The Vanity That Inevitably Accompanies All Artists
I recently put a link to Valaam Monastery on my blog. In case you haven't noticed it, I've decided to quote from the website to encourage you to go check it out. It speaks for itself:
Perhaps you noticed I also put a link to Christopher Burkett's website on my blog as well. Christopher is an Orthodox laymen and amazing photographer. He attends a nearby Orthodox Church. I've only recently discovered his photography, so I've never had a chance to talk to him about it. The title of this post certainly does not apply to him because he's about the most unassuming man you're ever likely to meet. I was shocked when I found out how "famous" he is in some circles. I was introduced to his work via a video tape he's made about his approach to photography. Like all visual artists I suppose, his giftedness is in his eyes. He sees stuff I don't. He's worked hard over the years to perfect his craft so that he can capture what he sees on film and print it with astounding clarity. I'm not sure what impresses me the most about him. . .his vision or his work ethic. Both are needed to do what he does. I'm not sure the website does his work justice. . .if you ever get a chance to see one of his books, take the time to look.
Monk Savvaty doesn't lash himself or wrap ropes around his body. Nor does he kneel for hours on a hard floor to tame his passions. His penance at the Valaam Monastery is different: He takes photographs.
Savvaty, [alias Sergei Sevastyanov], was already an experienced photographer when he decided to leave the senseless fuss of secular life and become a monk six years ago. While most monks are encouraged to leave their secular occupation behind, Savvaty was blessed by the monastery elders to continue his work with photography.
"Usually, as we [become monks] we denounce everything we did before, but I dragged my entire life along with me into the monastery," Savvaty said at the Union of Journalists' Photo Center, where his first personal exhibit opened last week.
A middle-aged bearded man in a long black robe who does not like to talk about his life before Valaam, an island monastery on northwest Russia's Lake Ladoga, Savvaty looked on with amusement as the artsy crowd in the hall mixed with priests and church-going women. Visitors sipped holy water from plastic glasses - the evening's substitute for the more traditional champagne.
"Art is passion, but I have to fight passion. Art has become my penance," Savvaty said.
"God grants everyone a talent, and it's a sin to bury this talent," said the head of the monastery, Archimandrite Pankraty, who gave Savvaty his blessing to continue with photography. Although Pankraty agreed that photography is an unusual penance for a monk, he said he was certain from the beginning that Savvaty would be able to "overcome the vanity that inevitably accompanies all artists."
