Still Life with Icon of the Kazan Mother of God

Oftentimes, long before the creation of a painting, certain images and ideas come to mind
that inspire one towards its execution. That is what happened in this case. An excerpt from the verse of the psalm “Blessed is the earth and all that is therein” was the creative inspiration. This sentence planted itself in my mind and I wished to express the beauty of nature and God’s blessing on all creation using the genre of still life. God’s earth is so splendid: the fruits of the earth, the ripe harvest, wheat, flowers, a cluster
of grapes! Everything is created by God for the enjoyment of humankind.

In the center of the painting is the Kazan Mother of God with the Infant Christ. The icon is the compositional center of the painting and a symbol of divine love which transfigures our entire life. There is a lit candle before the icon. The candle burns, the Most Holy Virgin prays for us. The candle is a symbol of prayer. And in the painting the candle’s flame is symbolic of the heart of the Mother of God. The candle burns in front of the icon, on a little table covered with a lace tablecloth on which a blessed prosphora, fruit, ears of wheat, and wild flowers have been placed. An icon cloth surrounds the image. In the background lies a cluster of grapes symbolic of Christ: “I am the grapevine, and My Father is the …”