At the Franklin Art Association monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 1, Dennis Sardella, author of the book Visible Image of the Invisible God: An Introduction to Russian and Byzantine Icons, published by Paraclete Press, will present an illustrated lecture entitled “Russian Icons: Art As Revelation.” Byzantine and Russian icons are the art of the Christian East, a living tradition that spans nearly two millennia, from the Roman Empire to the twenty-first century. The talk will explore their history, their symbolic language, and their role in the liturgical and spiritual life of the Eastern Church. It will also give an overview of the major types of icons, including those of Christ, the Mother of God, saints, and feasts, and the steps that go into their creation.

Sardella has been a docent at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, MA, since 2010, where he leads gallery tours and introduces visitors to the world of Byzantine and Russian icons. He also writes and speaks regularly to civic and church groups on the topics of religious icons and the role they play in Eastern Christian spirituality.

From 1967 until 2012 he was a professor of chemistry at Boston College. In 1990, he became the founding director of the Boston College Presidential Scholars Program, a university-wide co-curricular honors program, and directed it until 2010. As part of the Program, for 17 years he and his wife Marjorie, a fine art photographer, led groups of Boston College Presidential Scholars on month-long study trips to France, which stimulated his interest in the subject of religious icons. 

This meeting will be held at the Franklin Senior Center at 6:30 p.m. on February 1st.  The public is invited. The Franklin Art Association is supported in part by the Franklin Cultural District and the Franklin Cultural Council and can be found at www.franklinart.org, and on Facebook and Instagram.