ICONS - Father Timotei Tohaneanu
 | | Feast Icon - The Resurrection | | |
|  | | Feast Icon - Entry into Jerusalem | | |
|  | | Feast Icon - Three Scenes - The Annunciation, The Holy Trinity, The Resurrection | | |
|  | | Feast Icon - The Flight to Egypt | | |
|  | | Feast Icon - Mother of God | | |
|  | | Feast Icon - Jesus Christ | | |
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The Abbot of Brancoveanu Monastery of Simbata de Sus near Fagaras, Romania - is considered one of the most prominent modern painters of Icons on glass.. It was upon his initiative that this old tradition was resumed in Romainia shortly after graduating from the Theological Seminary in Cluj and taking up his post at the Monastery as Abbot in 1954.
Father Timotei came from a peasant family when religious icons were part of the norm and whilst travelling around the Land of Olt and the Scheli Brasovului district he decided collect them and exhibit them at the Monastery. His facsination with this ancient art form - painting in reverse on glass - made him decide to learn the craft by copying old Icons. His themes follow those of old masters such as Matei Timforea and Savu Moga. Eventually by using accepted Orthodox themes and remaining true to the Byzantine tradition of painting, he began to create compositions of his own. The work is created by painting in reverse order, the first colour to be applied to the glass are highlights, then light colours followed by those of the medium range, each one upon the other until the final dark colours which give the work its density It is a very difficult proceedure and requires great concentration, applying the colours in the wrong order ruins the work and the painter has to start again from the beginning. When finished the Icon is viewed from the otherside,where the colours are seen as intense and dramatic which is exactly what the Church's intention was - to convey the message to the populace
He is a naive painter whose work has enjoyed much appreciation in the West where he has had numerous Exhibitions in places such as New York and Gemany, in the UK they have been shown at Rochester Cathedral, Salisbury Catredral, University of Birmingham, All Hallows by the Tower, and Mid Cornwalll Galleries.
He depicts the Virgin Mary, the Nativity, the life of Jesus Christ and the Saints, peasants toiling in the fields, shepherds with their flocks, churches representing the Monastery and many other cameos showing life in his Country. His attention to detail is can be seen in the elaborate borders with which each Icon is enclosed, his colours are bright and attract attention to the chosen subject, they are elaborate in both detail and content. From this it is easy to understand the enjoyment that this monk painter gains from his paintings which he has dedicated to his Monastery, and grace the walls thereof.
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