How a contemporary icon painter depicts saints with animals (PICS)
St. Spyridon with lambs, the Evangelist Mark with a lion, Gertrude of Nivelles with a cat. Russian artist Anna Baybakova makes animals full participants in the scenes.
According to the old icon-painting canon, animals became objects of depiction only in rare cases, as all attention was always given to the saint. But, Anna Baybakova believes that the icon-painting canon is constantly changing, so it is far more important to convey the essence of a religious subject clearly.
That’s why, on her icons and religious paintings (which allow even more freedom), cats, lambs, horses and other animals appear, with which the saints come into touching contact.
By education, Baybakova is a production designer for animated cinema and television; she graduated from ‘VGIK’, the country's main film school. She studied icon painting in the village of Kholuy, Ivanovo Oblast, where an impressive school of icon painters and lacquer miniature masters has existed since ancient times.
Today, Anna's works can be seen in churches and you can buy copies and photographs made from her works in church stores.
Here are a select few of them:
St. Spyridon with Lambs
The Nativity of Christ
Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora monastery
Saint Paisios of Mount Athos
Xenia of Saint Petersburg
Gerasimus of the Jordan
Gertrude of Nivelles
St. Francis of Assisi
The Apostle Peter
St. Seraphim of Sarov
