Isaac Fanous (Arabic: ايزاك فانوس) (December 19, 1919 - January 15, 2007), was an Egyptian artist and scholar, who specialized in Coptic art. Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... A Copt is a native Egyptian Christian (also see Coptic Christianity). ...

Early life and teaching

He 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 his developing a style that was to become the new face of Coptic iconography in the mid-20th century ^{[citation needed]}. Al Minya (Arabic: محافظة المنيا ) is one of the governorates of Upper Egypt. ... Nickname: Al Qahirah (The Triumphant City) Cairos location in Egypt Coordinates: Governor Dr. Abdul Azim Wazir Area    - City 210 km²  - Metro 1,492 km² Population (2005)  - City 7,438,376  - Density 35,420/km²  - Urban 10,834,495  - Metro 15,200,000 Time zone EET (UTC+2)  - Summer (DST... € ... Helwan University (established in July 26, 1975) is a public university based in Helwan suburb, Cairo, Egypt. ... This article is about the museum: for building history, see Palais du Louvre. ...

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 abroad.Egypt. Nickname: Al Qahirah (The Triumphant City) Cairos location in Egypt Coordinates: Governor Dr. Abdul Azim Wazir Area    - City 210 km²  - Metro 1,492 km² Population (2005)  - City 7,438,376  - Density 35,420/km²  - Urban 10,834,495  - Metro 15,200,000 Time zone EET (UTC+2)  - Summer (DST... A Copt is a native Egyptian Christian (also see Coptic Christianity). ...

Political changes

In the years following the 1952 revolution. As wealthy patrons of the arts disappeared from Egypt's hitherto cosmopolitan art world 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 all what comes from Al-Minya since the time of Akhnaten , who built his city in this area ^[1]. . Al Minya (Arabic: محافظة المنيا ) is one of the governorates of Upper Egypt. ... Akhnaten may refer to: Akhenaten, the Egyptian pharaoh Akhnaten, an opera about the pharaoh This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

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 ^{[citation needed]}. Under the influence of the European art spread to Egypt in the nineteeth Century there are a lot of the Churches in Egypt which have Icons that are similar to a lot of the European (Western) Christianity Iconography style. Christ - Coptic Art Coptic Orthodox Christianity is the indigenous form of Christianity that, according to tradition, the apostle Mark established in Egypt in the middle of the 1st century AD (approximately AD 60). ... Christ the Redeemer (1410s, by Andrei Rublev) An icon (from Greek , eikon, image) is an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it, or by analogy, as in semiotics; in computers an icon is a symbol on the...

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)^[2]. St Kyrillos VI, 116th Pope of Alexandria: A man of prayer, who held daily masses and had his door open to everyone His Holiness Pope Cyril (Kyrillos) VI of Alexandria, born Azer Ioseph Atta (August 8, 1902 – March 9, 1971), was Coptic Orthodox Pope from 1959 to 1971. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ...

He capitalised on the already established Coptic style which could be seen in historic Coptic Churces , 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 iconography and the initiator of the modern renaissance in Coptic art. ^{[citation needed]} Iconography has an organic link with Coptic theology indeed it is the other face and language in which its letters are being in harmony through colors and lines. ...

between 1977 and 1978 he spent six month in the UK to draw the Icons in St Mark's Coptic Orthodox church in Allen Street, Kensington, London.

Coptic icon of Saint Anthony the Great Image File history File links St Anthony the Great Source: St Anthony File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Saint Anthony the Great, Father of all Monks Saint Anthony the Great ( 251 - 356), Christian saint, also known as Saint Anthony of Egypt, Saint Anthony of the Desert, Saint Anthony the Anchorite, and The Father of All Monks was a leader among the Desert Fathers, who were Christian monks in...	Coptic icon of Saint Demiana Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ...	Coptic icon of Saint Maurice Image File history File links StMaurice2. ... Saint-Maurice may refer to: Saint-Maurice, a former federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons, and located in the province of Quebec Saint-Maurice, VS (Roman Agaunum) is a commune and a district in the Valais, Switzerland. ...	Coptic icon of Saint Mina Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Coptic icon of St Menas the Wonder-worker St. ...
Coptic icon of Saint Pishoy Image File history File links SaintPishoy. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ...	Coptic icon of Saint Verena Image File history File links SaintVerena. ... Saint Verena of the Theban Legion Saint Verena of the Theban Legion departed on the 4th day of Thout (September 14). ...

Examples of modern Coptic Icons

References

1. ^ Copts United article in arabic by Shafik Botrous http://www.copts-united.com/wrr/go1.php?subaction=showfull&id=1169064300&archive=&start_from=&ucat=79&
2. ^ Copts United article in arabic by Shafik Botrous http://www.copts-united.com/wrr/go1.php?subaction=showfull&id=1169064300&archive=&start_from=&ucat=79&

External links

• St Mark's Coptic Orthodox church website , which includes a gallery of the Icons of the church http://stmarkscc.org.uk/gallery/displayimage.php?album=1&pos=2

• Coptic Icons.

• The Coptic Icons from Holy Virgin Mary Church in Los Angeles
• New icon for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

• Copts United article in arabic by Shafik Botrous http://www.copts-united.com/wrr/go1.php?subaction=showfull&id=1169064300&archive=&start_from=&ucat=79&

See also

• Coptic iconography
• Coptic Orthodox Church