Index / Catalogue / Composition / Ichthys
Info
oil on canvas / 90x160 cm / 2018
Context
ICHTHYS (dr. Greek ίχθύς-fish)-this is an ancient acronym of the name of Jesus Christ, consisting of the initial letters of the phrase: Jesous Christos Theou Yios Soter-Jesus Christ the Son of God Savior, that is, expresses the very essence of the Christian faith. However, not only the letter coincidence led to the fact that among Christians a fish became a symbol of Christ. In the Gospel, the Lord says: “Is there a person between you who, when his son asks him for bread, would give him a stone? And when he asks the fish, would he give him a snake?” The symbolism here is clear and expressive: the fish stands for Christ, and the snake stands for the devil.
The followers of Christ themselves called themselves “fish” (“pisculi”), and the font for christening already in early Christianity began to be like a fish cage (“piscina”). It is not surprising that the fishermen were among the first disciples of Christ and became the “catchers”. Saint Pietro Damiani said: “All pious people are nothing more than fish jumping on the seine of the great fisherman.” Also, in the symbolic sense of Christ, they also interpreted as a fishing hook and a bait on the fishing rod of God, with the help of which Leviathan is caught, symbolizing death and destruction.
Two fish, which have become a symbol of Christianity, were interpreted as two opposite images, one of which symbolized life, and the other – death. A fish floating up against the current symbolizes Christ. A fish floating downstream is a symbol of the opponent of God, Antichrist.
The picture “ICHTHYS” is a riddle for which I myself have no answer yet. Her plan arose spontaneously and he is interesting to me precisely by his ambiguity. The main question is who is ICHTHYS here?
If ICHTHYS appears in the form of a person depicted here, then this is Jesus. And if ICHTHYS is a fish, then who is this person?
But the mystery would not be a mystery if everything were so simple. But what if the name ICHTHYS relates equally to both characters of the picture?
Exhibitions