19th century Greek icon

19th century Greek icon.
"Virgin and Child".
Tempera on wood. Oklad in silver plated brass.
On wood panel with red felt.
It presents marks of use and wear. Needs cleaning.
Measurements: 21 x 15 cm; 35 x 30 cm (frame).

Icons cannot be compared with other works of art in the usual sense of the word. The icons are not paintings, but are considered to be the real presence of the character depicted. Pictures, with their features and coloring, speak of men and events of concrete reality. On the other hand, icons do not represent, but constitute in themselves another world. And they do so with special means of representation, developed over the centuries. In them, color plays a significant role, that of a symbolic language that must express not the color of things, but their luminosity, a light that comes from beyond the physical world. The golden spaces of the icons embody this non-terrestrial light, and the golden background symbolizes the space that is "not of this world". In the icons there are no shadows, because in the kingdom of God everything is filled with light. In them there is also no usual space, just as there are no conventional events. The icon is an open window to a world of another nature, but this window opens only for those who possess spiritual vision.