'm going to be graduating college this spring and I have about the budget you'd expect from a recently minted theology grad). So I'm looking for ideas as to which one. I don't know much about icons, really, but I like the ones with a lot of small details (like the significance of red over blue vs blue over red, Our Lady's three stars, the different facial expressions on each side of Christ's face in nicer versions of the Pantocreator icon, etc) versus the ones that are just images of a saint painted "icon style" but without much "information" included. 

 

Soooo.... Any favorites?

[Julie]

By the way, this is what I've got now:

  both of them kind of have air bubbles and things, but I like them nonetheless.

[CountrySteve21]

 

 

I love icons,  one of my favorite one is called "Rublev's Trinity" and "Theotokos of Vladmir" ( I have a copy of one in my prayer corner, I got it from http://legacyicons.com/theotokos-of-vladimir-icon-t116/ 

 

[Nihil Obstat]

I have always liked Christ Pantocrator and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. And of course St. Irenaeus. Although lately I have been becoming more and more strongly drawn to the western religious art traditions, and perhaps slightly less to the eastern iconographic tradition in the meantime.

Nothing against eastern iconography. I am, I think, just exploring the faith that is also so evident in traditional western religious art.

[NadaTeTurbe]

I'm more attracted to Western art (specially medieval one), but when it comes to icons, I like this one : 

[truthfinder]

1 hour ago, Nihil Obstat said:

I have always liked Christ Pantocrator and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. And of course St. Irenaeus. Although lately I have been becoming more and more strongly drawn to the western religious art traditions, and perhaps slightly less to the eastern iconographic tradition in the meantime.

Nothing against eastern iconography. I am, I think, just exploring the faith that is also so evident in traditional western religious art.

Oh no - you're becoming more Latin

[Julie]

57 minutes ago, NadaTeTurbe said:

I'm more attracted to Western art (specially medieval one), but when it comes to icons, I like this one : 

Oh that's beautiful!

Our Lady of Perpetual Help is also a really great idea!

[truthfinder]

I'm not really into icons, but I do like this one of Theotokos

[Nihil Obstat]

4 hours ago, truthfinder said:

Oh no - you're becoming more Latin

Deus vult.

[WhiteLily]

I like the Divine Mercy icon and Jesus, Divine Master

I like the Divine Mercy icon and Jesus, Divine Master

[OnlySunshine]

I visited a Greek Orthodox shrine and they had SO many icons.  I found one of St. Elizabeth (Mary's cousin) but she looked so sullen and sour and NOT how I think of St. Elizabeth at all.  It really brought a frown to my face when I saw that and the lady who was running the shop asked if I needed help with something when she saw me put the icon back on the rack.  I told her that I really wanted an icon of Mary and Elizabeth together at the Visitation, but that she didn't have any that I saw.  Apparently, they do not celebrate the Visitation like we do.  However, she was MORE than kind and offered to contact the artist who created the icons to see if he could make one for me.  He said he would be happy to make one.  She took my payment and my address since I live about an hour away from the shop and didn't visit there much.  I was expecting a small icon (about 3" x 2" since that's the size they were selling in the shop) but I was surprised when I got a larger package in the mail.  I opened it up to find the most BEAUTIFUL icon of the Visitation!  It was about 5" x 8" and I fell in love with it!  This is the image he used to create it:

I have it hanging by my bedroom door so I can look at it all the time.  It is one of my most treasured items.  I just realized I've never had it blessed, so I need to take it to Church this weekend and have one of our priests or deacons bless it. 

I would love to have an icon of my confirmation saint - St. Anne - so I plan to get one when I return to the shrine (hopefully, on Labor Day weekend).  I think they had one of St. Anne, St. Joachim, and Mary together which I would LOVE.  I love this one:

[<3 PopeFrancis]

On 8/19/2016 at 4:09 PM, WhiteLily said:

I like the Divine Mercy icon and Jesus, Divine Master

I like the Divine Mercy icon and Jesus, Divine Master

 

On 8/18/2016 at 10:20 AM, Nihil Obstat said:

Although lately I have been becoming more and more strongly drawn to the western religious art traditions

Recently, I saw an icon of St. Faustina Kowalska.  I was immediately taken by the fact there was one of her.  It brought a new awareness and freshness to my interest in them.

I did get one of St. Anthony (Padua) with the Child Jesus.

[<3 PopeFrancis]

27 minutes ago, <3 PopeFrancis said:

 It brought a new awareness and freshness to my interest in them.

I mean to this tradition.