Christ and his Apostles on Lake Tiberias Greek Orthodox Icon | Thessalonica, Greece
This beautiful Icon is a contemplation on the miracle of Jesus calming the storm, recorded in the gospels of Matthew 8:23–27, Mark 4:35–41 and Luke 8:22–25. One evening when Jesus and his disciples were crossing the Lake Tiberias in a fishing boat, a sudden and furious storm developed. Jesus is identified by the Cross Halo along with the garments of dark blue and red. This juxtaposition of colours follows a long tradition in which the use of blue and red symbolise the divine and human nature of Christ, respectively. Christ is depicted twice in the unfolding narrative: asleep at the stern of the boat, then standing centrally beneath the unfurled sail with right arm outstretched. The swelling waters together with billowing sail convey the dramatic height of the storm and the moment of Christ’s miraculous intervention. Afraid, the disciples woke him and asked, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Mark’s Gospel then states: ‘He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind then ceased, and waters were calm’. The tiny naked figure to the upper left of the Icon is the antique deity of wind who blows the force of nature through a horn, thus controlling the fortunes of sailors and fishermen. The gospel lesson is thus ‘written’ through the Icon, which meditates upon Jesus’s words to all Christian disciples till the end of time: “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40).
Art Guide Resource
Art Guide gives an insightful explanation of each painting featured in the 2021 Columban Art Calendar.
The 2021 Columban Art Calendar Art Guide has been compiled by Dr Ursula Betka, Art Historian, Teacher and Iconographer and narrated by Robyn Moore (Voice Artist and Professional Speaker) and recorded by George Goerss at Sonic Solutions. Artworks ©Bridgeman Images.
- Download: 2021 Art Guide (PDF)
