Friday, November 12, 2010

Theotokos


Theotokos
The Greek term for
"Mary: the one who gives birth to God"
watercolor, 8" x 11"
in my hardback art journal.
The paper in this art journal is not
for water media, and so it was 
difficult to get the shading
smooth as I would like.
The paper absorbs the water
and wrinkles. So my next art journal
will have heavier paper for mixed media.
Below, is the photo used as my model.


Color illustration from the book
Early Christian & Byzantine Art
by John Lowden, 1997.
In the illustration in the book, 
Mary's head is about one inch square,
so my version is greatly enlarged.
The actual original artwork is a mosaic in 
the apse of a large church,
St. Sophia in Istanbul, and the figures of the
mosaic are about 16 ft. 4 in. tall!
(Click on the image for enlarged view)
Since they are seen from far below,
however, they seem relatively small
to the viewer.(According to the
author of the book.) I found Mary's 
face and expression quite sweet, 
and was inspired to try creating
my own version.