In the history of Russia there are many cases when a visiting foreigner multiplies her fame and becomes national pride. So Theophanes the Greek, a native of their Byzantium, a Greek by origin (hence the nickname) became one of the greatest Russian icon painters.
The choice in favor of Russia
Most likely, if Feofan had not decided to radically change his life, having arrived instead of Italy in Russia in the retinue of (supposedly) Metropolitan Cyprian, he would have been lost among numerous Byzantine artists. But in Moscow Russia, he became the first of the brilliant galaxy of icon painters. Despite widespread recognition, the dates of birth and death of the artist are called approximately - 1340-1410.
Lack of information
It is known that Theophanes the Greek, whose biography sins with white spots, was born in Byzantium, worked both in Constantinople itself and in its suburb - Chalcedon. According to the frescoes preserved in Feodosia (then Café), the artist worked for some time in the Genoese colonies - Galathe and Café. None of his Byzantine works were preserved, and world fame came to him thanks to the work carried out in Russia.
New environment
Here, in life and work, he had the opportunity to meet many great people of that time - Andrei Rublev, Sergius of Radonezh, Dmitry Donskoy, Epiphanius the Wise (whose letter to Archimandrite Kirill is the main source of biographical data of the great icon painter) and Metropolitan Alexei. This community of ascetics and enlighteners has done a lot for the glory of Russia.
The main source of information about Theophanes the Greek
Theophanes the Greek arrived in Novgorod in 1370, that is, a fully mature man and an established artist. He lived here for more than 30 years, until his death. Performance strikes him. According to the testimony of the same Epiphanius the Wise, Theophanes the Greek in all painted 40 churches. The letter to the archimandrite of the Tver Spaso-Afanasyevsky Monastery was written in 1415, after the death of the master, and has survived to this day not in the original, but on the list of the second half of the 17th century. There are also some annals of evidence and additions. One of them reports that in 1378, at the behest of the boyar Vasily Danilovich, the “Greek” Feofan painted the Transfiguration Church, located on the Trade side of Veliky Novgorod.
The beginning of the Novgorod period
The frescoes of Theophanes the Greek on the walls of this monastery became his first work mentioned in documents in Russia. They, even preserved in fragments, being in very good condition, have survived to our time, and are among the greatest masterpieces of medieval art. In the best condition is the painting of the dome and walls, where the choirs of the Trinity chapel were located. In the depicted figures of the “Trinity” and Macarius of Egypt, the peculiar manner of writing that the ingenious Theophanes the Greek possessed is very clearly visible. The
domed image of the
Savior Almighty (Pantocrator), which is the most ambitious
, has been preserved in the dome. In addition, the figure of the Mother of God was partially preserved. And in the drum (the part supporting the dome) - images of the
prophets Elijah and John the Baptist. And these frescoes are especially valuable because, unfortunately, the works created over the next few years are not documented and are disputed by some researchers. In general, all the
frescoes of this monastery are executed in an unconditionally new manner - easily and with wide, free strokes, the colors are restrained, even stingy, the main attention is paid to the faces of the saints. In the manner of writing Theophanes the Greek, his special philosophy is felt.
The ability of Russia to revive
There was still no great victory of Dmitry Donskoy, the raids of the Golden Horde continued, Russian cities burned, churches were destroyed. But Russia is strong in that it was reborn, rebuilt, and became even more beautiful. Feofan Grek also took part in the murals of the restored monasteries, who since 1380 worked in Nizhny Novgorod, in the capital of the Suzdol-Nizhny Novgorod principality completely burnt in 1378. Presumably, he could take part in the murals of the Spassky Cathedral and the Annunciation Monastery. And already in 1392, the artist worked in the
Assumption Cathedral of Kolomna at the request of the Grand Duchess Evdokia, the wife of Prince Dmitry. Later, the cathedral was rebuilt several times, and the frescoes were not preserved.
Moving to Moscow
Theophanes the Greek, whose biography, unfortunately, is very often associated with the word "presumably", after Kolomna he moved to Moscow. Here, and this is confirmed by the Trinity chronicles and a notorious letter, he paints the walls and decorates three churches. At this time, he already had his own school, students and followers, with whom, with the active participation of the famous Moscow icon painter Simeon Cherny, in 1395 Feofan painted the walls of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin and the side chapel of St. Lazarus in the Kremlin. All work was carried out by order of the same great Princess Yevdokia. And again, it must be noted that the church has not been preserved, the existing Grand
Kremlin Palace now stands in its place.
Evil rock chasing the work of a master
A recognized genius of the Middle Ages, the icon painter Feofan Grek, together with his students, began in 1399 to decorate the Archangel Cathedral, completely burned by the Khan of the Golden Horde and the Tyumen Principality - Tokhtamysh. From the letter of Epiphanius it is known that the master depicted on the walls of the temple the Moscow Kremlin with all its churches. But in the second half of the XVI century, the Italian architect Aleviz Novy dismantles the temple and builds a new eponymous, which has survived to this day.
Theophanes the Greek art is mostly represented by frescoes, since until the end of his days he painted the walls of churches. In 1405, his career crossed with the activities of Andrei Rublev and his teacher - “an old man from Gorodets”, so call the Moscow icon painter Prokhor from Gorodets. These three famous masters of their time together created the Cathedral Church of Basil I, which is in the Annunciation Cathedral.
The frescoes were not preserved - the court church was, of course, rebuilt.
Unconditional evidence
What is preserved? What memory did the great Theophanes the Greek leave for his descendants? Icons. According to one of the existing versions, the iconostasis of the
Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, which was preserved to this day, was originally painted for the Assumption Cathedral in Kolomna. And after the fire of 1547 was transferred to the Kremlin. In the same cathedral was "Our Lady of the Don", an icon with its biography. Being one of many modifications of “Tenderness” (another name is “Joy of all joys”), the image is covered with the legend of its amazing help in the victory won by the army of Grand Duke Dmitry over the hordes of the Golden Horde in 1380. After the Battle of Kulikovo, both the prince and the patron saint icon received the prefix "Donskoy" and "Donskoy." The image itself is two-sided - on the reverse side there is the “Assumption of the Mother of God”. A priceless masterpiece is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery. Many analyzes have been carried out, and it can be argued that its author, of course, Theophanes the Greek. The icons “Four-digit” and “John the Baptist - Angel of the desert with life” belong to the workshop of the icon painter, but his personal authorship is disputed. The works of the masters of his school include the icon of a rather large size, written in 1403 - “Transfiguration”.
Biographical Data Poverty
Indeed, there are very few documented works of the great master. But Epiphanius the Wise, who knew him personally, was friends with him, so sincerely admires the talent, the diversity of his talents, and the breadth of knowledge that it is impossible not to believe his testimonies. Spas Theophanes the Greek is often cited as an example of the work of the Greek school with a pronounced Byzantine style of writing. This fresco, as noted above, is the most ambitious of all preserved fragments of murals of the Novgorod Cathedral discovered in 1910. It is one of the world-famous great monuments of architecture of medieval Russia. Another image of the Savior, which relates to the works of the master, is located in the Kremlin on the Annunciation iconostasis.
One of the great “Trinity”
Among the frescoes of this cathedral is another masterpiece of world significance, the author of which is Theophanes the Greek. “Trinity” is perfectly preserved and is located in the choirs. The canonical plot “The Hospitality of Abraham” underlies this work, although its figure on the fresco has not been preserved, The Trinity deserves an unfulfilled detailed study so far. In his letter, Epiphanius admires the many talents of Theophanes the Greek - the gift of a narrator, the talent of a clever interlocutor, and an unusual manner of writing. According to the testimony of this man, the Greek, among other things, possessed the talent of a miniaturist. He is characterized as an icon painter, a master of monumental fresco painting and a miniaturist. “He was a deliberate isograph book” - this is the praise in the original. The authorship of miniatures from the Psalter, owned by Ivan the Terrible and stored in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, is attributed to Theophanes the Greek. He, by assumption, is a miniaturist of the "Gospel of Fedor Cats." The fifth son of
Andrei Kobyla, a direct ancestor of the Romanovs, was the patron saint of Theophanes the Greek. The book is superbly decorated. Its skillful savers and initials made in gold amaze.
Theofan Greek identity
Prior to Theophanes, many icon painters, and even his contemporaries, in the preparation of their works relied primarily on the outline (a thin outline made previously from the original). And the free manner of writing of Greek surprised and captivated many - “he seemed to be painting with his hands” - Epiphanius admires, calling him “a wonderful man”. He certainly had a pronounced creative personality. The exact date of the genius’s death is not known, in some places it is even said that he died after 1405. In 1415, the author of the famous letter mentions Greek in the past tense. Consequently, he was no longer alive. And Feofan, again presumably buried somewhere in Moscow. All this is very sad and only says that Russia has always experienced a lot of troubled times, during which the very memory of people who made up its glory was destroyed by enemies.