Russia has always been famous for its rich culture and huge variety of talents. Guri Nikitin is one of the most famous and significant figures in Russian painting and icon painting. His life and work fell on the XVII century and left a bright mark in the cultural history of Russia. And although the factual data about the artist that have come down to the present day is very fragmentary, his work and individual style will forever remain monuments of high spirituality of the past.
Biography
The exact date of birth of Guri Nikitin is unknown. Tentatively, this was the beginning of 1620/1625. The hometown of the future artist was Kostroma. Nikitin is the pseudonym of the artist, or rather, the middle name (Nikitich - Nikitin). His real name is Kineshemtsev. Prior to his erection into art, he kept several trading shops in the salt and fish rows.
A family
The father of Guria Nikitin (Nikita Kineshemtsev) died in 1653 during a pestilence, so the mother of Solomonid was at the head of the family. Guria had a brother Luka, or as his relatives called him, Auchka. He was engaged in shoemaking.
In addition to his mother and sibling, Guria had cousins Mikhail and Fedor. They were relatively wealthy people. After their death, Guri Nikitin inherited several city shops in the fur coat, cloth and fish ranks.
The personal life of the icon painter is known for sure that he was never married, had no children. This is evidenced by the entry in the Landrat book, made much later than his death. It indicates exactly the year of the death of the icon painter (1691) and the absence of heirs.
Creation
Guri Nikitin from an early age showed creative talent. Where he received his education is unknown. The main researcher of his work V.G. Bryusov suggests that Vasily Ilyin, a well-known Kostroma artist and icon painter of that time, could be Nikitin’s teacher.
But in many ways, the mother of the future icon painter contributed to the creative advancement. Immersed in his own world, young Guri had a cozy house, food and a friendly family. And at that difficult time, creating a similar Russian woman without support was rather difficult. Later, the image of a woman-mother will receive a special place in the work of Nikitin.
His path to art was not easy. After all, Guri came from a simple working family, far from icon painting. The artist gained considerable experience when, as part of the Kostroma artel, he painted Moscow churches ( Trinity Church, the Archangel Cathedral in the capital’s Kremlin). In addition to the masters from Kostroma, talented icon painters from Yaroslavl, Novgorod and Moscow worked there.
This colossal creative movement of that era was for Nikitin the first confident step in the history of art. Proving himself as a gifted artist, Guri received many invitations from the Orthodox churches of Russia and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich himself for painting walls and writing / restoring icons.
Individual handwriting
Speaking of the magnificence and symbolism of Russian icon painting, art historians always point to the unique genius that was Guri Nikitin. His paintings are a unique combination of decorativeism and monumentality in one work. It is no coincidence that the heyday of his work coincided with the rise of decorative and monumental art in Russia (second half of the 17th century)
All the works of the outstanding artist and icon painter have a unique style, individual style. He built compositions of paintings according to the principle of non-mirror symmetry, applied contrasts of chiaroscuro. Art historians note the internal dynamics, a sense of rhythm in the prescription of images. In addition, the frescoes of Guriy Nikitin cover a wide range of colors, which undoubtedly enhances the decorative effect of the compositions.
Famous works
Mention of Nikitin's first artistic creations dates back to 1650. It is associated with the painting of the porch of the Church of the Resurrection and Trinity Cathedral in Kostroma. The frescoes of Guriy Nikitin in the Holy Cross Exaltation Cathedral in Romanov (now Tutaev) (early 1650s), in the Danilov Monastery in Pereslavl-Zalessky (1662-68), in the Assumption Cathedral (Rostov Kremlin, 1670) and in Church of Elijah the Prophet (Yaroslavl, 1680). For the latter, Nikitin also painted holiday icons.
1666 was a difficult, turning point for the Russian church. Nikitin took an active part in the restoration paintings of the Archangel Cathedral. His brushes belong to the images of martyr soldiers and several fragments of the monumental composition “The Last Judgment”.
Icon painting
The house of the artist and icon painter was not far from the Epiphany Cathedral. Of course, this fact means the direct participation of Guria in the painting of the temple. The most striking murals, the icons of Guriy Nikitin for the cathedral belong to 1667-1672.
In those same years, he painted cypress warehouses commissioned by Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna. Their composition was presented in such a way that in the center was depicted the image of the Virgin of Kazan, on the right - Nicholas the Wonderworker, and on the left - the great martyrs Agrippina and Evdokia. And also seven icons were created for the Antiochian patriarch Macarius.
A lot of icons were painted by Nikitin for the Assumption Cathedral. Among them: “Last Judgment”, “Sign”, “Descent of St. Spirit ”,“ Kazan in miracles ”.
The last work is considered the icon of the “Old Testament Trinity” by Guri Nikitin for the Trinity-Sypanovsky Cathedral in Kostroma, painted in 1690.
Attributed works
There are several artworks attributed to Guria Nikitin. However, they did not receive sufficient attribution. These include Theodore Icon of Our Lady with the Legend (1680), The Martyrs Kirik and Julit (1680s), The Exaltation of the Cross, and the fresco of the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma. According to historical data, some of them (for example, "Theodore Icon ...") are not the works of the artist, but a skillful restoration of the works of their predecessors.
Interesting Facts
Guri Nikitin lived in virginity and celibacy, but his family did not have confessors in the family. And the icon painter himself did not accept tonsure. This decision remained a mystery of the artist for contemporaries. However, in the memorial record of the Nikitin clan, after the date of the death of the father of the family, the name of the schema-Elena was indicated. Researchers suggest that this is the church name of the mother of Guria (Solomonides), who already went to the monastery at an advanced age.
In 1659, when talented icon painters were needed in Moscow for painting the Archangel Cathedral, Emelyan Pushkarev went from Kostroma. However, he had sore legs, and soon he was sent back. On his replacement, he recommended several fellow countrymen, among whom was Guri Nikitin. The artist successfully passed certification and in 1660 received the status of icon painter of the first article.
Guri Nikitin was the headman (or foreman) of the Kostroma icon painters' artel. Despite a number of privileges in the post, the artist was very responsible for his work and did not allow indulgence, working on a par with his colleagues in the workshop and even more. When decorating the Ipatiev Monastery and the Church of Elijah the Prophet, he independently drew the contours of future frescoes, and left the painting to the students.
The name "Guri" literally means "patient worker." That was exactly Guriy Nikitin. His biography is sketchy, but the memoirs of his contemporaries indicate that the icon painter was a pious and God-fearing person. I have always approached the writing of icons responsibly both from an artistic and spiritual side. There is a known case when he began to write the image of Our Lady of Theodore in Great Lent, having previously confessed and communed. Later, during the procession in Yaroslavl, this image revealed miracles of healing.
Guriy Nikitin often had to restore old icons and murals. He was careful about the cultural and historical heritage, therefore, he retained such stylistic features of the work of his predecessors as large figures and restraint of movements. That is why some of the artist’s brushes remained unknown.
Art historians rank the name of Guri Nikitin on the list of great Russian icon painters. Along with Theophanes the Greek, Andrei Rublev and Simon Ushakov, he had a tremendous influence on Russian icon painting and rightfully earned an honorable place among the masters of his craft.
Today
Many masterpieces of Guria Nikitin have survived to this day. The most ambitious and significant are in the homeland of the artist in Kostroma. So, now in the Trinity and Ipatiev Cathedrals you can go on a tour and get acquainted with the unique monuments of Russian architecture and painting. The central place, of course, is devoted to the review of the frescoes of Guri Nikitin.