Recently, art critics are increasingly beginning to pay attention to the history of Russian painting of the 16-17th centuries, which was represented in those days mainly by icon painting. This is a very interesting and poorly studied layer of culture, in the bowels of which many modern pictorial styles have formed. In Russia of the 16-17th centuries there were quite a lot of icon-painting workshops, which, combining, created special directions and schools of drawing. The most famous of them are Godunov and Stroganov schools of Russian icon painting. Not all of their works have survived to the present. What surnames of the masters of those years are known to us now? What works have survived to this day and what were the features of these areas in Russian culture?
Old Russian painting
In Russia in ancient times, there were such types of paintings as monumental writing, icon painting and miniature. The most developed icon painting. The earliest surviving icons are dated to the 11th century, in an artistic manner they were close to Byzantine. At the end of the 12th century, in Russia, mainly shoulder mural iconographic compositions were written (the Comnenus period). But gradually this direction is replaced by a national approach. At this time, the predominance of bright colors in Russian icons begins. At the end of the 14th century, the famous Byzantine Theophanes the Greek began to create in Russia, whose work made a huge contribution to the development of Russian icon painting and painting. He introduced the concept of high Christian symbolism to art, in his frescoes there were many color flashes falling on faces, as if personifying divine light. In his work, 2 periods can be distinguished - expressive “Novgorod” and milder “Moscow”. Another discovery in the icon painting of the 16th century was the master Dionysius, his artistic methodology was particularly festive. In the future, the main vectors of the development of pictorial art were represented by two schools - Godunovskaya and Stroganovskaya school of Russian icon painting.
Godunov School
Some works of the late 16th century were written to order of Tsar Boris Godunov, the name of one of the iconographic directions came from this name. Its representatives, following the old canon, revived the traditions of Dionysian writing.
Artistic features of the school:
- finding canonized images directly next to images of living nature;
- expositions with many human figures, efforts to portray the crowd as a single group;
- simultaneous use of cinnabar-red, green and ocher tones;
- desire to convey objective materiality.
The famous works of this school are the paintings of the Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin.
Merchants Stroganovs - founders of the school
One of the famous and wealthy representatives of Veliky Novgorod, Fedor Stroganov, moved to Solvychegodsk in 1475. His son was the founder of the Perm Territory, salt industries, monasteries. And already his descendants - Maxim and Nikita Stroganovs became the richest merchants and salt industrialists who glorified this surname. They both loved icon painting and themselves were engaged in this work. But mostly the icons were made by order of Solvychegodsk craftsmen, as well as Moscow artists who worked in the tsar’s workshops. Almost all the Stroganov icons with signatures were written specifically for the merchant brothers and their people. In those days, there was a division of labor among icon painters: "personalities", "dolichniks", and "ward writing" artists appeared.
Godunov and Stroganov schools of Russian icon painting, the main differences
The Godunov school continued to move in line with the stylistics of A. Rublev and Dionysius, its artisans worked for the tsar and therefore represented a kind of “official” line in art. Monumentality prevails in these creations, such icons were basically intended for equipping temples, in their technique gold and silver shades prevail.
Stroganov school is more inclined to exquisite drawings and subtleties of color solutions. Their icons are usually small and designed more for decoration than for prayer. Their technique is dominated by painstaking elaboration of small details, details.
Distinctive features of the Stroganov direction
The Stroganov school of icon painting was distinguished by the following features:
- Icons of small sizes, written out complex and miniature.
- The color palette is built on halftones using gold shades.
- The almost obligatory presence of the landscape along with the figures of the characters.
- A special, bizarre image of clouds in the sky.
- In the composition there are always many small elements, such as chambers, slides, figures of people, plants.
- The icons, as it were, always tell of something, in the center with wide color strokes depicts the image of a martyr or saint.
- The image of the plant world is as close as possible to the natural one, using gold paint.
- Architectural images are complemented by detailed traced towers, ladders, arbors, domes.
- Feeling emotional, transmission of anxiety, expression, for example, many spiral curls are drawn.
- Human figures are characterized by elongated proportions.
- The clothes are depicted in bright colors, mainly red, yellow and green, with the drawing of small folds and with the addition of golden paint.
- Faces were painted in light colors, with spaces, details of appearance, for example, hair, were carefully drawn.
Summing up, we can say that the Stroganov and Godunov school of icon painting differed in the very understanding of the purpose of the icon. The Stroganovites were characterized by a miniature image, complexity, elegance and a departure from monumentality, such an icon ceases to be an image for prayer, and becomes a precious miniature.
Three stages of school development
In art criticism, the paintings of the Stroganov school are conventionally divided into 3 stages.
1. "Old Stroganov letters"
The initial period in its style is very similar to the Novgorod creations. The then-created icons of the Stroganov school can be reckoned among the wonderful "Novgorod" samples made in the estate of Solvychegod merchants.
2. "Second Stroganov letters"
At this stage, the basic idea of this school is based. Here the manner of writing is lost as the figurative embodiment of the world and God. Instead, a convex parade appears, a kind of grandeur, a desire for beauty. Everything is served with a certain manner, emphasized by elegant poses, the boards are covered with gold and catchy colors. These icons are miniature; they were written mainly not for churches, but for domestic worship and gradually became household items in Moscow Russia.
Colorized graphics, miniature performance - such techniques represent the second period of the work of this school.
3. The Baron
This stage falls on the 18th century; it can be called modification of samples of the second period. The icon ceases to be a genre of painting and finally turns into a jewel, the place of which is more likely in the treasury than in the church. These works, in fact, are the finest miniatures, examples of which are in the "chambers" of the Preobrazhensky cemetery and the Nikolsky monastery.
Procopius Chirin
Chirin is a very gifted Russian artist, master of the Stroganov school. His most famous work is the icon "Nikita the Warrior" (1593).
The canvas depicts a holy warrior, on it - a red shirt, a bright blue cloak and gold armor. His figure is fragile, there is no masculinity in it, the image is emphasized refined. The main attention of the master is paid to the refinement of colorful combinations, to the depiction of small details of clothes, the face and hands of the warrior are written out miniature.
The icon "John the Baptist in the wilderness" is also attributed to this master. Her drawing confirms that the image of the landscape began to come to the central plan in the Stroganov school of Russian icon painting. The desert here is no longer a simple depiction of slides, but a diverse perspective with a river and vegetation, where figures of people and animals are also present. Against this background, the image of the saint is clearly looming, as if conveying the mood of the fatal loneliness of the soul in the surrounding world. The lyricism of the poetic landscape with detailed rivers is deeply conveyed in the work.
Chirin is the author of many icons that are usually attributed to the first years of the 16th century, for example, his brush belongs to the icon of St. John the Warrior, written for M. Stroganov. In this painting P. Chirin proved himself to be a true master of the polysyllabic line. From the Novgorodian manner, only the elegance of slightly elongated proportions remained here. By the sense of color, this author is not very different from other representatives of his school. Somewhat muffled tones make him related to the Moscow icon-painting direction.
In the period from 1597-1604, during the reign of Godunov, he wrote "Selected Saints." On the canvas in a certain symmetry are depicted saints patronizing the reigning dynasty. Prince Boris - the representative of the king himself - in a headdress, in a fur coat decorated with precious stones and pearls. Fyodor Stratillat is a martyr who patronizes his son, another saint is the patron of Boris by his other name. Only the name of Gleb did not belong to the Godunov family, but traditionally he was portrayed in icon painting with his brother; behind them are the female patrons - Maria and Ksenia.
Godunov's daughter was known for her chastity and beautiful appearance, accordingly, her saint Ksenia was on the icon. All characters are depicted in some emotional restraint. The background of the painting is conveyed by golden olive tones. The strict symmetry of the image, a large amount of gold and ornamental pattern raise the icon to a level corresponding to the magnificent solemnity of the royal court. Chirin as an artist was especially attracted to the images of those who pray, the images of Christ and the Mother of God with babies. A frequent theme of this master was the image of Mary. The Mother of God created by him ("Our Lady of Tikhvin", "Our Lady of Vladimir") is emphatically refined and pretty. The secular orientation in how the image of Mary is interpreted is especially felt. The artist’s mastery here is subordinated mainly to the image of the patterns, the colors acquire a slightly metallic tint. It should be noted that in the side flaps the patronesses of the female part of the Stroganov family are depicted - the righteous and holy martyrs. It can be concluded that the reason for writing the folding was a significant event for this family. In the selection of images depicted on the icon, the Stroganovs' desire is felt to trace their genealogical line.
Nicephorus Savin
This is another remarkable Russian artist, master of the Stroganov school, who created about 15 icons under his signature. Of his works, the icon “The Miracle of Fyodor Tiron” (beginning of the 17th century) is most prominent, where the Christian story of a martyr warrior is taken as the basis.
According to the apocrypha, Tyrone's mother was abducted by a huge serpent, but he saves her. This hero was revered in Russia as the winner of the evil principle. Here you can observe the unification of several fragments: the royal court, watching the struggle, Tyrone, praying for victory, and his battle with the snake. The scenes of the apocrypha are depicted in detail and very elegantly. In the color multilayer range, gold, silver, colored varnishes are used. A thin black pattern is created on the gold base, creating a shimmering surface. Art historians suggest that this master had stylistically different time periods for writing, the first being “color” and the later “gold”.
Another icon dating from the beginning of the 17th century has survived, the icon of this author - "Conversation of Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom."
This icon reveals with great conviction the theme of God's welfare, where the saints are depicted at the time of the communion. The figures of St. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom are written so that they are combined in a single composition. These saints have been deeply revered in Russia since baptism. In fiction, they were often depicted at the royal gate, which emphasized the extraordinary significance of these saints as the authors of the liturgies. The main place in this icon is given to a hill symbolizing spiritual ascent. Great teachers come to people who crave spiritual enlightenment and fellowship with the divine miracle, the winding line between the slides is identified with the blessed river of Christian doctrine.
Another famous painting is “The angel preserves the soul and body of a sleeping person” (early 17th century). Iconography depicts an angel holding a crucifix at the head of a sleeping person. A deesis is placed above the bed as a reminder of the Last Judgment. This icon is associated with prayer texts before falling asleep, where there are thoughts about guardian angels, driving away demons at night and protecting a person from any troubles during the day. Nikifor Savin is rightly ranked among the best artists of the Stroganov trend.
Emelyan Moskvitin
This master is attributed to the authorship of the work "Stvor at the Rogozhsky Cemetery".
A delicate sense of colors and lines opens on this canvas: a combination of yellow, green and pinkish convey a delicate, slightly cold harmony. The work feels as if the last echo of that fascination with beauty, which was so clearly manifested in the Ferapont frescoes. The icon of Moskvitin "Three youths in a cave" also gained fame.
Emelyan’s letter definitely lies in the outline of the Novgorod tradition. This is evidenced by a mannered image of poses and a fairly detailed coloring.
Themes of works and stylistic devices
By the thematic principle, the iconography of this school is schematically divided into 3 large groups: namesake (representing the patron saint), icons depicting saints and icons describing Orthodox holidays. For the Stroganov school of painting of the 17th century, the first group is especially characteristic. Their options are quite diverse, but everywhere there is a secular orientation. Among the Stroganovites, the creation of icons depicting the Mother of God was widespread. They gave this image a chamber, domestic character. The same can be seen in the interpretation of their deesis and holiday icons.
In the reproductions of the holidays, the chamberness of the images is especially felt due to the presence of household details of the genre. The execution of the Stroganov icons is emphasized aesthetized, this is most likely due to the high social status of their customers. Icons embodied the aesthetic standard of certain groups of the Russian community. Perhaps this is what explains the particular painstaking and thorough drawing, the ultimate grace of images - the saints on them practically do not touch the ground, but seem to hover above it.
The icon painters of this school are connected by the same attitude to form, space and ward writing. The volume is transmitted mainly by purely conventional lighting, and the lines do not violate the image plane in any way. The design of the space is also conditional. The artists of this school are trying to show "interior chambers." To convey the spatial structure, they use the techniques that were then used by the masters of the personal annals.
In the Stroganov art school, the techniques of the ward image are quite typical: mostly one-headed churches, crowned with pointed kokoshniks or houses with a large number of small black windows, with wide openings of arches and pointed spiers. Always depicted the width of the ends of buildings, window and arched openings. In their style, the Stroganov icons are similar to the works of Moscow court painters and Moscow representatives of this school of the early period.
The historical significance of the school
The Stroganov school of icon painting played an important role in the evolution of Russian art. This was a turning point in the development of Russian icon-painting craftsmanship, in the depths of this direction those properties developed that subsequently determined the nature of the painting of the developed 17th century. First of all, this is the secular presentation of images, manifested in the drawing of portraits, as well as the desire of artists to most likely portray historical events. The result of the activities of the Stroganov school of drawing was the appearance in the 18th century of secular painting. This is the historical significance of the school and its role in the development of Russian art.
So, summing up what has been said, we can conclude that in Russia in the 16-17th centuries there were already fully formed trends in the genre of icon writing, and that one of its main representatives was the Stroganov icon painting school. In addition, we can add that this school went through several stages of its formation, had its own distinctive features, a characteristic artistic manner, as well as its stylistic orientation and thematic content. In the Stroganov school there were real masters of their craft, such as Procopius Chirin, Emelyan Moskvitin, the dynasty of artists Saviny, as well as other lesser-known authors. Some of their works have survived to the present day and are in art galleries and museums.