Restoring a much-loved icon

A Mother of Perpetual Help icon, created in the cubist tradition by David Anthony, was originally presented to Fr William Stinson, the founder of the Brighton Redemptorist publishing house in Melbourne.

Fr Stinson who was known as ‘Mr Majellan’ was a long-time editor of the Majellan magazine (1963–1979 and 1985–1995).

The painting was kept at Brighton undisturbed until a break-in some months ago. It is unknown whether the intruders were interrupted or unable to remove the icon, but it was left broken and damaged.

Enter Kris Smith, an artist from Newcastle whose expertise includes photography, multimedia, graphic design, painting, and printmaking. He photographically created a new ‘original’ repairing the damage and restoring the colour and texture.

Kris’s work has been showcased at such venues as the Pearl Street Gallery, Brooklyn New York; Wieliczka Gallery, Poland; Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA): and The Art Gallery of NSW.

The art called ‘Cubism’ had a profound influence on 20th-century art. It challenged traditional notions of representation and paved the way for new ways of seeing and understanding the world through art. Pioneered by Pablo Picasso, it fundamentally changed how objects were represented in art. Cubist artists reassembled subjects from multiple perspectives, often using geometric shapes.

David Anthony, who was a Redemptorist priest for many years, developed a love for this icon, and inspired by Picasso, he used this medium to capture different perspectives of the icon in the cubism art form. He explained that the original creator of the Perpetual Help icon – thought to be St Luke – tried to depict “movement’ in the falling of Jesus’ slipper and His grasping the hand of his mother as a result of shock at seeing the Instruments of torture in the hands of the two angels, Michael and Gabriel.

“I presented an abstract of the Icon for viewers to look again at this ancient Icon and see it as a way to enter the world of prayer and quiet meditation,” said David.

There is a possibility the original damaged icon may be restored using an ancient Japanese art form known as Kintsugi, which involves repairing a broken object with lacquer and gold (or other precious metals). The technique emphasises the beauty of imperfection by highlighting the repaired cracks and breaks, rather than hiding them. It is a practice rooted in the Japanese philosophy that finds beauty in the flawed, aged, and imperfect. 

But Kris is unsure if this technique will work. “I’ve re-thought this and feel that given the method is designed for use with glazed ceramics, it wouldn’t look good used with the matte acrylic paint on Masonite.

“I wouldn’t be able to undertake this process, and in retrospect I’m not convinced that conceptually and philosophically it would honour the original intention of the painting in the same way that the digital restoration succeeds in doing. I think the ‘brokenness’ element could become too dominant over the messages of nurturing and new life.”

However, a type of kintsugi would at least bring the broken pieces together. At the moment, the original is in two pieces in a cupboard.

David who now lives in Malaysia, has allowed the Redemptorists to create a smaller (A5 version). If anyone is interested in obtaining an A5 copy for $40, including postage, write to: PO Box 370, Kogarah, NSW 1485.

Rejoice, because a child is born for us, a son is given to us; whose name is Messenger of great Counsel and universal salvation,  mighty God. For this child is God, Rejoice, in God all the earth, Sing,    exult and sing hymns. Raise your voice and do not be afraid- St John Damascene

Second  image: Fr Patrick Corbett (right) and Kris Smith with the original sized painting.

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