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{{Short description|Egyptian artist and scholar}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [[Doctor (title)|Doctor]]
⚫
| name = Isaac Fanous
| image =
| name = Isaac Fanous
⚫
| image =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1919|12|19|}}
| birth_date = Isaac Fanous<br>{{birth date|df=yes|1919|12|19|}}
| birth_place = [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]]
| birth_place = [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2007|01|15|1919|12|19|}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2007|01|15|1919|12|19|}}
| death_place = [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]]
| death_place = [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]]
| resting_place =
| resting_place =
| resting_place_coordinates =
| resting_place_coordinates =
| education = [[Institute of Coptic Studies]]
| occupation = Painting Artist, Iconographer
| occupation = Iconographer, Theologian, Art Historian
| signature =
| signature =
}}
}}
'''Isaac Fanous''' ({{Lang-cop|ⲓⲥⲁⲁⲕ ⲫⲁⲛⲟⲩⲥ}}; December 19, 1919 &ndash; January 14, 2007) was an Egyptian [[Copt]] artist and scholar, who specialized in [[Coptic art]] and founded its contemporary school.
'''Isaac Fanous''' ({{Langx|cop|ⲓⲥⲁⲁⲕ ⲫⲁⲛⲟⲩⲥ}}; December 19, 1919 &ndash; January 15, 2007) was an [[Egypt|Egyptian]] [[Copt]] iconographer, scholar and theologian, who single-handedly founded the most popular style of contemporary [[Coptic art]] today, commonly referred to as "Neo-Coptic".


==Early life and teaching==
==Early life and studies==
Fanous was born in [[Minya, Egypt|Al-Minya]] and moved to [[Cairo]] to gain his degree from The Faculty of [[Applied arts]] now part of [[Helwan University]] in Egypt in 1941 and got a diploma in teaching in 1943.
Fanous was born in [[Minya, Egypt|Al-Minya]] and moved to [[Cairo]] to gain his degree from The Faculty of [[Applied arts]] now part of [[Helwan University]] in Egypt in 1941 and got a diploma in teaching in 1943.
Fanous was one of the first students of the [[Institute of Coptic Studies]] founded in 1954 and he obtained his doctorate in 1958 . His two-year study grant in the [[Louvre]] in the mid- 1960s was a turning point in his career. He took the opportunity, while in France, to study icon painting under [[Léonid Ouspensky]], under whose patronage he developed a passion both as artist and theologian. This would lead, eventually, to him developing a style that was to become the new face of [[Copts|Coptic]] [[iconography]] in the mid-20th century.<ref name="weekly.ahram.org.eg">[http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/829/cu2.htm AlAhram weekly article on Isaac Fanous] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216041300/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/829/cu2.htm |date=2007-02-16 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://elahram.com/Index.asp?CurFN=writ4.htm&DID=9099|title=Elahram.com|website=elahram.com|access-date=2017-12-15}}</ref>
Fanous was one of the first students of the [[Institute of Coptic Studies]] founded in 1954 and he obtained his doctorate in 1958 . His two-year study grant in the [[Louvre]] in the mid- 1960s was a turning point in his career. He took the opportunity, while in France, to study icon painting under [[Léonid Ouspensky]], under whose patronage he developed a passion both as artist and theologian. This would lead, eventually, to him developing a style that was to become the new face of [[Copts|Coptic]] [[iconography]] in the mid-20th century.<ref name="weekly.ahram.org.eg">[http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/829/cu2.htm AlAhram weekly article on Isaac Fanous] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216041300/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/829/cu2.htm |date=2007-02-16 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://elahram.com/Index.asp?CurFN=writ4.htm&DID=9099|title=Elahram.com|website=elahram.com|access-date=2017-12-15|archive-date=2017-12-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215163811/http://elahram.com/Index.asp?CurFN=writ4.htm&DID=9099|url-status=dead}}</ref>


Fanous chaired the Coptic Art department at the [[Institute of Coptic Studies]] in [[Cairo]], and he has trained a number of other [[Copt]]ic artists from outside Egypt.
Fanous chaired the Coptic Art department at the [[Institute of Coptic Studies]] in [[Cairo]], and he has trained a number of other [[Copt]]ic artists from outside Egypt.


==Political changes==
==Political influences==
As wealthy patrons of the arts disappeared from Egypt's hitherto cosmopolitan art world following the [[Egyptian Revolution of 1952|1952 revolution]], they were replaced by the state, and the career of Fanous took off from the struggles and experiences of his time. That is to say, he became more keenly aware of his Egyptian heritage. He was proud of everything that comes from [[Minya, Egypt|Al-Minya]] since the time of [[Akhnaten]], who built his city in this area.<ref name="copts-united.com">[http://www.copts-united.com/wrr/go1.php?subaction=showfull&id=1169064300&archive=&start_from=&ucat=79& Copts United article in Arabic by Shafik Botrous]</ref>
As wealthy patrons of the arts disappeared from Egypt's cosmopolitan art world following the [[Egyptian Revolution of 1952|1952 revolution]], they were gradually replaced by select state-funding, causing the art world became more competitive: the highly innovative career of Fanous took off from the struggles and experiences of his time. During this period, he was known to have become more keenly aware of his Egyptian heritage and was proud of everything that came from [[Minya, Egypt|Al-Minya]] since the time of [[Akhnaten]], who founded his city.<ref name="copts-united.com">[http://www.copts-united.com/wrr/go1.php?subaction=showfull&id=1169064300&archive=&start_from=&ucat=79& Copts United article in Arabic by Shafik Botrous]</ref>


==Modern Coptic iconography==
==Modern Coptic iconography==
For centuries before painters like Isaac Fanous the [[Coptic Orthodox]] church had its own style which is recognised as The Coptic style.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/65/co/Copticar.html|title=Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more|website=www.bartleby.com|language=en|access-date=2017-12-15|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202192654/http://www.bartleby.com/65/co/Copticar.html|archivedate=2007-02-02}}</ref> Under the influence of the European art spread to Egypt in the nineteenth Century there are a lot of the Churches in [[Egypt]] which have [[Icon]]s that are similar to a lot of the European (Western) Christianity Iconography style.
For centuries before painters like Isaac Fanous the [[Coptic Orthodox]] church had its own style which is recognised as the traditional Coptic style.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/65/co/Copticar.html|title=Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more|website=www.bartleby.com|language=en|access-date=2017-12-15|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202192654/http://www.bartleby.com/65/co/Copticar.html|archivedate=2007-02-02}}</ref> Under the influence of the European art, which spread to Egypt in the nineteenth Century, a lot of the Churches in [[Egypt]] appeared, with [[Icon]]s that were stylistically similar and often identical to a lot of Western Christian art, especially that of [[Protestantism|Protestants]].


Fanous's contemporary school of icon painting came about as part of a general renaissance of Coptic culture which began during the patriarchate of [[Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria|Pope Cyril VI]] (1959–1971).<ref name="copts-united.com"/>
Fanous's contemporary school of iconography came about as part of a general renaissance of Coptic culture, which began during the patriarchate of [[Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria|Pope Cyril VI]] (1959–1971).<ref name="copts-united.com"/>


He drew on the already established old Coptic style, like that of [[Yuhanna al-Armani]], as well having taken the influences from popular Western Protestant art, gradually developing in his own style, his style became widely recognized for its amplified [[symmetry]], added [[minimalism]] and exaggerated [[Idiosyncrasy]] of previous Coptic art; his style is widely referred to as "Modern Coptic Style" or simply "Neo-Coptic".
He capitalised on the already established Coptic style which could be seen in historic Coptic Churches, but in his own style which he developed over the years.


The style of his painting is called Modern Coptic style and as he was a pioneer in this field Fanous is considered the father of modern Coptic icon painting and the initiator of the modern renaissance in [[Coptic art]].<ref name="weekly.ahram.org.eg"/>
He is not just considered a pioneer in this field, but Fanous is held to be the father of modern Coptic iconography and the initiator of the modern renaissance in [[Coptic art]].<ref name="weekly.ahram.org.eg"/>


Fanous drew all the pictures and icons in [[St. Takla Haymanot's Church (Alexandria)|St. Takla Haymanot's Church]] in [[Alexandria]], which was consecrated in 1969.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://st-takla.org/Church-history-1.html |title=History of Saint Takla Himanout's Church |publisher=Official website of St. Takla Haymanot's Church |accessdate=2011-02-10}}</ref> Between 1977 and 1978, he spent six months in the UK to paint icons in [http://www.stmark.org.uk St Mark's Coptic Orthodox church] in Allen Street, [[Kensington]], London.
Fanous painted all the illustrations and icons in [[St. Takla Haymanot's Church (Alexandria)|St. Takla Haymanot's Church]] in [[Alexandria]], which was consecrated in 1969.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://st-takla.org/Church-history-1.html |title=History of Saint Takla Himanout's Church |publisher=Official website of St. Takla Haymanot's Church |accessdate=2011-02-10}}</ref> Between 1977 and 1978, he spent six months in the UK to paint icons in [http://www.stmark.org.uk St Mark's Coptic Orthodox church] in Allen Street, [[Kensington]], [[London]].


<gallery>
<gallery>
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<!-- Deleted image removed: Image:SaintVerena.jpg|Coptic icon of [[Saint Verena]] -->
<!-- Deleted image removed: Image:SaintVerena.jpg|Coptic icon of [[Saint Verena]] -->
</gallery>
</gallery>

== Awards ==

* [[Gold medal]] from the Institute of Oriental Studies, Venice, 1987
* [[Honorary doctorate]], from [[Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria]], Cairo, 1984


==See also==
==See also==
Line 52: Line 60:


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://elahram.com/Index.asp?CurFN=writ4.htm&DID=9099 Obituary for Isaac Fanous in Al Ahram daily newspaper in Arabic]
*[http://elahram.com/Index.asp?CurFN=writ4.htm&DID=9099 Obituary for Isaac Fanous in Al Ahram daily newspaper in Arabic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215163811/http://elahram.com/Index.asp?CurFN=writ4.htm&DID=9099 |date=2017-12-15 }}
* [http://st-takla.org/Gallery/04-Saint-TeklaHimanout-the-Ethiopian/Gallery-St-Takla-1.html Mosaic Frescos of St. Takla Haymanot's Story, Alexandria, Egypt]
* [http://st-takla.org/Gallery/04-Saint-TeklaHimanout-the-Ethiopian/Gallery-St-Takla-1.html Mosaic Frescos of St. Takla Haymanot's Story, Alexandria, Egypt]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929151907/http://www.stmark.org.uk/index.php?option=com_copperminevis&Itemid=45&place=thumbnails&album=3 St Mark's Coptic Orthodox church website , which includes a gallery of the Icons of the church ]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929151907/http://www.stmark.org.uk/index.php?option=com_copperminevis&Itemid=45&place=thumbnails&album=3 St Mark's Coptic Orthodox church website , which includes a gallery of the Icons of the church ]
* [https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Canvas/9460/coptic.html&date=2009-10-25+09:59:19 Coptic Icons.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010411221527/http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Canvas/9460/coptic.html Coptic Icons.]
* [http://www.theotokos.org/church-icons/ The Coptic Icons from Holy Virgin Mary Church in Los Angeles]
* [http://www.theotokos.org/church-icons/ The Coptic Icons from Holy Virgin Mary Church in Los Angeles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126022734/http://theotokos.org/church-icons/ |date=2011-11-26 }}
*http://www.copts-united.com/wrr/go1.php?subaction=showfull&id=1169064300&archive=&start_from=&ucat=79&
*http://www.copts-united.com/wrr/go1.php?subaction=showfull&id=1169064300&archive=&start_from=&ucat=79&
*http://ccdl.libraries.claremont.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/cce/id/2162/rec/1
*http://ccdl.libraries.claremont.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/cce/id/2162/rec/1
Line 70: Line 78:
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:Academics from Cairo]]
[[Category:Academics from Cairo]]
[[Category:Artists from Cairo‎]]
[[Category:Artists from Cairo]]
[[Category:Helwan University alumni]]
[[Category:Helwan University alumni]]
[[Category:Icon painters]]
[[Category:Icon painters]]

Latest revision as of 00:03, 2 November 2024

Doctor
Isaac Fanous
BornIsaac Fanous
(1919-12-19)19 December 1919
Cairo, Egypt
Died15 January 2007(2007-01-15) (aged 87)
Cairo, Egypt
EducationInstitute of Coptic Studies
Occupation(s)Iconographer, Theologian, Art Historian

Isaac Fanous (Coptic: ⲓⲥⲁⲁⲕ ⲫⲁⲛⲟⲩⲥ; December 19, 1919 – January 15, 2007) was an Egyptian Copt iconographer, scholar and theologian, who single-handedly founded the most popular style of contemporary Coptic art today, commonly referred to as "Neo-Coptic".

Early life and studies

[edit]

Fanous was born in Al-Minya and moved to Cairo to gain his degree from The Faculty of Applied arts now part of Helwan University in Egypt in 1941 and got a diploma in teaching in 1943. Fanous was one of the first students of the Institute of Coptic Studies founded in 1954 and he obtained his doctorate in 1958 . His two-year study grant in the Louvre in the mid- 1960s was a turning point in his career. He took the opportunity, while in France, to study icon painting under Léonid Ouspensky, under whose patronage he developed a passion both as artist and theologian. This would lead, eventually, to him developing a style that was to become the new face of Coptic iconography in the mid-20th century.[1][2]

Fanous chaired the Coptic Art department at the Institute of Coptic Studies in Cairo, and he has trained a number of other Coptic artists from outside Egypt.

Political influences

[edit]

As wealthy patrons of the arts disappeared from Egypt's cosmopolitan art world following the 1952 revolution, they were gradually replaced by select state-funding, causing the art world became more competitive: the highly innovative career of Fanous took off from the struggles and experiences of his time. During this period, he was known to have become more keenly aware of his Egyptian heritage and was proud of everything that came from Al-Minya since the time of Akhnaten, who founded his city.[3]

Modern Coptic iconography

[edit]

For centuries before painters like Isaac Fanous the Coptic Orthodox church had its own style which is recognised as the traditional Coptic style.[4] Under the influence of the European art, which spread to Egypt in the nineteenth Century, a lot of the Churches in Egypt appeared, with Icons that were stylistically similar and often identical to a lot of Western Christian art, especially that of Protestants.

Fanous's contemporary school of iconography came about as part of a general renaissance of Coptic culture, which began during the patriarchate of Pope Cyril VI (1959–1971).[3]

He drew on the already established old Coptic style, like that of Yuhanna al-Armani, as well having taken the influences from popular Western Protestant art, gradually developing in his own style, his style became widely recognized for its amplified symmetry, added minimalism and exaggerated Idiosyncrasy of previous Coptic art; his style is widely referred to as "Modern Coptic Style" or simply "Neo-Coptic".

He is not just considered a pioneer in this field, but Fanous is held to be the father of modern Coptic iconography and the initiator of the modern renaissance in Coptic art.[1]

Fanous painted all the illustrations and icons in St. Takla Haymanot's Church in Alexandria, which was consecrated in 1969.[5] Between 1977 and 1978, he spent six months in the UK to paint icons in St Mark's Coptic Orthodox church in Allen Street, Kensington, London.

Awards

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b AlAhram weekly article on Isaac Fanous Archived 2007-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Elahram.com". elahram.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  3. ^ a b Copts United article in Arabic by Shafik Botrous
  4. ^ "Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more". www.bartleby.com. Archived from the original on 2007-02-02. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  5. ^ "History of Saint Takla Himanout's Church". Official website of St. Takla Haymanot's Church. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
[edit]
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