Whether the works are luminous or dark, silent or sonorous, theatrical or austere, the exhibition invites the visitor to pause in front of each of them, to look beyond their material appearance.

It is a given that the very essence of the icon is reflected in the move toward abstraction effected by Wassily Kandinsky and Kazimir Malevich, both of whom experienced spaces transfigured by the presence of icons, whether in churches, chapels, or izbas with painted walls.