OU students, faculty and Norman residents attended the opening reception of a Russian-inspired exhibit Friday night at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art .

“Tradition in Transition: Russian Icons in the Age of the Romanovs” explores the change in iconic art in Russia in the 17th through 20th centuries. The exhibit will run through Aug. 31.

The collection on loan from Hillwood Museum and Gardens in Washington, D.C.. International Arts and Artists, a traveling exhibition service, is circulating the Russian icons collection.

The Fred Jones’ McGhee Collection of Icons, a permanent exhibit of icons, sparked the idea to show the Russian relics, said Gail Kana Anderson, deputy director of the museum.

The first icons in Russia came from Byzantium, modern day Turkey. Icons functioned as intermediaries between viewer and sacred realm. Orthodox believers communicated with the divine world by worshipping and adorning icons.

“The exhibition narrates a fascinating part of Russian history, when traditions and ideas of what was the appropriate way to worship were in flux,” said Amanda Cane, senior exhibitions manager for International Arts and Artists.

Iconic paintings depicted the Russian people’s ideas of earth, heaven and hell.

These traditional paintings changed, as did religious ideology, because of Western European influence to show more realism and sentiment. This change includes a shift in the style where icons become more intense and heavily decorated with metal covers, gemstones and pearls.

“I’ve always pictured Russian icons as a little more Byzantine, and seeing a modern version of them and what we know about Russian icons is different,” said Ken Sims, OU alumnus and employee at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.

International Arts and Artists strives to work with educational institutions of all kinds, Cane said.

“We often look for university museums that would like a cross-curricular opportunity,” Cane said.

The Russian icons exhibit is the first in a series that will show Russian art at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.

“It has a lot to offer. It’s the beginning of what we call, a Russian season — which will include a Russian artist and photography show,” Anderson said.