What Is an Icon? A Catholic Iconographer Explains the Theology of Sacred Images
What if the very act of creating sacred art could draw you into the presence of God? What if an image could become a meeting place between heaven and earth?
In this captivating lecture, professional iconographer and actor Frank C. Turner takes us on a journey through Scripture, Tradition, and the craft of icon-making. From God breathing life into Adam to the miraculous images "not made by hands" — the Shroud of Turin, the Veil of Veronica, and Our Lady of Guadalupe — Turner reveals how the icon is rooted in the very logic of the Incarnation: because God took on human form, we can depict His holy face. Drawing on the teachings of St. John Damascene, St. John Chrysostom, and Pope St. John Paul II, this talk answers the age-old objection that sacred images are idolatry — and shows why the icon is, in fact, a window into eternity.
Turner shares his own path from Hollywood actor (Unforgiven, Air Bud, Sonic the Hedgehog) to dedicated sacred artist, and offers profound reflections on how each brushstroke becomes a prayer. This is a meditation on beauty, faith, and the ancient craft that still speaks to the modern soul.
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