Icons at Holy Trinity are 'windows of heaven'

A painting is sometimes more than just a painting.

"There's art that has the power to transform," said the Rev. Anthony Salzman, a Greek Orthodox priest.

He also is a Byzantine iconographer with a workshop in Watkinsville, Ga., who specializes in intricate depictions of Jesus Christ and the saints of the church. Today, the Rev. Salzman will lead a workshop on the art at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 953 Telfair St.

"Iconography has a special purpose. It makes the invisible visible," he said. "They're called the windows of heaven."

The workshop is part of the 20th annual Augusta Greek Festival, a three-day event that includes church tours, music, dance and food. Outside the church, the Greek food vendors dominate, but inside, iconography steals the stage.

"I say all the time I think it's the prettiest church in Augusta," said the Rev. Vasile Bitere, the priest at Holy Trinity.

Icons blanket the entrance, altar and dome ceiling.

"It's an important part of our tradition," the Rev. Bitere said.

The Rev. Salzman will offer a history of iconography, followed by a painting demonstration.

Twenty years ago, he learned how to create the icons as a seminary student in Cambridge, Mass., and in Greece.

"I was an abstract expressionist. Then I became an Orthodox Christian," he said.

It came to define the art he created, which differs from other forms of iconography with which Christians already might be familiar.

"Western iconography, it tells you a story. It tells you how to feel. What I do is different," he said. "Byzantine iconography confronts you with a fact. It's hard edges, linear. It really comes off the wall. You become part of the scene."

The Rev. Salzman also will field questions.

"Sometimes people come in with the assumption that we're not suppose to worship idols," he said. "Once we talk and raise the comfort level, we're able to say, 'Look, God took on flesh and so we're able to depict him.' That can open up a new world."

Reach Kelly Jasper at (706) 823-3552 or kelly.jasper@augustachronicle.com.