HISTORY OF ICONS PAINTED ON GLASS 
 Ioan BORLEAN *

In the Romanian folk art all together, peasant painting on glass is the highest form of aesthetics of the ancestral spiritual expression of beauty tied to the real world and to the imaginary one. It arose because of the emergence of primitive manufacturing glass and was developed on a relatively small area of the current borders of Romania, namely in Transylvania.
The 18th century marks the beginning of the 19th century, its quality reaches its peak, because in the early decades of the 20th century, with the radical transformation of life and mentality of the Romanian peasant, icon on glass was removed from its major nature which he owned , enjoying another search and appraisal this time of the embellishers and conservatives of the ancient art.
The colors used in a masterfully way, are vibrant, warm, sincere, true modern works that can be compared to those of Picasso and Mattise, Roald.

The drawing is restricted to essential lines that preserve the main and indispensable features of the proposed topic, simplifying forms to the fullest. The use of gold foil in icons results in a surreal light full of spiritual serenity reminiscent of the Byzantine craftsmen's creations.
The composition of the images is simple, being captured in the center of the image, a good balance of shapes and colored surfaces, the elements which compose the picture of the icon with a smaller or larger importance in the image according to hierarchical or symbolic significance.
By force of authenticity, and decorative charm ,humanism of shapes, bright coloring and the tradition of this genre of art linked to people's lives, the icons on glass deserve all our admiration.
* Permanent exhibition Catalogue-Vadu Izei, Bibliography: Iuloana and Dumitru DANCU, »The peasant painting on glass», Bucharest, 1975.

ABOUT ICONS AND SAINTS
Costion NICOLESCU *

The first icon, according to Church, the son of God, the Face of "God" ,Face appeared and existing since ever in the Trinity. it is like a tattoo in the heart of man and nothing can erase it from that place.
This is the image which Adam was made after. And likeness, in which man must grow, multiply the brightness of its shine. «In the early ages, Word came down to Adam» The Holy Apostle and evangelist Luke, doctor and painter, he painted the first, inspired by the Holy Spirit, the icon of Virgin Mary. creation of the image.
The artist before starting to make an icon, it's obliged to pray much at first, to the one he wants to paint asking him for help, instilling and blessing. Especially because to paint the image of the face one is in serious need of help and instilling from the Holy Spirit.
Without prayer and piety ,what comes out is just a portrait. Savu Moga, before starting work at an icon, made prayers and fasting two days.
Those to whom it was destined the icon were encouraged to pray together with the painter and to fast during her making. Painters were not to portray icons in days of religious significance. The priest sprinkles holy water on the icon and it's truly the sanctification moment, gives his respect to it, bows and then kisses it. The Conception.
The young peasant woman who wants to have a child advises with the mother-in-law, and is urged to have faith in God and is tough how to pray to the icon of the Virgin Mary. Forty days an icon stays at the head of the bed and in the shirt she ties charcoal, bread and garlic. After Christening the baby is brought in front of the worshipped icon and forty days they worship the icons in the Church. At the wedding.

When the bride is taken to her new home, before all, an icon is brought, usually an icon of the Virgin Mary, as confidence that the Christ and Virgin Mary are present at the wedding just as in Caana Galilee. Those who get married choose the icon of a Saint, protector of the family.
The girl's father starts the dowry with an icon of Virgin Mary, in the need can be any Saint. At the wedding one gave as present an icon of the Virgin and Child « or " The Birth of Jesus " as a sign of fruition in the upcoming marriage. At the burial.
The ancestors at their last sleep had an icon or a cross on his chest, to show that the Christian gives his life in Christ ,surrenders to Him at their death , and the cross or the Saint portrayed on the icon is shield and weapon against the bad angels (which seeks to take the souls of the dead) and at the same time intermediary before God.
When two neighbours want to make amends they give each other an icon. For protection against danger (war, disease, drought, pest, famine, etc.) help was asked to every holy icon bearing the symbol of his power: St. Stelian protects small children, let alone by their parents who went to field to work . Saints Cosma and Damian, were those free-tax doctors for the babies. Saint Tripton is the guardian of gardeners banishes locusts and mice, Saint Peter is the patron saint of bakers, Saint Eustatiu is the patron of hunters, Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of fishermen and girls without a dowry, Saint Iov is patron of bee breeders. Saints of the seasons. Saint George protects spring, Mother of God takes care of the rich and fruitful summer, St. Dumitru is the patron saint of autumn, Saint Nicholas is the messenger of winter.                            
* Costion Nicolescu, Catalog-The exhibition of the Romanian icon painters from the Romanian Peasant Museum.

THE ART OF THE ICON, A CLIMAX OF ART   
Horea BERNEA*

Who said a lot of centuries ago ,that "painting" is the younger sister of mysticism thought of the icon painter, so by painting one realizes a sort of mysticism. It is a more unusual way -it is the younger sister.
It is not the mother, which is prayer. It is a submission. In any case, in any way one might look at it, for any painter or art person, the icon remains a peak in art, a climax of art. Now, I know for sure that success is guaranteed and if I kept a painting course, this is what I would teach them. Until learning something else, they should learn why we paint. Why man does art.
Everything that is in Church must be a mirror of the Evangelic teaching. But now everything that remained is words and everything that is expression of this teaching in Church, is sabotaged and faked. Go to Chartres.

There one can see how well has the Western world evolved. There in the second basement, the first church from Chartres was found, which is exactly like Saint Anton from "Manuc's Inn" in Bucharest.
Therefore, at that time, we were the same and then they went on a different path. It is obvious that more you enter in the depth of art in any Catholic phenomenon, the more you discover that Christians were the same at the beginning. By distancing one from another, they lost.
But they-after a sad experience-have around Chartres stores with Byzantin icons only.
This is why I say that our culture can be saved, those who know can save us. It is just that those who know speak and those who don't know lead and are sure that they are right.

* Press article-excerpt given by Horia Bernea, manager of the Romanian Peasant Museum, Bucharest, 1997.

THE SACRED ART OF THE ICONS  
Ioan BORLEAN *

The sacred art of the icons was not invented by artists. It is an institution that comes from the Holy Parents, from the Church tradition (the 7.th synod).
The representation of God on icons in His human look serves to convince the heretics who claim that He was never really human but in the imagination. The pictures ,the icons, the objects of worship which exist in the same secret life are integrated in the mystery of the Mass; no icon can be understood outside this integration.
The icon is "blessed" in the name of God and His friends, and for this it receives the "grace" of God. There where we meet His name we meet His existence too.
The icon is the painted name, Christ is the face-the Unseen God-in other words the humanity of Christ is the icon of His unseen godlike image, it is the "seen of the Unseen".
The icon of Jesus appears as a simultaneous image of God and man, the icon of Jesus as an entireness, of the Human God. Christ the Son is a total "shine", "face", "seal", the only icon of God.

The icon of the saints does not put the problem of Christ regarding the two natures, but that of the 2 bodies, the human and the divine one. The human, already with God inside is anticipated by the divine one, the icon suggesting the true face for eternity that God contemplated, in his resemblance with the divine one we can notice the hypostatical presence of a saint. It is not the icon that is beautiful but the truth which descends and garments itself with its charms.
By his empiric imperfection, the icon suggests a perfection in filigree, reminds man that he is the face of God, angel in body and spirit by his original reaction. On true word the icon blesses the eyes oh those who see it and uplift de mind to the mystical knowledge of God.
The "Taboric" light makes the icon the iconographic argument of the existence of God. Man was never able to invent the icon, if man aspires to Beauty, it is because he bathes in its light, if man thinks of God, it means that he already thinks inside the Divine Thought, that He is already inside him".