About the iconographer: father Andrey Davydov

Father Andrey Davydov is a head of the Church of St. Nikolas Icon-painting workshop (city of Suzdal). He graduated from Moscow Art Theatre School, Department of Stage Design, with a mayor in Stage Design. Father Andrey started painting icons in 1978. He worked as iconographer in many icon-painting workshops of Russian Orthodox Church, in Moscow Danilov Holy Monastery, as well as for numerous churches and private individuals in Russia as well as abroad. Ordained a priest in 1988.

He graduated from Sankt-Petersburg Orthodox Seminary and is now working on his post-graduate studies at Sankt-Petersburg Spiritual Academy. Since 1993, he served as an arch-priest at John The Baptist Nativity Cathedral in Pskov which is a unique architectural monument of 12th-century Russian Architecture. For the cathedral, father Andrey painted icons for the iconostasis, as well as frescoes for the cathedral interior and the narthex. He also established an icon-painting workshop.

Since 2007, father Andrey serves as an arch-priest in the ancient Suzdal-city at the Nativity of Christ Church and at the St. Nikolas church; his workshop is also located there.

Russian iconographer father Andrey Davydov is currently an arch-priest at the Nativity of Christ Church and at the St. Nikolas church in the city of Suzdal. He is a professional artist with a degree in Stage Design from Moscow Art Theater School. He has been involved in icon painting since 1979. Ordained a priest in 1987. Father Andrey’s icons might be found in many churches, private collections and at exhibitions all over the world. He has also authored several publications on the topics of theology and theory of icon-painting. He regularly teaches theoretic/practical master-classes in iconography in Italy, Netherlands, Germany and the US.

Father Andrey’s icons follow the Orthodox Christian tradition. In his icons, he applies unique medieval know-how to each stage of the process: paint-making, paint application and hand-gilding; he also paints different kinds of murals including natural frescoes. Last but not least, he creates bronze icons in old medieval technology: gilding by dipping (vermeiling).

Father Andrey’s icons and murals are painted in ancient technique called encaustics that he restored and resurrected. The encaustics is also known as hot wax painting, and it involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. It had been widely used in iconography until 12th century and is characterized by unique durability and such remarkable artistic quality as dimensionality and luminous color that allow creation of deep and expressive images.