Saint Stephen and Iconic Realism

The Stoning of Saint Stephen

by Rembrandt, 1625

This painting is housed in le Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Lyon, France

Saint Stephen was ordained one of the first deacons of the Christian faith by decree of the first apostles of Jesus after Jesus' crucifixion. He was outspoken about the hypocritical actions of the Jewish leaders. Many widows in Jerusalem were not being appropriately cared for, and Stephen made this known to the Sanhedrin. Instead of listening to his reasoning, the Jewish leaders and others led him outside the gates of Jerusalem and proceeded to stone him to death. As he was being stoned, he spoke these words, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." (Acts 7:60)

How does this act of martyrdom reflect the semiotic theory of iconic realism? 

1. An iconic, real figure, Stephen, is brought to trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin. (an iconic, realistic figure in a place not usually associated with Christian leaders)

2. He believed in the Law of Moses, yet the Jewish leaders thought of him as a political and religious threat, and gave Saul of Tarsus orders to have him stoned to death. (An extreme action that causes Stephen to resist any thought of combative response.) 

Note: Saul would eventually receive the Divine calling to serve the Lord as Paul and compose many of writings found in the New Testament. 

3. As Stephen was being stoned, he was heard crying out, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." (Acts: 7:60) Forgiveness within his heart that reflected the words of Jesus before He perished on the cross. (This action brings the reading audience to an awareness of the need for forgiveness in order for one to save one's soul.  

Saint Stephen's feast day is December 26. 

Background information has been paraphrased from this website: 

https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=137

The Infant of Prague

 

This is my own Infant of Prague statue, 

given to me by my Grandmother when I was seven.

History of the Infant Jesus of Prague

From the site: Home 

The original statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague was created as a royal wedding gift from a Spanish Princess to her Austrian royal cousin. The statue of the Infant is a slender and beautifully-modeled figure and is carved of wood thinly coated with wax, standing nineteen inches tall, with the left foot barely visible under a long white tunic. The left hand encircles a miniature globe, surmounted by a cross, signifying the world-wide kingship of the Christ Child. The right hand is extended in blessing with the first two fingers being upraised to symbolize the two natures of Christ, while the folded thumb and last two fingers touch each other representing the unity of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit in the mystery of the Blessed Trinity.

The face has a strange power of evoking sentiments of deep gratitude of the mystery of God-made-Man. For all His majestic posture and regal attire, the little King of Prague is more striking for His outward expression of human littleness than by the impression of hidden greatness. The wardrobe of the Infant is similar to the priest’s alb: one is of white linen, the other is of lace. Covering these is a dalmatic made of silk or velvet over which is worn a cape. It represents the Infant Jesus dressed in royal robes, wearing a crown. He is King of the Universe.

Later, the statue had been discarded in war and His hands destroyed. Found by a Carmelite, he fixed the hands and placed the statue in a place of honor in the Carmelite Church in Prague, Czech Republic.

In 1637, as Fr. Cyril prayed before the Infant, he was filled with wonder, contemplating the loving God Who became a child for His people. 

Suddenly, the statue spoke to the stunned Carmelite: “Have mercy on Me and I will have mercy on you. Give Me hands and I will give you peace. The more you honor Me, the more I will bless you.”

Many miracles have occurred through intercession to the Divine Infant. During one invasion, all the children of the city were taken to the Church for protection—praying to the Infant, they were all saved. For almost four centuries, this promise of protection and blessing has inspired devotion and love of the Infant Jesus of Prague.

The home of the Infant Jesus of Prague is in the city of Prague, which is the capital of the Czech Republic. The original statue has been restored and preserved in the Carmelite church of Our Lady of Victory. The Church was returned to the Carmelites after the fall of Communism. The statue provides spiritual uplift for millions of people who have adopted the Holy Infant’s call to humility, simplicity, and sincerity and to become little in order to become great and pleasing before Christ the King.

Devotion to the Miraculous Infant Jesus celebrates the “Child of God”—the great mystery of the Incarnation. The child in all of us believes in the humanity and divinity of Christ and rejoices in God’s caring and protective love for us. The Infant reminds us that God is holding us in the palm of His hand.

The effective spiritual meditation is the reason why the Infant Jesus of Prague is so continuously appealing to human hearts all over the world, which he has so firmly in His hands. You can find His statue in almost any church, convent, monastery and house, representing a Divine Protection toward His devotees.

"Rudy" of the Univ. of Notre Dame football team and Iconic Realism

Daniel E. Ruettiger, "Rudy" of the 1975 Notre Dame football team (Google Images) 

                                                 

'Rudy' portrayed by Sean Astin in the film (Google Images)

In the film, Rudy, Daniel E. Ruettiger's dream of becoming a member of the iconic Notre Dame football team illustrates iconic realism in that this student, a most iconic, unlikely candidate for achievement at the prestigious University of Notre Dame, placed himself in such a candidacy through his perseverance. This action led to successful achievement of his personal goals. Rudy wasn't the highest achieving student, so no one in his family thought he could achieve this goal of attending the Univ. of Notre Dame, let alone play on the football team, but he was determined, and that determination was an inspiration. The film, portraying his struggle to achieve his goals, has become an American classic, illustrating the cultural belief that a stalwart commitment to a positive dream can contribute to its becoming a reality. 

Humbly, I am thankful to the University of Notre Dame for housing my book in their library. 

You can hear me explain this analysis on my Podomatic page by clicking HERE. 

Fourth Week of Advent, and looking forward to 2026

As the final week of Advent 2025 arrives, I am concluding my obligations at the university, and finally, I have the time to enjoy the splendor of peace and preparation for the Christmas season and the beginning of a New Year. Although we only have a dusting of snow on the ground, we've been promised by the meteorologists that snow is on its way. Therefore, I fill my heart and mind with gratitude for health, love, music, and joy in my life as I prepare for this festive end to 2025. 

Wishing you all a blessed Holiday Season!

Charles Schulz's 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' and Iconic Realism

Click HERE to view a scene from the show.

Photo from Google Images of Charles Schulz's 

A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles Schulz illustrates iconic realism in that Schulz creates a film with  children, iconic representatives of the Christmas season. These children, however, are independent of adult supervision as they prepare a presentation of the meaning of Christmas for an iconic Holiday performance. 

Through his humble choice of a Christmas tree, the character, Charlie Brown, demonstrates the seasonal message of hope and love while the other children learn that through collaboration they, too, are able to understand the profound seasonal message of tolerance and good will as they create a delightful celebration of Christmas.

May you all be blessed with a lovely Holiday season!

Century Mountain Project and Iconic Realism

Huang Xiang and William Rock

Click HERE to see their website

William Rock and Huang Xiang have formed a collaboration that unites iconic figures throughout the centuries with artistic/poetic expression. Their juxtaposition of these creative geniuses in the common public arena brings awareness of cultural coalescence.

However, the audience incorporates and assimilates the information gained from perceiving a work of art, the reader, viewer or listener structures the information in order to create interpretation.

The audience draws from personal nuances to create the parameters of this creative endeavor, basing it upon the artist’s textual, visual, scientific or musical composition. This circuitous relationship between the audience and the artist continues to unfold as the audience adapts its mind-set to the art form.

A Brief Introduction of Semiotics, Linguistic Association, and Historicity

Photo of Wintry East Lake, Danbury, Connecticut

From my book: The Theory of Iconic Realism, pp. 15-16:

The study of semiotics unravels the mystery behind symbolism associated with memory, language variations, and sign-signifier correlation as the human mind associates ideas with specific representations. Syntax deals with language as an expression of contextual, modal and residual elements of language, as well as a clear understanding of themes and rhemes. A thorough study of semantics observes ideational, interpersonal and textual components of language. Finally, pragmatics analyzes format of the communication base, interpreters of a language and function of that language in a community. Therefore, a comprehensive study of semiotics enables an audience to experience the intricacies of language in association with textual, musical, or artistic expression.  

Linguistic association begins with the historical perspective of a community revealed through a collective memory base, the societal and political history of a particular language. This includes the beliefs that accompany the historical development of a language. If there is any variation of a standard, sociolinguists consider this a ‘dialect’ of the language.  In other words, the varieties of the language associate with the historical and ethnic identities of those individuals within the speech community. 

Historicity employs the use of historical arguments in the form of validated facts, reinterpretations, inventions, or myth to support the authenticity and legitimate formation of the language variety’s autonomy as established through history. One's culture, including language, music, art, faith, and traditions all incorporate to form the historicity. 

Iconic Realism in Three Different Centuries of Art: 13th, 16th, and 20th

13th century: depiction of Jean de Meun's Roman de la Rose (photo from Google Images)

 16th century: Pieter Breughel's painting, The Fall of Icarus (photo from Google Images)

20th century: Salvador Dali's Rose (photo from Google Images)

The above paintings, from top to bottom: an illustration from the medieval poem, Roman de la Rose, Breughel's Fall of Icarus and Dali's Rose, are examples of artistic renderings of this theory. The function of semiotic representation is the reflection of the society in which both the artist and the audience reside. However, the artistic rendering does not necessarily reflect the standard of that community, for the intention of the artist may well be to create a piece that jolts the audience into a need for cultural change. This would be the reason for an artist employing the use of iconic realism, assisting the audience to become adroitly aware of that aspect of the culture with which they are familiar and its need for transformation.

In Jean de Meun's epylion, Roman de la Rose, a young man is attracted to a 'rose' representing a young woman. The iconic image is the rose, living in a guarded tower. This rose becomes the object of the young man's desire and purpose, but not until he first receives much advice from wise allegorical characters on how to win her heart. The realistic environment in which this wild rose lives illustrates that creating a fortress around those natural impulses only causes the impulse within one's heart to become more instinctively determined.  

In Pieter Breughel's painting, The Fall of Icarus, the spirit of rebellion reveals young Icarus, falling into the sea while the local community turns their attention away from his plight. Here, the self-absorbed society's rejection of the obvious need illustrates a necessity for humanity to attend to others' frailties when they are obviously seeking genuine help. 

Rose by Salvador Dali illustrates an iconic image of a rose, suspended in mid-air above an arid landscape. A small, barely visible and iconic young couple, hold hands amid this arid landscape. This positioning demonstrates that the outer revelation of love can occasionally become even greater, more lovely than those experiencing this emotion could imagine.