Starting from the period of the baptism of Russia, which came at the end of the 10th century, in the bowels of the Orthodox Church a peculiar and unique art developed, called Russian icon painting. It was she who, for almost seven centuries, remained the core of Russian culture, and only in the years of the reign of Peter I was suppressed by secular painting.
Iconography of the pre-Mongol period
It is known that along with Orthodoxy, Russia borrowed from Byzantium the achievements of its culture, which received their further development in the Principality of Kiev. If the overseas masters invited by Prince Vladimir performed the painting of the first Church of the Tithes in Kiev, then Russian icon painters very soon appeared in Pereyaslavl, Chernigov, Smolensk and in the capital itself, called the Mother of Russian Cities. It is rather difficult to distinguish their works from the icons painted by Byzantine teachers, since the identity of the national school was not yet fully established in the pre-Mongol period.
To our days, very few works completed at that time have survived, but even among them there are genuine masterpieces. The most striking of them is the bilateral Novgorod icon “The Savior Not Made by Hands”, painted by an unknown artist at the end of the 12th century, on the back of which is the scene “Worshiping the Cross”. For more than eight centuries, it has amazed the viewer with the accuracy of the drawing and its smooth modeling. Currently, the icon is in the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery. A photo of this icon opens the article.
Another, no less well-known work of the pre-Mongol period, exhibited in the State Russian Museum of St. Petersburg is also a Novgorod icon, known as the “Golden-haired Angel”. The face of the angel, full of subtle emotionality and deep lyricism, gives the viewer the impression of calm and clarity. The Russian icon painters in full inherited the ability to convey such feelings from their Byzantine teachers.
Icon painting from the time of the Tatar-Mongol yoke
The invasion of Rus by Khan Batu, which laid the foundation for the period of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, radically affected the way of life of the state. Russian iconography did not escape its influence. Most of the previously formed art centers were captured and devastated by the Horde, and those who passed the common fate were going through difficult times, which could not but affect the general artistic level of the works created in them.
Nevertheless, even in this difficult period, Russian icon painters managed to create their own school of painting, which took a worthy place in the history of world culture. Its special rise marked the second half of the XIV and almost the entire XV century. During this period, a whole galaxy of outstanding masters worked in Russia, the most famous representative of which was Andrei Rublev, who was born in the Moscow Principality around 1360.
The author of the immortal Trinity
Having received monastic tonsure with the name of Andrey (his worldly name is unknown) in 1405, the master took part in the painting of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, and then of the Assumption in Vladimir. Andrei Rublev performed these large-scale works together with two other outstanding masters - Feofan Grek and Daniil Cherny, which will be discussed below.
Creativity of the master is considered the peak in Russian icon painting, which none of the masters could achieve. The most striking and famous of his works is “Trinity” - Rublev’s icon, now stored in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
Using the Old Testament plot, which is based on the episode described in the 18th chapter of the Book of Genesis (Hospitality of Abraham), the master created a composition, with all its tradition, far surpassing all other analogues. Rejecting unnecessary, in his opinion, narrative details, he concentrated the viewer's attention on three angelic figures symbolizing the Tri-Apostles God - the visible image of which is the Holy Trinity.
An image symbolizing divine love
Rublev's icon clearly demonstrates the unity of the three divine hypostases. This is achieved by the fact that the basis of the compositional solution is a circle, which is formed by the figures of angels. Such a unity, in which individual individuals are one, serves as a prototype of the high love that Jesus Christ called for. Thus, the “Trinity” - Rublev’s icon, became a kind of expression of the spiritual orientation of all Christianity.
Andrei Rublev died on October 17, 1428, becoming a victim of the pestilence that erupted in Moscow. He was buried in the territory of the Andronikov Monastery, where death interrupted his work on painting the Spassky Cathedral. In 1988, by the decision of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, the monk Andrei (Rublev) was canonized as a saint.
Great Master's mentor
In the history of Russian icon painting, next to Andrei Rublev is his contemporary Daniil Cherny. The icons, or rather, the frescoes that they painted during the painting of the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, are so similar in their artistic features that experts often find it difficult to establish specific authorship.
Researchers have a number of reasons to believe that, fulfilling joint orders with Rublev, Daniel acted as an older and more experienced master, possibly even a mentor. On this basis, art historians are inclined to attribute to him those works in which the influence of the former icon painting school of the XIV century is most clearly visible. The most striking example is the fresco "Lono of Abraham", preserved to this day in the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir. A photo of one of the fragments of the mural of this cathedral precedes this section of the article.
Daniil Cherny died , as did Andrei Rublev, as a result of the pestilence of 1528, and was buried next to him in the Andronikov Monastery. Both artists left behind a lot of students for whom the drawings and sketches created by them served as models for future works.
Russian painter of Byzantine origin
No less vivid example of icon painting of this period can serve as the work of Theophanes the Greek. Born in Byzantium in 1340 (where his nickname came from), he learned the secrets of art, learning from the recognized masters of Constantinople and Chalcedon.
Arriving in Russia as an already established painter, and settling in Novgorod, Feofan began a new stage in his career with murals that have survived to the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Savior. The frescoes executed by the master, depicting the Savior the Almighty, the forefathers, the prophets, as well as a number of biblical scenes, are preserved in it.
His artistic style, characterized by high harmony and completeness of compositions, was recognized by contemporaries, and the master appeared followers. This is clearly evidenced by the paintings of the churches of the Assumption of the Virgin and Fyodor Stratelite, performed by other artists in the same period, but retaining clear signs of the influence of the painting of the Byzantine master.
However, the full work of Theophanes the Greek was revealed in Moscow, where he moved in 1390, having lived for some time and worked in Nizhny Novgorod. In the capital, the master was engaged not only in the painting of temples and houses of wealthy citizens, but also in the creation of icons and book graphics.
It is generally accepted that under his leadership, several Kremlin churches were painted, including the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, the Archangel Michael and the Annunciation. The authorship is attributed to the creation of a number of famous icons - the Transfiguration of the Lord (photo in this section of the article), the Don Icon of the Mother of God, and also the Assumption of the Mother of God. The master passed away in 1410.
A worthy receiver of the masters of the past
Dionisy, an icon painter whose icons made for the Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Joseph Volokolamsk Monastery, as well as the frescoes and iconostasis of the Ferapont Monastery, forever entered the treasury of Russian culture.
It is known that Dionysius, unlike most domestic icon painters, was not a monk. He carried out most of the orders with his sons Vladimir and Theodosius. To this day, quite a lot of works have been preserved, made either by the artist himself or by the artel headed by him. The most famous of them are the icons - “The Baptism of the Lord”, “Our Lady Hodegetria” (next photo), “Descent into Hell”, as well as a number of other works.
The years of his life are not exactly established, it is only known that the master was born around 1444, and the date of death is approximately 1502-1508. But his contribution not only to Russian, but also to world culture is so great that by the decision of UNESCO, 2002 was declared the year of Dionysius.
Russian icon painters of the 17th century. Simon Ushakov
Any division of the historical space into periods of artistic upsurge or decline is very conditional, since even in the time periods not marked by the appearance of significant works, the prerequisites for their future creation are undoubtedly formed.
This can clearly be seen in the example of how the features of the social and spiritual life of Russia in the 16th century gave an impetus to the changes that gave rise to new art forms of fine art of the next century.
Of course, the most striking and original creative person of the XVII century was the capital's icon painter Simon Ushakov (1626 - 1686). Having comprehended the secrets of craftsmanship early, he was already hired at the age of twenty-two as an artist of the Silver Chamber of the Armory, where he was responsible for sketching for making church utensils and luxury goods.
In addition, the young master painted banners, drew maps, came up with ornaments for needlework and did a lot of similar work. He also had to write images for various temples and private houses. Over time, it was this area of creativity that brought him fame and honor.
After the transfer to the state of the Armory (1656), Simon Ushakov firmly established himself as the most recognized artist of his time. No other Moscow icon painter had such fame, and was not so kindly treated by royal favors. This allowed him to live a life of honor and contentment.
Despite the fact that Russian icon painters were obliged to write their works solely on ancient samples, Ushakov boldly used certain elements of Western painting in his compositions, samples of which by that time were increasingly appearing in Russia. Remaining on the basis of the original Russian-Byzantine traditions, but at the same time creatively reworking the achievements of European masters, the artist created a new, so-called Fryzhsky style, which was further developed in the work of icon painters of a later period. This article provides a photo of his famous icon "The Last Supper", painted by the master in 1685 for the Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
Outstanding master of fresco painting
The second half of the XVII century was marked by the work of another outstanding master - Guri Nikitin. Born in Kostroma, presumably in the early 1620s, he was engaged in painting from a young age. However, the novice master gained serious experience in Moscow, where in 1653, together with the artel of his fellow countrymen, he painted a number of churches in the capital.
Guri Nikitin, whose work was more and more perfect every year, became known primarily as a master of fresco painting. Many paintings preserved in monasteries and individual churches of Moscow, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Pereslavl-Zalessky and Suzdal have survived to our days.
A characteristic feature of the frescoes, made by the master on biblical subjects, is their festive color and richness of symbolism, for which during the life of the artist they often reproached for the secularization of art, that is, its reorientation to the problems of the perishable world. In addition, the result of his creative searches was a special artistic technique that allowed the master to create an extraordinary spatial effect in his compositions. He entered the history of art under the name "formulas of Guri Nikitin." The famous icon painter died in 1691.
Creativity of Theodore Zubov
And finally, talking about the iconography of the XVII century, one can not fail to mention the name of another outstanding master - this is Theodore Zubov (1646-1689). Born in Smolensk, at the beginning of the 1650s, he moved to Veliky Ustyug as a teenager, where for one of the churches he painted the icon “Savior Not Made by Hands”, which immediately created his reputation as a mature artist.
Over time, his fame spread so widely throughout Russia that the artist was called to Moscow and enlisted in the staff of the icon painters of the Armory, where he then served for more than forty years. After the death of Simon Ushakov, who for many years headed the craftsmen gathered there, Theodor Zubov took his place. Among the master’s works, the icon “Apostolic Ministry” was especially famous, the photo of which completes the article. A worthy contribution to the development of Russian art was made by the sons of Zubov - Ivan and Alexei, who became one of the best Russian engravers in the Petrine era.