“I really like to paint angels”: Icon painter in the space of the modern city

Keywords: modern icon painting, artistic creation, religious art, urban space, confessional identity, canon, cultural code, visual code

Abstract

The interview discusses themes of “naive” icon painting in the cultural space of the modern city, the mission of religious art and freedom of artistic creation. Elmira Iarudova, an artist from Pskov, answers questions about universal and local iconographic canon, emotional connection of an iconographer with his work, correlation between artistic creativity and social and cultural space, mutual influence of fine art and personal growth, peculiarities of regional Christian iconography, and about languages and styles of modern iconography.  The dialog clarifies the positions of the contemporary urban artist about relationship between tradition and innovation in the sphere of religious art, functions of the icon, the meaning of artistic creation, history and prospects of the icon-painting tradition in Russia, and the visual aspects of cultural and confessional identity

Author Biography

S. S. Avanesov, Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34680/vistheo-2025-7-1-173-194

Sergey S. Avanesov
Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University,
Veliky Novgorod, Russia
iskiteam@yandex.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1081-4871

Elmira Ch. Iarudova
Pskov, Russia
elmira.iarud@mail.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1063-6393

Abstract
The interview discusses themes of “naive” icon painting in
the cultural space of the modern city, the mission of religious art
and freedom of artistic creation. Elmira Iarudova, an artist from Pskov, answers questions about universal and local iconographic canon, emotional connection of an iconographer with his work, correlation between artistic creativity and social and cultural space, mutual influence of fine art and personal growth, peculiarities of regional Christian iconography, and about languages and styles of modern iconography.  The dialog clarifies the positions of
the contemporary urban artist about relationship between tradition
and innovation in the sphere of religious art, functions of the icon,
the meaning of artistic creation, history and prospects of the icon-painting tradition in Russia, and the visual aspects of cultural
and confessional identity.

Keywords: modern icon painting, artistic creation, religious art, urban space, confessional identity, canon, cultural code, visual code

Funding: the research was funded by the Russian Science Foundation, project No. 24-18-00672 “City’s cultural code:
People, history, identity”, https://rscf.ru/project/24-18-00672/.

About authors

Sergey S. Avanesov
Dr. Sci. (Philosophy), Professor,
Director of the Research and Educational Centre
for Humanitarian Urbanistics
Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University
41, Bolshaya Sankt-Peterburgskaya ul., Veliky Novgorod, 173003, Russian Federation
E-mail: iskiteam@yandex.ru

Elmira Ch. Iarudova
Teacher of Composition and Painting
Pskov Children’s Art Studio “Striped cat”
54, Oktyabrskiy Ave., Pskov, 180004, Russian Federation
E-mail: elmira.iarud@mail.ru

For citation:
Avanesov S. S., Iarudova E. Ch. “I really like to paint angels”: Icon painter in the space of the modern city. Interview. Journal of Visual Theology. 2025. Vol. 7. 1. Pp. 173–194. https://doi.org/10.34680/
vistheo-2025-7-1-173-194

Published
2025-06-26
How to Cite
Avanesov, S. S., & Iarudova, E. C. (2025). “I really like to paint angels”: Icon painter in the space of the modern city. Visual Theology, 7(1), 173-194. Retrieved from https://visualtheology.ru/index.php/journal/article/view/157
Section
Interviews
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