At Brandeis my major was Greek and Latin Classics, but my minor was Art History, and I spent most of my study time in ancient, medieval, and Byzantine art. The icon painters of the Eastern Orthodox Churches are, or claim to be, in direct descent from the early images of Christianity. I didn't take any art history courses in more modern eras, so I didn't concentrate much on 19th or 20th century art. But that doesn't mean I wasn't influenced by modernism as an artist. Not to mention that my mother, artist Esther Geller, was an authentic part of modern art movements and she gave me much knowledge of modernist art first-hand.
This piece is my modestly successful attempt to unite 20th century abstraction with a Byzantine icon. It's only a sketch and I never painted a more formal copy. You can see my studies for the face next to the icon.
Colored pencil, graphite pencil, and inks on sketchbook page, 1972.
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