Orthodox Icon Painting Tradition

Timeline

1. 726–843Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireIn 726 Byzantine emperor Leo III issued an edict against icons, sparking over a century of Iconoclasm. The Second Council of Nicaea in 787 affirmed the theological legitimacy of icon veneration, and the 'Triumph of Orthodoxy' in 843 marked the definitive end of the controversy, after which icon production flourished anew within a theological framework.
2. 900–1200Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireDuring the Macedonian dynasty (867–1056) icon painting reached high refinement; gold-ground egg tempera icons, mosaics, and ivory icons flourished, iconographic types (such as the Hodegetria Virgin) became highly standardized, and the tradition spread to the Slavic world through missionary activity.
3. 1400–1550Moscow and Novgorod · RussiaAndrei Rublev (c. 1360–1430) fused the Byzantine tradition with the Russian national spirit in his Trinity icon, the summit of Russian icon painting; later the Stroganov school (late 16th century) developed a distinctly Russian style with fine brushwork and enamel-like colors.
4. 1601–1610Across the Orthodox world · Near EastIn the early 17th century the Orthodox icon tradition flourished simultaneously in Russia (Stroganov school), Crete (post-Byzantine school), Serbia, Georgia, and elsewhere, each school blending local styles with inherited Byzantine norms. The Cretan painter El Greco learned this tradition in his youth before going to Spain, where he formed a unique Western style.