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Metropolitan John (Zizioulas), acrylic on canvas, 2021
Interpretation of the portrait of the Metropolitan of Pergamon John (Zizioulas) by the hand of
Bishop Maxim (Vasiljevic)
An invisible axis connects the gaze of the depicted Metropolitan with the spectator. This gaze looks at us serious- ly and thoughtfully, and together with the soft wrinkles of the forehead and the ambiguous lips, it is as if they im- mobilize time and look not strictly at us but as if they are penetrating our being and exploring something deep and hid- den. The painter succeeded with great simplicity in expressing something on- tological: the question of the depicted about life and its meaning. The raised eyebrows of the portrait also contribute to this. After all, this profound look is like wondering: do you really exist, spectator? Is this relationship real? In other words, they allow hope to tran- spire in a relationship of the eyes that brings us into a real relationship. It is what we say in theological language: a genuine eschatological loving relation- ship of persons.
Here, Bishop Maxim surpassed himself and reached the ideal of the Orthodox iconographer. Moreover, we are left with the right to ask ourselves: could Maxim get there if his long, patient, and obedient apprenticeship in the Metro- politan of Pergamon had not preceded?
In Athens on the 24th of November 2021. Fr. Stamatis Skliris
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