365c 71, A Cross a Day, (originally #20 May 2012)

Today's cross is a simple play with some of my favorite color pencils and a Russian Orthodox Cross*.  The Roman Empire was divided several hundred years after the death of Christ.  The eastern half became known as Byzantium.  The Russian Orthodox Cross was the style used by the Byzantine artists.  The diagonal beam on the cross has three commonly considered meanings:  1) a representation of the robber crucified on the right side of Christ and ascended to heaven, 2) of the life of St. Andrew, a major Russian saint, who was crucified on a diagonal cross, and 3) of the footrest and the small beam on top represents a name plate.

Done with Prismacolor pencils in my regular journal.

May you cross a creative inkling.

LFS, liz

*The information on the history of the various crosses comes from a book called Crosses of Many Cultures by Joyce Mori