Once upon a time there lived a man, and one day he believed in God. He noticed that the board on which he was accustomed to place a hot frying pan was, in fact, an icon. He carefully took it in his hands, saw his beloved Face on it... And what will he do next?
He may simply not notice the dirt. After all, this is an icon after all! He will wipe off the greasy stains with a rag, hang it in a place of honor, and call people: rejoice with me, I have found an icon! See what He is like, my God! This is His image. People look and respect the religious feeling of their comrade. Just their icon is not impressive. Old, dirty, you can’t see her face. And in general, who knows what was drawn there by who knows who. And they sideways - and into the kitchen, to the usual frying pans. They don't need such a face. A man runs after them, waving his icon: no, look, what a miracle, what colors! People grimace: no, we don’t need such a god. Better than a frying pan stand.
Or maybe he will start a fight for purity. He will be outraged by the deeply ingrained dirt and vile inscriptions. They have penetrated deeply into the paint layer, so you can’t just wipe it off! A man takes an ax and a plane: grunt-grind, squawk-scramble, only chips fly! So the blasphemous inscriptions have been chipped away, so the greasy stains have turned into shavings. A freshly hewn board lies in front of him, on which the former Face is still visible. Cleaned up in record time! And come on, with an ax and a plane to the neighbors: I clean the dirt from the icons! Come on, bring everything here, I have the sharpest ax! What, you don’t want to? So, will you tolerate this dirt? You like her, right? Here I am with an axe!
Or maybe a person can start restoring the icon. Still, the icon is a subtle work. Look for the best paints and brushes. He can spend his whole life looking for sufficiently high-quality materials. Or he can make do with whatever helpers he can find. He will pick up a scalpel, tissue paper, a kolinsky brush... But not every person knows how to draw, and not every draftsman can restore. He will work on his icon for many years, rewriting, erasing, renewing, retouching. And his icon will resemble either Vrubel’s demon or Cheburashka. But individual creativity.
Or maybe a person can give the icon to specialists - let them correct what they can. That's what they're meant to do. And so one expert takes the icon in his hands: “Wonderful seventeenth century! So, we’ll fix it here, we’ll tint it here, we’ll smoke it a little so that it looks like an antique.” He gets to work, paints directly over the old image, and draws something of his own, not very similar to Lik: he is the world's best expert on the seventeenth century! Well, not in the world, but certainly in the diocese. The man gets scared, snatches the icon from him, runs to another specialist: “What the seventeenth, fourteenth! He ruined everything! It’s okay, we’ll fix it now.” And another layer of paint is applied, and again it’s not right. And another expert, and another layer, and another, and another. The man finds no peace. And experts argue over the icon, each defending their dating and their methods. What else can you expect from them? They say about themselves: “We are only apprentices, the Master is someone else.”
Or maybe a person approaches the matter judiciously, calmly. I can’t restore it, I don’t want to spoil it, and I can’t leave it like that either. I’ll buy a paper icon at the church shop! The circulation is one hundred thousand copies, the faces are erased, the colors are dull, the image, they say, is non-canonical, but it was bought in a safe place, and at an inexpensive price. Let's paste it on top. So, am I the only one, or what? Look, it turned out no worse than the neighbors. It’s okay that borrowed thoughts, other people’s feelings, but it’s allowed by censorship, no unpleasant surprises for you. And what's inside - who will see?
Or maybe a person can take his icon and give it to a museum. They will figure out what to do with it. And they will hang you where they are supposed to. They'll probably give you money too. Why do I need her like this? The main thing is no hassle, they will do everything for me.
Or maybe...
But what will be best? Go with the icon to the Master. There will be nothing to pay with, but you can hire Him as a disciple. No matter the price, He will take care of this icon simply because it is of great value to him. He will see the original light in it. After all, they say, this is His own creation. Just don’t leave His workshop, otherwise He will decide that you don’t need this icon yourself. Stand next to Him. Try to discern the original beauty. He will tell you where the features are not random and what needs to be erased. And then enter into His work. Grind your paints for Him, wash your brushes. No, not because He can’t cope without you, but if He allows you to invest a tiny part of your own labor, this icon will be dear to you like nothing else in the world. And He will allow it, He loves to work in a company. Get to know the apprentices, they will tell you a lot, they will remind you, they will encourage you. After all, they also have their place in this workshop; the Master Himself appointed them to take care of the newcomers. And one day the day will come when He will entrust you with a small touch, and it will be happiness. And if at first it turns out crooked, it’s okay, He will correct it.
When you later meet other people with icons, you will say: “Come with me, I know the Master. He will return your Face to its former beauty. I know from experience, because He has already begun to work on mine.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru