Before discussing the icons of the 17-18th century, let’s get into a bit of business. Despite the fact that Christianity was spread in Europe, it was the Russian school of icon painting that had its significant differences in the sense of subtle spirituality of writing and unusual identity. Today, modern people are often far from past religious traditions. But more recently, in every Russian hut or house there was a red corner, where holy images always hung, inherited by blessing or received as a gift.
Then these were inexpensive icons. Therefore, the shabby and already blackened from time to time was usually given to some monastery icon shop and in return received a new one, paying only a small amount. Indeed, as such, the sale of icons until the 17th century did not exist.
Priceless images
The most interesting thing is that the icons of the middle of the 13th century (before the Mongol period) today are almost priceless, and there are only a few dozen of them. Icons of the 15-16th century, belonging to the icon-painting schools of Rublev and Dionysius, also came to us in small numbers. And they can only be seen in museums and, with luck, in rare private collections.
For those who are interested in icons of the 17th century, it should be noted that before the signature of the master on the icon were not put. However, already in the second half of this century, the state treasury introduced a tax on products of “Bogomaz” for its replenishment. They were forced to sign each icon they made, and then they entered it into the registry. Almost every ancient Orthodox icon has its own amazing story. This icon should not violate strict monastic traditions.
Stroganov School
At the beginning of the 17th century after the end of the Great Troubles period, the first tsar (after the Rurik dynasty) Romanov Mikhail Fedorovich was elevated to the throne. At this time, the Stroganov School of Iconography with its prominent representative Prokopy Chirin was working for the tsar. The Stroganov school took shape at the end of the 16th century and got its name from the rich merchant-patrons of the Stroganovs. The best craftsmen at that time were Moscow icon painters who worked in tsarist workshops.
For the first time, the Stroganov School discovered the beauty and poetry of the landscape. Many icons appeared panoramas with glades and hills, animals and forests, grasses and flowers.
During the Time of Troubles, the Stroganov School did not give icons color, and at the same time, there was no idleness in them, but the characteristic gloom of the color scheme. The development of relations with other states immediately affected icon painting, which gradually acquired a secular character, lost its canons, and expanded the theme of images.
Experience exchange
Since 1620, an icon chamber was created by the icon chamber (executed until 1638), which provided for the resumption of grandeur in the churches that suffered during the Time of Troubles.
Since 1642, it was necessary to restore the almost lost painting of the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin. 150 best masters from different Russian cities took part in the work on this project. They were led by Ivan Paisein, Sidor Pospeev and other tsarist "isographs." Such joint work stimulated the exchange of experience, leading to the replenishment of the almost lost skill of artel work. Such well-known artists of the 17th century as Yaroslavl Sevastyan Dmitriev, Stepan Ryazanets, Yakov Kazanets, Kostroma Joachim Ageev and Vasily Ilyin came out of the so-called “School of the Assumption Cathedral”. There are opinions of historians that all of them later passed under the leadership of the Armory, which became the center of the country's art.
Innovation
This leads to the spread of such an artistic direction as the "style of the Armory." It is characterized by the desire to display the volume and depth of space, the transfer of architectural and landscape background, the drawing of the situation and details of clothing.
In the ancient icons of the 17th century, a greenish-blue background was widely used, which very successfully conveyed the air environment from light at the top to dark to the manure line.
In the color scheme, the main color was red in its most diverse shades and saturation. Expensive imported paints (translucent varnishes based on sandalwood, cochineal and mahogany) were used in the icons of the royal masters for brightness and purity.
Great masters of icon painting
Despite all sorts of borrowings from Western European art, Moscow icon painting of the second half of the 17th century still remains in the rut of traditional icon painting. Gold and silver served as divine light.
With a noticeable commonality of style, the icon painters of the Armory Chamber were divided into two camps: some preferred monumentality and increased importance of images (Georgy Zinoviev, Simon Ushakov, Tikhon Filatiev), while others adhered to the Stroganov direction with a miniature aestheticized letter with many details (Sergey Rozhkov, Nikita Pavlovets, Semyon Spiridonov Kholmogorets).
Changes in the pictorial system of icon painting of the 17th century were most likely associated with the collapse of the medieval tribal foundations of society. The priority of the individual principle was outlined, which led to the fact that in Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and saints, they began to search for individual traits. This desire was the desire to make holy faces as “lively as possible." An essential component of religious feeling was empathy with the torment of saints, the suffering of Christ on the Cross. Widespread passionate icons. On the iconostases you could see a whole series dedicated to the mournful events of Christ the Savior. Joseph Vladimirov substantiated these new requirements of church icon painting in his message to Simon Ushakov.
The spread of folk icon painting
In the second half of the 17th century, the need for icons increased. The economy of Russia was gradually developing. This allowed the construction of new churches in cities and villages, and made it possible for peasants to exchange holy images for their household products. From that moment on, icon painting became a folk craft in the Suzdal villages. And, judging by the preserved icons of that time, it can be noted that in the compositions there were practically no details of the details, and it all came down to almost a pictographic scheme. Suzdal icons, from the point of view of the technology of icon painting, were a simplified version, however, undoubtedly, they had their own particular advantages and artistic expressiveness.
The tsar’s icon painter Joseph Vladimirov testified that such icons in the 17th century were found not only in houses, but also in churches. As a professional in his field, he strongly criticized not skilfully written images.
Disagreement
This caused concern of secular and ecclesiastical authorities, they tried to correct the situation with prohibitive measures.
After that comes a letter dated 1668, which was signed by the Patriarchs Paisius of Alexandria, Macarius of Antioch and Joseph Moskovsky. Referring to St. Gregory the Theologian, they decided to divide the icon painters into 6 ranks from skilled icon painters to students. And only qualified icon painters were allowed to paint icons.
In the tsar’s decree of Alexei Mikhailovich of 1669, it was said that it is necessary to know “the size and composition of persons”. Unprofessional artists distorted icons with facial features and proportions of figures.
But nevertheless, the main drawback of 17th century folk icons is considered to be not so much their artlessness as letters in the Old Believer's Sign of the Cross (two-faced), the blessing of the bishops and the spelling of the name of the Savior Jesus with one letter “and”.
Icons of the 17th century. Photo
One of the famous images is Nikolai the Miracle Worker. This ancient icon was painted from a famous carved sculpture, on which the saint was depicted with a sword in his hands. In 1993-1995, the image was restored and the lower layers of paint were opened. Today the 17th century icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is kept in Mozhaisk in the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit.
Another icon - “The Savior Not Made by Hands” was painted in 1658 by Simon Ushakov, who was immediately criticized for the uncharacteristic image of Christ. However, later this image became one of the most popular in Russia. Now this icon is stored in the Moscow Tretyakov Gallery.
Icons of the Mother of God of the 17th century
This is the most striking image in the history of icon painting. The most famous example relating to the icons of the 16-17th centuries is the Pochaev Icon of the Virgin. It was first mentioned in the annals of 1559, when the noblewoman landowner Goyskaya Anna presented the monks with the Assumption Pochaev Lavra this miraculous image, which saved the holy place from the Turkish invasion on July 20-23, 1675. This icon is still in the Pochaev Monastery of Ukraine.
The Kazan icon of the 17th century is the most revered by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Patriarch Germogen himself , who at that time was a minister of the Gostinodvor Church in Kazan, Yermolai wrote that after the fire in Kazan in 1579, which hit a large part of the city, the Virgin herself appeared in a dream to the ten-year-old girl Matron and told her to dig out the icon in the ashes.
In the indicated place Matrona really found the icon. This happened on July 8, 1579. Now every year this day is celebrated as a church holiday of the Russian Church. Subsequently, the Bogoroditsky Monastery was built on this site, and Matron became her first nun, who adopted the monastic name of the Moor.
It was under the auspices of the Kazan icon that Pozharsky was able to expel the Poles from Moscow. Of the three miraculous lists, only one has been preserved in our time, and it is stored in St. Petersburg, in the Kazan Cathedral.