Graduation · Practice · Completion
A gift for an architect: a work built on geometry
An architect immediately recognises a well-built work. The icon is one in the most literal sense: the drawing grows from a precise geometry of verticals, horizontals, diagonals and circles, the skeleton of the image. And the patron of architects, Saint Thomas the Apostle, holds the builder's square in sacred images.
Saint Thomas the Apostle, patron of architects
Saint Thomas is the patron of builders and architects: tradition tells that in India he built a palace for a king, which is why his image bears the square or the drawing rule. His feast is celebrated on 3 July. An icon of Saint Thomas is a gift for an architect that joins craft and faith.
The icon as a project
- The panel is prepared like a design surface: gesso and animal glue laid in many layers and sanded by hand.
- The drawing is built on sacred geometry and incised into the gesso with an engraving tool.
- Light does not come from outside but from within: the highlights bring volume from shadow into light.
- Size, frame and placement are studied according to the space, the viewing distance and the lighting.
Bright spaces
Icon in a light-filled room.
Entrance
Icon alone on a light wall.
Preparing the panel
Gesso and animal glue, layer after layer.
When to give it to an architect
Graduation and registration
The start of the profession, with the patron of builders.
Opening a practice
A focal point for the studio or meeting room.
Completion of a building
The client's gift for a church, a villa, a restoration.
Retirement
The thanks of the team after a lifetime of projects.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of architects?
Saint Thomas the Apostle, patron of builders and architects, shown with the square or drawing rule. His feast is on 3 July.
What to give an architect for the completion of a building?
A work that converses with the space they designed: a hand-painted icon, with size and placement studied together with them.