For more than a thousand years, Eastern Christians have used their hands and hearts to create icons, proclaiming God's reality in a visible—and breathtakingly beautiful—way. This ancient art is enjoying a renewed interest in the West, as people of faith create icons and use them to meditate on mysteries for which there are no words. A Brush with God is a guide to painting icons and using them in prayer. Written with warmth and energy, it describes...

This lavishly illustrated guide to iconography explains through words and pictures the history, meaning, and purpose of Christian icons as well as the traditional methods that religious painters use to create these luminous, spiritually enlivened works of art. Solrunn Nes, one of Europe's most admired iconographers, illuminates the world of Christian icons, explaining the motifs, gestures, and colors common to these profound symbols of faith. Nes...

"Byzantine and Russian Orthodox icons are perhaps the most enduring form of religious art ever developed - and one of the most mysterious. This book, featuring the painted panels made for churches and for prayer at home, provides an accessible guide to their story and power. Illustrated mostly with Cretan, Greek, and Russian examples from the British Museum, which houses Britain's most important collection of icons, the book examines icons in the...