Marcelle Karam paints the icon of Saint George slaying the dragon, in the Saint George Church of Baskinta. (Photo provided by the artist)
With a careful and focused gaze, Marcelle Karam gently places the brush she uses to restore an icon. "I am responsible for several icons at the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George in Baskinta. This one represents Saint John the Baptist, called Saint John the Forerunner in the Orthodox tradition, as you can read in Arabic at the top," she says, pointing to the alterations in the golden section, the localized abrasions, and the irregularities in the surface layer. "These icons were in poor condition, eaten away by insects and damaged by moisture. It's a great joy to see the details and colors of an original icon reappear, and to restore the gold leaf," she continues enthusiastically. Most recently, it was the icon of the Pantocrator that moved her the most. "This is Christ Almighty, or Christ the Teacher, one...
With a careful and focused gaze, Marcelle Karam gently places the brush she uses to restore an icon. "I am responsible for several icons at the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George in Baskinta. This one represents Saint John the Baptist, called Saint John the Forerunner in the Orthodox tradition, as you can read in Arabic at the top," she says, pointing to the alterations in the golden section, the localized abrasions, and the irregularities in the surface layer. "These icons were in poor condition, eaten away by insects and damaged by moisture. It's a great joy to see the details and colors of an original icon reappear, and to restore the gold leaf," she continues enthusiastically. Most recently, it was the icon of the Pantocrator that moved her the most. "This is Christ Almighty, or Christ the Teacher,...