Paintings on religious themes. Religious painting

Russian artist, musician and theater figure Vasily Polenov for a long time did not dare to turn to the Biblical theme in his work. Until something terrible happened: his beloved sister became seriously ill and before her death she made her brother promise that he would start “writing big picture on the long-planned topic “Christ and the Sinner”.

And he kept his word. After creating this painting, Polenov began creating a whole series of paintings called “From the Life of Christ,” to which he devotes several decades of tireless creative and spiritual search. For this, Polenov even travels through Constantinople, Athens, Smyrna, Cairo and Port Said to Jerusalem.

Henryk Semiradsky

The outstanding portrait artist Henryk Semiradsky, although he was Polish by origin, felt an organic connection with Russian culture from his youth. Perhaps this was facilitated by studying at the Kharkov gymnasium, where drawing was taught by Karl Bryullov’s student Dmitry Bezperchiy.

Semiradsky brought picturesqueness to his canvases on biblical subjects, which made them bright, memorable, and lively.

Detail: Took part in the painting of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Alexander Ivanov

“He left only the divine Raphael as his teacher. With a high inner instinct, he sensed the true meaning of the word: historical painting. And his inner feeling turned his brush to Christian subjects, the highest and last degree of the high,” Nikolai Gogol wrote about the famous painter.

Alexander Ivanov is the author of the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People,” which cost him 20 years of real work and creative devotion. Ivanov also made watercolor sketches for the “Temple of Humanity” murals, but he showed them to almost no one. Only after the artist's death these drawings became known. This cycle entered the history of art under the name “biblical sketches”. These sketches were published more than 100 years ago in Berlin and have not been reprinted since then.

Nikolay Ge

Ge's painting last supper“shocked Russia, just as Karl Bryullov’s “The Last Day of Pompeii” once did. The newspaper “St. Petersburg Vedomosti” reported: “The Last Supper” amazes with its originality against the general background of dry fruits of academic bearing,” and members of the Academy of Arts, on the contrary, could not for a long time make up your mind.

In “The Last Supper,” Ge interprets the traditional religious plot as a tragic confrontation between a hero who sacrifices himself for the good of humanity and his student who forever renounces the precepts of his teacher. In Ge’s image of Judas there is nothing private, only general. Judas – collective image, Man Without a Face".

Detail: Nikolai Ge first turned to gospel stories under the influence of Alexander Ivanov

Ilya Repin

It is believed that none of the Russian artists, except Karl Bryullov, enjoyed such fame during their lifetime as Ilya Repin. Contemporaries admired the masterfully executed multi-figure genre compositions and seemingly “living” portraits.

Ilya Repin repeatedly turned to gospel theme. He even went as a pilgrim to the Holy Land to see for himself the places where Christ walked and preached. “I wrote almost nothing there - there was no time, I wanted to see more... I painted an image of the Russian church - the head of the Savior. I wanted to put my contribution to Jerusalem...” Later he said: “there is a living Bible everywhere,” “so grandiosely I felt the living God ", "God! How magnificently you feel your insignificance to the point of non-existence."

Ivan Kramskoy

Ivan Kramskoy pondered his painting “The Resurrection of Jairus’s Daughter” for a whole decade. At the beginning of 1860, he made the first sketch, and only in 1867 did he make the first version of the painting, which did not satisfy him. To see everything that has been done in this way, Kramskoy travels around Europe with a mandatory visit best museums peace. leaves for Germany. He visits art galleries in Vienna, Antwerp and Paris, gets acquainted with new art, and later makes a trip to Crimea - to the areas of Bakhchisarai and Chufui-Kale, so similar to the Palestinian desert.

Marc Chagall

The author of the famous “Biblical Message,” Marc Chagall, loved the Bible since childhood, considering it an extraordinary source of poetry. Since he came from a Jewish family, he began to learn the basics of education quite early at the school at the synagogue. Many years later, as an adult, Chagall in his work tried to comprehend not only the Old Testament, but also the New Testament, and gravitated towards understanding the figure of Christ.

The most complete definition of the concept of “religious painting” includes:

• Any piece of art on biblical theme(Christian art);
• Paintings illustrating the worship of the god of polytheistic religions;
• Works of Buddhist, Hindu, Chinese, Jewish, Islamic art related to religious beliefs or rituals.

Religious fine art is any painting that supports the moral message of a religion. In this context, religion means any set of human beliefs related to what they consider sacred, holy, spiritual or divine.

Origins

Since ancient times, the most common types of religious art have been painting and sculpture, but the most striking manifestation of the genre is architectural structures. Indoor and outdoor artistic decorations for Christian, Islamic and Buddhist temples include a wide range of examples of decorative arts: calligraphy, ceramics, icons, manuscripts, metalwork, mosaics, stained glass, carved woodwork. The function of religious art is to strengthen and glorify faith.

Art of Antiquity and Ancient Civilizations

The task of the artists of Egypt, Rome and Greece is to elevate the person of the ruler. In Egypt, the pharaoh embodied god on earth, so his images were sacred.

Still life in painting

Works from the period of antiquity have reached our time in fragments. Representative of the characteristics of religious art is the sculpture and architecture of this time, illustrated by the Parthenon and other temples of the Acropolis in Athens.

In Christianity

The Origins of Christian Painting: The Development of Religious Art in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
Christian or biblical art appeared approximately 150 years after the death of Christ. Initially, biblical painting and sculpture were the result of a combination of features of Roman and Greek art. Over the next centuries, Christian iconography was standardized and brought into line with biblical texts.

In the Middle Ages, religious painting developed in the form of icon painting.

Byzantine Christian art could be represented by mosaics, miniatures, and icons. In the 18th – 9th centuries, as a result of the iconoclastic movement, most of the painting masterpieces were destroyed. Most early works that have reached modern times are dated to the 6th century. Features: antique technique, naturalism - in some works, and a tendency to conventionally convey images, sketchiness - in others. The most famous icons of the pre-iconoclastic period are “Apostle Peter”, “Christ Pantocrator”.

Types of landscape in painting

Iconography

After the end of the era of iconoclasm, work on creating icons resumed. Technical features: linear stylization, thinning, elongation of figures, spiritualization of images, rejection of naturalism.

The most famous icons: “The Descent into Hell”, “The Dormition” are examples of works from the period of Comnenian mannerism.

As Christianity was adopted, icon painting spread in the Old Russian state, on the Balkan Peninsula. The most famous icon painters of Rus' are Alypiy and Gregory. Gradually, local schools of icon painting took shape - in Novgorod, Pskov, Kyiv, Chernigov. Russian religious painting is clearly represented by the works of Andrei Rublev: icons from the iconostasis of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, frescoes and the icon of Our Lady of Vladimir “Tenderness” of the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, the icon “Trinity” from the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity Monastery (Sergiev Posad).

Features of ancient Greek vase painting

The technique of icon painting spread throughout the Eastern Orthodox region, in particular in Kyiv, Novgorod and Moscow. It has become one of the main features of Russian medieval painting. Besides Andrei Rublev, the greatest Russian icon painters were:

• Theophanes the Greek, founder of the Novgorod school of icon painting;
• Dionysius, follower of A. Rublev, creator of the painting of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in the Pafnutievo Borovsky Monastery;
• Nikifor Savin is a representative of the Stroganov school, author of the works “The Miracle of George with the Serpent”, “The Miracle of the Serpent of Theodore Tiron”.

Important center of early Christian art Western Europe was Ireland. As a result of the development of the Gothic style in architecture and the dominance of the church over secular life, many cathedrals were erected: in Paris (Notre Dame), Chartres, Soissons, Bourges, Reims, Amiens and other cities. The cathedrals were richly decorated with icons. The religious plot was dominant in book miniatures.

Characteristics of the plot-thematic genre

The features of Dutch religious art of the period are illustrated by the Ghent Altarpiece of Jan and Hubert van Eyck, the Portinari Altarpiece by Hugo van der Goes, the works of Roger Van der Weyden, Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

Italian Renaissance art was financed by the church and patrons - the Medici and Gonzaga families. Most works of the Italian Renaissance are distinguished by the dominance of religious themes:

• "Holy Trinity" by Masaccio;
• "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci;
• "Sistine Madonna" by Raphael;
• Frescoes of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo.

Venetian painting is represented by a number of paintings by outstanding artists - Titian and Tintoretto.
In the 15th century, Antonello da Messina and Caravaggio worked - the paintings were distinguished by the significant influence of mannerism.

Religious painting of the 17th – 18th centuries

After the Reformation, the Vatican began an active campaign of Catholic Counter-Reformation. Painting has become one of the tools of influence. The Church wanted to convey its message directly to believers and demanded from artists uncompromising clarity and realism of images. The paintings had to realistically convey the objects depicted.

Mythological painting

Examples of his religious realism: "The Calling of the Apostle Matthew", "The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew", "The Crucifixion of Saint Peter", "The Transfiguration of Saint Paul on the Road to Damascus", "The Death of the Virgin Mary" and "The Entombment of Christ". Fresco painting was actively developing.

Famous artists and their works:

• Francisco de Zurbaran (Spain): “Christ on the Cross”;
• Juan Martinez Montanez (Spain): "Merciful Christ" in the Seville Cathedral;
• Peter Paul Rubens (Flanders): “The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary”;
• Nicolas Poussin (France, Italy): “Landscape with the Apostle John on the island of Patmos.”

The Baroque style changed religious painting - new features appeared:

• Emotionality;
• Dynamism;
• Brightness;
• Detailing.

From the middle of the 18th century religious genre loses relevance. Portraits, landscapes, still lifes, mainly paintings for private clients, are becoming popular.

Development of the genre from the 19th century to the present day

In the 19th century, biblical themes in the visual arts lost their relevance. Only a few artists continued to paint on religious themes in the style of realism, romanticism, the demand for compositions fell sharply - this trend continued until the 20th century. The works of the Belgian symbolist James Ensor stand out.

There are two opposing views on the Orthodox icon. The secular approach sees in it an early stage in the development of painting and one of the genres of fine art, reducing the sacred aspect of the prayer icon to the object-cult. The internal content of the icon is taken into account only from the moral and ethical side, focusing on the manifestation of human emotions, while the main thing becomes the external form of icon painting and its evaluation from a purely aesthetic positions, admiring the beauty of shape and color. Another view ignores the external side and considers the icon only as an object of cult, endowed with supernatural properties, which leads to a breakdown in the unity of content and form in the assessment of such a complex phenomenon as the Orthodox icon, to a distortion of the essence and purpose of sacred images in the liturgical life of the Church.

In the Christian Church icons are called pictorial images of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and saints that have a sacred character. This is a special type of church Tradition, in colors and images, along with oral, written and monumental.

The origin of icons dates back to the first centuries of Christianity. Any image of the invisible God would be a fruit of human imagination, and the worship of such an image would be the veneration of a creature instead of the Creator. However, the New Testament was the Revelation of God, Who became man, that is, became visible to people: “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed"(John, 1, 18).

Remaining indepicable, God gave His Revelation to man through Jesus Christ, who took on human nature: thus the Son becomes an icon of the Father, therefore God, having a certain image, can be depicted. To the request of the Apostle Philip: "God! show us the Father... Jesus said to him: I have been with you so long, and you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father... Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?”(John, 14, 8 – 10). The icon in visual images conveys to believers the mystery of the Incarnation and the reality of the salvation of all who believe in this mystery: it becomes one of the theological languages. The icon is theological : reminds of God as that Prototype, in whose image and likeness every person is created. The theological significance of the icon is due to the fact that it speaks in pictorial language about the dogmatic truths that are revealed to people in the Holy Scriptures and Church Tradition.

In the Monophysite and Nestorian Churches, icon veneration is considered not a dogma, but a tradition that is not obligatory for believers to observe, therefore icons are rarely found in their churches and homes. The Roman Church, having accepted the dogma of icon veneration, did not preserve the ancient tradition of icon painting. Paintings in Catholic churches were carried out by secular artists belonging to different schools, and the icon became a painting on a religious theme. Despite the fact that the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787) did not bless the use of three-dimensional images (statues, sculptures) in churches, they are widely used in Catholic churches. And if in an icon spiritual perception predominates, in a painting - spiritual and emotional, then in a statue - materialistic, earthly. It has a three-dimensional volume, is self-closed, but lacks perspective and background.

The Holy Fathers called the icon Gospel for the illiterate. « If one of the pagans comes to you, saying: show me your faith... you will take him to church and put him in front of different types holy images"- wrote at the beginning of the 8th century. Reverend John of Damascus. But Orthodoxy does not perceive the icon as an illustration of the events of Sacred history and the Gospel text, which is inherent in Western Christianity. There the artist acts as an interpreter of the biblical story, reflecting in his vision the result of his aesthetic and spiritual experience, one's own experience of the Gospel. “An icon does not depict anything, it reveals” (Archimandrite Zinon (Theodore). Byzantine and Old Russian icon appears to the people of the Invisible God, Who became incarnate and was revealed to humanity in the person of the God-man Jesus Christ. This is its difference from painting, in which, starting from the Renaissance, Christ is depicted as “humanized,” humanized.

According to legend, recorded by the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260-340), Jesus Christ himself gave his image on the board given to the Edessa king Abgar, and the Evangelist Luke also left behind several icons of the Mother of God. The existence of icons in the Church in the first three centuries is evidenced by mentions of them in the works of Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Clement of Alexandria, Methodius of Tire, Origen, as well as material monuments found in the catacombs. However, in these centuries of persecution and persecution, the Christian icon had a largely symbolic character. Since the time of Constantine the Great, icons have come into general open use in churches and homes.

Gradually throughout the 6th – 7th centuries. began to take shape Christian iconography - a system of established rules for depicting the main characters and events of biblical history. Main role Byzantium played a role in this process. Special meaning had decisions of the Fifth (553) and Sixth (680) Ecumenical Councils, according to which the abstract symbols of the Old Testament should be replaced and early Christianity a direct depiction of what they stood for (primarily Jesus Christ in human form). Church teaching is expressed not only in the subject of the icon, but also in its correct interpretation; therefore, an iconographic canon was legitimized, corresponding to the liturgical nature of the image. It became a kind of standard of its truth, that is, it made it possible to determine how accurately God’s incarnation was conveyed in historical reality, which makes it possible to establish the relationship between the texts of Holy Scripture, worship and fine art. Icon painting was formed as a special sign system, which became the visible language of the Church. Tradition and the iconographic canon are not a limitation on the creative ability of the icon painter, but a church-wide experience of great importance, directly related to prayer and worship.

From the first half of the 8th century. until the second half of the 9th century. A struggle broke out in the Church between icon-worshippers and iconoclasts. Many icons and temple frescoes were destroyed. However, the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787) restored the veneration of icons, and the resistance of the iconoclasts was finally broken in 843. Then, under the patronage of the widow of Emperor Theophilus Theodora (842-855), on February 19, Sunday, in the first week of Lent, a solemn procession with icons took place through the streets of Constantinople. This event was called The triumph of Orthodoxy over all heresies and is celebrated annually by the Church on the first Sunday of Lent.

Iconography finally took shape in Byzantium in the 9th-10th centuries. after the restoration of icon veneration. Rus' borrowed this iconographic scheme and strictly followed it until the 15th century. The first who dared to make serious changes to it was Andrey Rublev. His works differ from Byzantine examples in the special softness and deep humanity of the images, as well as the dynamism of the composition, smooth lines drawings, calm tones of colors, and the use of elements of the everyday and landscape environment. The strict punitive Byzantine Pantocrator became for the Russians a meek, merciful, infinitely merciful Savior. Highly appreciating the work of Andrei Rublev, the Stoglavy Cathedral of 1551 proclaimed his iconographic scheme as a new canon.

Church decrees allowed only people who had not only artistic talent and a mystical ability to perceive the spiritual world to paint icons, but also high moral qualities. United together, they are called genius in the world, and in the Church - insight. The mystical experience of communication with the Heavenly Church and the experience of spiritual realities give the true content to the icon, so it is first painted in the heart of the master, and then revealed to him for the visible world. Many great icon painters were contemplatives and mystics who reflected in their creations the experience of seeing the Divine uncreated light. This especially applies to icons from the period of Byzantine hesychasm (XI–XV centuries), as well as Russian icons and frescoes of the XIV–XV centuries. A true creative icon is the appearance of the image depicted on it into the earthly world of a simple person and the possibility of their prayerful communication. Hand over visual means such a phenomenon is possible only with the help of Divine Revelation, therefore, for any icon painter, creativity has always been a path of asceticism and prayer. In the Middle Ages, icon painters were, as a rule, monks; in later times, they were people working under the guidance of clergy. The icon painter prepared for work as for a sacred rite - with prayer and fasting, participated in the liturgical life of the Church in order to feel the reality of the icon and be able to embody it in a special symbolic language. Painting icons requires the greatest care and concentration. For ancient artist and for his contemporaries it was not an ordinary craft, but a godly, holy deed.

The icon is inextricably linked with the basic tenets of Christianity, which are conveyed in it using artistic means. Many events of gospel history are interpreted in iconography primarily in a dogmatic context. For example, Orthodox Tradition knows only the image of Christ’s descent into hell and His bringing out the Old Testament righteous from there, corresponding to the liturgical remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ and liturgical texts Octoechos And Triodion colored, revealing this event from a dogmatic point of view, therefore the canonical icons never depict the Resurrection of Christ, but depict the descent of Christ from hell. The image of Christ emerging from the tomb, often with a banner in his hands, is of late origin and is genetically related to Western painting on religious topics.

According to its content, each the icon is anthropological : There is not a single iconographic image in which there would not be a person (the God-man Jesus Christ, the Mother of God or saints). Even the angels on the icons are humanoid. There are no landscape icons or still life icons (with the exception of rare frescoes and mosaics dedicated to the creation of the world). The landscape, plants, animals, and household items are present in the icon insofar as the plot requires it, but the main character of any iconographic image is a person. But an icon is not a portrait image spiritual world, it doesn't convey accurately appearance saint From point of view soteriology (teachings about salvation) it shows the future transformation of the world, new properties of matter and substance, spiritualized in the uncreated light of Divine grace. The icon shows a man snatched from the kingdom of death. Even in the images of the new martyrs, whose photographs are well known, they are recognizable, but the features of their appearance are refined and ennobled: the icon shows a person in his deified state, since the goal of Christian life is the restoration of the likeness of God lost in the Fall and the purification of His darkened image. The desire to show a person in a transformed state forces icon painters to refrain from depicting the bodily defects that were inherent in the saint during his lifetime: a person who was missing one arm appears in the icon with two hands, a blind person appears as a sighted person, and a person wearing glasses “takes them off.” In this sense, the icons of the blessed Matrona of Moscow, in which she is depicted with her eyes closed, do not fully correspond to the iconographic canon, since she was blind from birth. With their eyes closed, ancient icons depicted not the blind, but the dead (the Mother of God in the Assumption scene, the Savior on the cross). The icon avoids the naturalism of pain and suffering, and affects the mind and intuition, and not the emotions of the viewer. That is why, unlike the Western pictorial analogue, starting from the Renaissance, on Byzantine and Russian icons of the Crucifixion, Christ is depicted not suffering, but dead, but He is no less beautiful than on the icons where He is depicted alive.

There are no shadows or visible light source in iconographic compositions. It comes from faces and figures, from their depths, as a symbol of holiness. This is facilitated by a golden background, symbolizing the Divine uncreated light emanating from everywhere and isolating any phenomenon depicted on such a background from real life: it finds itself elevated to an ideal world, divorced from the physical laws of the earth. For this purpose, there is a special way of writing, in which white ground ( gesso) shines through the paint layer.

The symbol of holiness on Orthodox icons is nimbus, forming a single whole with the figure of a saint, which personifies the union of two wills: a person striving for holiness, and God, responding to this desire and reviving in a person that unquenchable light that is given to everyone. Catholic sacred images are characterized by a different arrangement: a halo in the form of a circle hangs above the head of the saint. Here it appears as a reward given from the outside, while on Orthodox icons it is the crown of holiness, born from within and forming a single whole with the transfigured flesh. Thus, the image of a halo illustrates the difference between the Orthodox and Catholic paths to salvation. On Orthodox icons, saints are never depicted “rolling their eyes” in prayer, as is customary in Catholicism. In this way (as well as the Gothic style of architecture) in the Catholic West, the exodus of man in prayer outside himself, to the external Divinity, is expressed. “The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa” (1647 - 1652) - a masterpiece of the Italian sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini - shining example, illustrating the sensual essence of the experiences of Catholic saints in a state of spiritual exaltation. The same can be said about Francesco Parmigianino’s painting “Madonna of the Long Neck” (1534 – 1540). In Orthodoxy, the asceticism of prayer is understood differently: God is inside a person, therefore face does not reflect vivid emotions, but bears the stamp of deep inner feelings. In prayer, Orthodox saints calmly listen to that “inner activity,” the prayer of the mind in the heart, which occurs inside them. Even in the most tragic moments, the dispassion of holiness is preserved (for example, the image of the Virgin Mary in the Crucifixion scene).

Byzantine and Old Russian icon abandoned the desire for adequacy and based on the principle of similarity. The icon painter deliberately makes a person’s arms and legs thinner than in real life, and facial features (nose, eyes, ears) more elongated. In some cases (for example, on frescoes and icons of Dionysius), the proportions change human body: the body lengthens, and the head becomes almost one and a half times smaller than in reality. All these and other similar artistic techniques convey the spiritual changes that human flesh undergoes thanks to the ascetic feat of the saint and the transforming influence of the Holy Spirit on it, which is strikingly different from the images on paintings (especially when comparing icons with realistic painting of the Renaissance). The iconographic image of the saint shows not so much the process as the result, not so much the path, movement towards the goal, but the goal itself: it shows a person who is not struggling with passions, but has already defeated them and reached the Kingdom of Heaven. The icon is not dynamic, but static: its main character is never depicted in motion, he either stands or sits (with the exception of hagiographic icons). The saints are in a spiritual movement towards the Divine, towards eternity, where there is no place for external expression, because external dynamics (the imprint of emotions as temporary states) testifies to the power of the temporary, sensual and transitory. This unexpectedly confirms a physical law: absolute speed is perceived as immobility, since there are no reference points for this speed. Only depicted in motion minor characters, having an auxiliary, illustrative character (for example, the Magi on the icon of the Nativity of Christ, heroes of multi-figure compositions, etc.).

The saint is worshiped, so he is never depicted in profile on the icon, but almost always in front or sometimes, if the plot requires it, in half-profile, showing him simultaneously from several angles of view, which makes it possible to look at the icon as if from the inside. Only persons who are not worshiped are depicted in profile: minor characters (again, the Magi), negative heroes (for example, Judas at the Last Supper). Animals on icons are also painted in profile.

The main meaningful element of the icon is the face, which emphasizes its spirituality: huge almond-shaped eyes with motionless dilated pupils, a high forehead, thin, devoid of sensuality lips, a straight and slightly curved nose line. Ancient icon painters distinguished the letter personal from prelicious . The latter (background, landscape, clothing) was often entrusted to the student, journeyman, while the faces were always painted by the master himself. The face on the ancient Byzantine and Russian icons is majestic and strict, it reflects eternity and infinity, there is no indulgence towards sins or reconciliation with them, but only one desire - the salvation of man. Such a face is incomprehensible, alien, and sometimes scary for a carnal person attached to passions. The faces of the ancient miraculous icons are strict because they are perspicacious: they know the horror of transcendental evil and see the demonic world surrounding man. According to Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin), there is no metaphysical tragedy in Catholic icons. There is a tragedy of earthly, spiritual human experiences. There the icon looks in an earthly way, perhaps with kind eyes, but sees only the earthly world. In front of such an icon, a sinner, without going through the fire of repentance, can completely surrender to emotional experiences. This spiritual sensuality and sentimentality of Catholic icons is perceived by the human subconscious as an opportunity for reconciliation with God without repentance, without changing oneself. That is why Catholic mysticism says so much about enthusiastic love and so little about repentance, purification of the heart and the daily brutal struggle with passions.

The spiritual center of the icon's face is the eyes. Their symbol is a circle, or a circle with a dot in the center as a symbol of eternity, sun, wholeness, completeness, perfection. The eyes of the icon face rarely look straight, but are not directed to the side either: they look, as it were, “above” - not so much into the eyes of the viewer, but into his soul. Just as a ray of light, passing through glass, rushes into the distance, so the eyes of an icon image see a person against the backdrop of eternity, contemplate in his heart what the person himself does not see, and is often afraid to see.

Personal writing also includes hands, which are particularly expressive in icons. Reverend fathers are often depicted with their hands raised up, with their palms facing the viewer (as on icons Holy Mother of God"Oranta" type). This characteristic gesture is a symbol prayer appeal to God and indicates the saints’ rejection of this world with all its passions and lusts.

The understanding of the icon as a reflected image also influenced the very nature of the image: its sensuality is not allowed, it remains somewhat schematic and abstract, and the figures look motionless, since their poses are static, they (with rare exceptions) lack gesticulation. The icon conveys not a face, but a face, not a figure, but an image. The folds of clothing do not correspond to the lines of the body: it has no volume. The iconography is strict, serious and may seem dry and insensitive to some. This approach to conveying an image allows it to move away from everything sensual and earthly and acquire spiritual depth, which gives the image a calm contemplation. According to the observation of Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin), in icon painting, every detail of the face, gesture or position of the body has a symbolic character: a high forehead means wisdom and thoughtfulness; big eyes - penetration Divine secrets; thin lips - asceticism; elongated fingers - spiritual nobility and purity of deeds; tilting the head - attention to Divine inspiration, the voice of God, which saints hear in the depths of their hearts; a slightly bowed figure - submission to the will of God, etc. Iconographic images recreate a world of peace and harmony, cleansed of sinful earthly thoughts. This is facilitated by the technique of icon writing, the smoothness and softness of the lines: the unity of appearance is a manifestation of chastity, holiness, while broken line- decay, inconsistency, as duality - a symbol of sinfulness. Angularity, convulsiveness, fractures, pointed ends of lines refer to the image of dark force.

The icon does not know three dimensions and has a reverse perspective, that is, the parallel lines on it do not converge on the horizon line, in the depths of the picture plane, as in a painting or photograph, but on the contrary, their vanishing point is located in the person standing in front of the icon. The icon painter depicts the world not as man sees it, but as God sees it, that is, as the Church sees it, which is captured in the iconographic canon. Space ceases to be an obstacle, the antonymity of distance itself (close - far) is overcome. Here there is another distance - the spiritual state of the one contemplating the icon. This is how the idea of ​​the penetration of the world above into our world, the world below, is expressed, therefore even the faces depicted in the distance will always be large. The sizes in icons are not spatial, but axiological (value) in nature, expressing the degree of dignity (for example, demons are depicted smaller than angels; Christ among the disciples rises above them, etc.). The right-left arrangement of minor figures relative to the important figure and the viewer also emphasizes the degree of their significance: on the right (right) when viewed from the side of the main figure, more significant images are always placed (for example, the Mother of God in the Deesis). This approach creates not a three-dimensional, but a special, boundless space in the icon. The reverse perspective in the icon, both temporal and spatial, takes the beholder to another world, far from the earthly one, which is inaccessible to the sensory gaze. So the icon, like church architecture and church singing, becomes a window into the Heavenly world, but from this window streams of God’s grace flow into our earthly world. The icon depicts another reality, still inaccessible, but towards which the soul of a believer strives. A motionless image, devoid of expression, requires an almost equally motionless standing before it, its contemplation and gradual ascent to God, while the picture can be viewed analytically, reasoning about its individual fragments, but the icon cannot be dissected into details, since it is perceived as synthetically unified inner religious feeling.

If the main character of an icon is always a person, then its background often becomes the image of a transformed cosmos. In this sense, researchers talk about cosmic icons , since it shows nature in an eschatological, altered state: the features of animals in the icon are as refined and ennobled as human features, and their eyes are human, not animal. The earth and sky, trees and grass, sun and moon, birds and fish, beasts and animals in the icon are subordinated to a single plan and constitute a single temple in which the Lord reigns. This is revealed to the greatest extent by special iconographic compositions, such as “Let every breath praise the Lord,” “Praise the name of the Lord,” and “Every creature rejoices in You, Delighted.” In mosaics and frescoes, nature is sometimes depicted as animated (for example, on the frescoes of the Baptism of the Lord in the waters of the Jordan, two small humanoid creatures are sometimes located, which is an iconographic illustration of Ps. 113, 5 - 8).

Generally the canonical icon has no random details or decorations . In the painting, the background and details create an emotional atmosphere, a spiritual mood; in the icon they are written extremely succinctly in order to show and reveal the truth that the only valuable thing in the world is a person transformed by grace. The landscape is subordinate to man: the earth waits through him for its renewal - a second spiritual birth. Nature, space, the entire earthly universe is a reflection of Divine beauty, and this is what the icon is designed to reveal. There is an absolute predominance of beauty and an almost complete absence of ugliness. Even the Serpent on the icon of St. George and the demons in the Last Judgment scene have a less frightening and repulsive appearance than many of the characters of Bosch and Goya.

According to its purpose the icon is liturgical, that is, along with the Gospel, it is an integral part of the liturgical space (temple) and an indispensable participant in the divine service, outside of which it loses its meaning: “an icon in an art gallery or museum looks like a child forcibly snatched from the arms of his mother and sent to an orphanage” (Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin They apply censing to the icon, perform incense in front of it, make prostrations and bows to the ground. Together with the divine service, the icon helps to realize and feel the unity of the Church as a spiritual community: it, as a “spiritual core, unites the members of the earthly Church among themselves in one dogmatic consciousness and in a common mystical experience" (Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin). The icon is inextricably linked with the spiritual life of a Christian, with his experience of communion with God and contact with the Heavenly world, therefore she's mystical : “an icon is beautiful when it calls a person to prayer, when the soul feels a dynamic field of energies and forces emitted through the icon from the Kingdom of Eternal Light” (Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin). It attunes the believer to contemplation of the image, which allows one to establish a mystical connection with him, enter into dialogue, experience a different reality, because the main task of the icon is to show the reality of the spiritual world . The icon, according to Archimandrite Zinon (Theodore), is an “embodied prayer.” The spiritual ascent to the personal and One God on Orthodox icons is symbolized by the image of mountains having stylized steps (ladders), thanks to which the mountain takes on the meaning of a ladder (ladder).

Orthodox Christians bow not to the beautiful board, but to the one who is depicted on it, since “the honor given to the image passes on to the prototype” (St. Basil the Great). They pray before the icon of Christ, as before Him Himself, invisibly present in the form of His image, behind which stands the Prototype (archetype). To the extent of one’s spiritual development and prayerful zeal, the Prototype is felt by a person to a greater or greater extent. to a lesser extent. At the same time, the icon, as an object, remains only a thing and does not become an idol or a fetish: Orthodoxy does not identify the icon with the image on it, since it does not so much reflect as reveal. An icon is a symbol, and an idol is a personification, an attribute of mythology, the replacement of a real person with fiction. The Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787), having restored the veneration of icons, following St. John of Damascus, distinguished service rendered to God from worship rendered to an angel or a deified person (the Mother of God or saints).

Every Christian has icons at home, since his home is a continuation of the temple, and life is a continuation of the Liturgy. In the museum, as noted by art critic I.K. Yazykov, “an icon does not live, but only exists like a dried flower in a herbarium or like a butterfly on a pin in a collector’s box.”

IN Orthodox Church Miracle-working and myrrh-streaming icons are widespread, with which cases of healing or deliverance from military danger are associated. A miraculous icon is the manifestation of a saint through an icon, his choice, his special spiritual presence. However, such phenomena in themselves do not transform painting into icon painting, since in relation to icon painting the Church has always put forward canonicity, and not miracle-working, as the main criterion.

World icons open as a vision of eternity, he is outside the past or the future, but always only in the present, in contrast to the picture, which has boundaries, the framework of the plot: eternity is replaced by an episode, a corner of reality. Icons are characterized by the simultaneous depiction of events that took place in different chronological periods of time: this is not a photograph reflecting momentary reality, and not a painting bearing the imprint of the author’s perception. This nature of the iconographic image indicates that the events of Sacred history that took place many centuries ago have the same impact now on the main goal of the Incarnation - the salvation of the human soul from eternal death.

In the ancient Church, the most common icon was one painted for a specific temple as an integral part of the temple ensemble and inextricably linked with other images located in close proximity to it. At that time, churches were decorated not so much with icons painted on boards, but with wall paintings: the fresco is the earliest example of Orthodox iconography. Sometimes fresco painting was present in the church from top to bottom, on all four walls. The richest temples were also decorated with mosaics. The mural painting formed an organic part of the liturgical space, and its subjects, as well as those of the icons, corresponded to the theme of the annual liturgical circle.

The icon has educational value, announcing the victory of imperishable moral truths, the spirit over sin and gross materiality. Her images help restore the moral dignity of the individual, distorted in the secular world by individualism and selfishness. According to Christianity, in the Kingdom of God people will be united with God and with each other by the same love that unites the Persons of the Holy Trinity. The image of the Holy Trinity reveals to humanity the spiritual unity to which it is called. The Orthodox Church, in the person of the Mother of God, whom she magnifies as “the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim,” glorifies motherhood as the highest calling of a woman. The image of the Virgin Mary with the Child in her arms, present in countless versions in all Orthodox churches, has the greatest spiritual appeal and moral strength. The icon contrasts the desacralization of death, its transformation into a dull ritual devoid of any positive content, with a transition to eternal life, a visible reminder of which is the icon of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Death is a transition to a new life, more beautiful than earthly, and beyond the threshold of death the soul of a Christian is met by Christ, just as He accepted the soul of the Mother of God into His arms, symbolized by a swaddled baby. Each icon carries a powerful moral charge, reminding to modern man about the eternity of another world and spiritual values ​​that exist in addition to those preached by irreligious humanism and established by secular society.

Since the 18th century. canonical icon in Orthodox churches, icons of “academic writing” - paintings on religious themes - are being replaced. This style of icon painting came to Russia from the West and was developed in the post-Petrine era, during the synodal period of the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. So at the same time secularization church life, the weakening of a person’s religious intuition, de-churching and apostasy of consciousness, the gradual replacement of spiritual feelings in prayerful states with spiritual ones, there was a departure from the iconographic canon and ancient tradition, changing the shape and reducing the spiritual level of the icon. Art has always reacted vividly to the processes taking place in society, and a religious picture (like an icon) reflected the state of the Church itself. Western church art (starting from the Renaissance) includes secularism and a passion for ancient philosophy: in Michelangelo’s titanic work “The Last Judgment” (1536 - 1541), Christ appears in the form of an ancient hero (Hercules), and his David with a sling - in the image of a beautifully built Olympic athlete.

Picturesque tradition reflects the deep difference in the worldviews of the artist and the icon painter. The revival of pagan philosophy within Christian forms during the Renaissance leads to the replacement of medieval theocentrism with anthropocentrism: if previously for man the center of the world, the source and beginning of the existence of everything was God, to whom all things are involved, now man becomes the center of the world, having become “like God.” He himself evaluates the universe, which naturally leads to the organization of space in the picture according to the law of direct perspective, as in the real earthly world: the closer objects are in relation to the observer, the larger their sizes, which reflects the egocentric consciousness of a person. The discovery of linear perspective and chiaroscuro marked the beginning of the emergence of realistic schools of painting in Italy and the Netherlands, and then throughout Europe. In the absence of a canon, the images themselves reflect how the artist sees or understands them, so what is important for a painting is the external resemblance of reality, and not the spiritual essence of the phenomenon. The picture becomes artistically, created creative imagination the artist, and is a form of conveying her own worldview, a means of communication with the author, his ideas and experiences. According to Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin), the Renaissance was not only a return to paganism, it retreated further from Christianity than paganism. Deifying the cosmos, the pagans sought the unknown God they had lost, and the art of the Renaissance, having Christ, itself abandoned Him and, hiding behind biblical themes, depicted pagan deities. Compared to ancient art, Renaissance art is more materialized. It is a cult of flesh and blood.

Attribute of holiness to naturalistic figures religious paintings the perfection of forms (beauty, nobility) becomes, and the ascetic and transfigured bodies of iconographic saints turn into plump (thick), dense and heavy flesh, breathing sin and corruption. Often in a painting the naked body is depicted so passionately that looking at it instead of praying gives rise to sinful thoughts. Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov wrote that the beauty of the Renaissance is not holiness, but that ambiguous, demonic principle that covers the emptiness, and its smile plays on the lips of Leonard’s heroes. And if icon affects the mind and intuition, then the picture –to the emotional sphere, replacing the spiritual perception of Sacred History with a spiritual one. The desire for grace, sensual beauty, sentimentality, languor and sweetness distinguish Western paintings on religious themes, the subject of which is a living person. They are a priority family theme, femininity, mannerisms (Madonna amuses the Baby, plays with Him, breastfeeds, there is a lot of softness and tenderness in Him). Artists often painted Madonnas naked (often from life), and then draped them in clothes. Oversaturation with foreign objects distracts attention from the content, and sentimentality and affection are a surrogate for love, a manifestation of sincerity. In place of the face there is a face, instead of spiritual purity - spiritual psychology, instead of the eternal - temporary, instead of the enduring beauty of man as the image of God - glorification of everything beautiful, but perishable in man, instead of reverence - skepticism and lack of holiness.

The fundamental difference between Western European painting on religious themes and Orthodox art in the methodological approach: the desire to transfer the heavenly to earth through a picture saturated with human emotions and passions, and not to open a window to the earthly world to the Heavenly world. But the painter achieves the opposite - the earthly and sensual are replaced by the spiritual and eternal, unity in the spirit (prayer and contemplation) is replaced by the unity of mood. According to the figurative expression of Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin), where there is no place for the sky, the earth has occupied and swallowed everything. The art of the Renaissance is the apotheosis of human pride and unrepentant sin. Life, surging in the works of Renaissance artists, is the intensity of passions, which in the perspective of eternity represents death and emptiness. A corpse remains a corpse, no matter what cosmetics are used to cover up the stains of death on its body.” In Catholic paintings there is no mysticism of the spirit as the transformation of personality through communication with God, and the emphasized naturalism of the characters and the nudity of bodies reflects an inverted hierarchy of values: the primacy of the body over the soul and the suppression of the spirit by the soul. It is characteristic that many Catholic artists were at the same time sculptors.

The introduction of Catholic art into Orthodoxy and the replacement of Orthodox icons with paintings of biblical subjects characterizes the 18th and 19th centuries. history of the Russian Church. At the beginning of the 20th century. individual icons, entire iconostases and temples were painted in the picturesque, so-called academic style. In it, the image is distinguished by the canonicity of the composition, but also does not become an icon because of its “lifelikeness”: evidence of Orthodox dogma is reduced to a minimum (portrait or illustration historical event Sacred History). Thus, the traditional image is replaced by fiction and ceases to be prayerful, which can lead to denial of the existence of the spiritual world, for the icon is the preaching of the Gospel and the reality of spiritual existence.

An icon and a painting serve different purposes and relate differently to spiritual reality: the first is its symbol and leads to spiritual transformation, the second is a likeness and develops emotional perception. Best paintings –this is poetry in colors, whereas any icon –theology in colors. The best samples religious painting, as a kind of steps in the ladder (ladder) of the spiritual ascent of humanity, can help in nurturing the spiritual qualities of an individual, preparing him to perceive the spiritual beauty and harmony of Orthodox icon painting.

Religious painting by V.D. Polenova

I. Repin (1877) Portrait of the artist Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov. (State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow).

Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov, a landscape artist, tried himself in a variety of genres of painting and, upon graduating from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1871, presented the painting “The Resurrection of Jairus’s Daughter” as his graduation work to his teachers. The painting received a gold medal and became the first among V.D. Polenov’s paintings written on gospel themes.
“It seems to me that art should give happiness and joy, otherwise it is worth nothing. There is so much grief in life, so much vulgarity and dirt, that if art completely showers you with horrors and atrocities, then life will become too hard” - Polenov V.D.

Polenov V.D. Resurrection of Jairus's daughter 1871 (State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg)

Religious themes are gradually becoming the main theme in the artist’s works. This was largely due to his travels to the East, and to the book of the French writer Joseph Ernest Renan, “The Life of Jesus,” where Jesus Christ was depicted as a real earthly man. From the end of 1881 to the spring of 1882, Vasily Dmitrievich traveled through Egypt, Syria and Palestine, from where he brought a huge number of sketches, sketches, and pencil sketches. All this will later be used for a series of paintings from the life of Christ. Many of the works were presented at the exhibition of the Association of Itinerants in 1885 and were acquired by Pavel Tretyakov.

Polenov V.D. Source of the Virgin Mary in Nazareth 1882 (State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow)

Polenov V.D. Bethlehem in 1882

Polenov V.D. Jerusalem from the west. Jaffa Gate and Citadel 1882

Polenov V.D. Palestinian sketch (State Memorial Historical-Artistic and natural museum-reserve V.D. Polenova)

But nevertheless, V.D. Polenov always argued that his religious paintings are the same landscapes, just nature, lakes, rivers, some buildings in the background, and the main characters are people.

Polenov V.D. Which of you is without sin (Christ and the sinner) 1888 (State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg)

Polenov V.D. Drawing for the painting Which of you is without sin 1888

The canvas “Christ and the Sinner” became one of the best among V.D.’s religious paintings. Polenov and several years of the artist’s creative life were devoted to its creation. On the canvas, Polenov presented to the audience the gospel legend of Christ and the sinner as a real scene that took place in the square in front of the Jerusalem Temple. The work was exhibited at the XV exhibition of the Association of Itinerants in 1887.

Polenov V.D. Head of a Pharisee 1884 (Voronezh Regional Museum of Fine Arts)

Polenov V.D. Palestinian monk 1886 (Rostov Regional Museum of Fine Arts, Rostov-on-Don)

Polenov V.D. Head of Christ 1887

Polenov V.D. Seated Christ. 1880s

Emperor Alexander III purchased the painting for his collection, ahead of P. Tretyakov, who negotiated with the artist to purchase the painting. But unfortunately, the artist himself was upset by this: “I called this painting “Which of you is without sin”.” That was its meaning. But censorship did not allow these words to be put in the catalogue, they allowed “Christ and the Sinner”... And in the museum of Alexander III they called her “The Prodigal Wife,” which completely contradicts the gospel story, which clearly states that this is a sinner, not a prodigal woman... So the name remains. It is not mine, and does not correspond to the gospel story

Polenov V.D. On Lake Tiberias (Gensaret) 1888 (State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow)

Olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane. 1882 (State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow)

Polenov V.D. Heralded joy to those who mourned 1899-1909 (Samara Art Museum)

Polenov V.D. Who do people revere Me for 1890-1900

Polenov V.D. And returned to Galilee in the strength of spirit 1890 (State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg)

Polenov V.D. Went to the mountainous country 1894 (Omsk, Regional Museum fine arts)

Polenov V.D. Sermon on the Mount 1890 (Chelyabinsk Regional Art Gallery)

Polenov V.D. Dreams 1894 (State Art Museum named after A.N. Radishchev, Saratov)

Polenov V.D. Portrait of the artist I.E. Levitan. Study for the image of Christ for the painting "Dreams"
The artist took a second trip to the East through the Gospel places in 1899. He visited Constantinople, Athens, Smyrna, Cairo, Port Said, and Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, a caravan was prepared for Beirut. Beirut was the final destination of the journey.

Polenov V.D. Jacob and John 1890-1900 (State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg)

Polenov V.D. James and John 1900

Polenov V.D. Was in the desert 1909

Polenov V.D. Limits of Tire 1911 (State Historical, Artistic and Natural Museum-Reserve of V.D. Polenov)

In 1909, work on creating the cycle “From the Life of Christ” was completed (although there were still returns to this topic). At the same time, Polenov sought to capture not so much the dramatic episodes and events of his life, but rather to show Christ, the nature that surrounded him. “My paintings serve mainly as an image of nature and the environment in which the Gospel events took place,” Polenov wrote about his cycle to L. Tolstoy. "IN Holy Week before Easter is just the time for contemplation, the time for remembering the earthly journey of Christ..."

10 main works of church fine art: paintings, icons and mosaics

Prepared by Irina Yazykova

1. Roman catacombs

Early Christian art

Until the beginning of the 4th century, Christianity was persecuted in the Roman Empire, and Christians often used catacombs for their meetings - underground cemeteries of the Romans - in which in the 2nd century they buried their dead. Here, on the relics of the martyrs, they performed the main Christian sacrament - the Eucharist Eucharist(Greek “thanksgiving”) is a sacrament in which the believer, under the guise of bread and wine, is given the true Body and true Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ., as evidenced by the images on the walls of the catacombs. The first communities, consisting of Jews, were far from fine art, but as the apostolic preaching spread, more and more pagans joined the Church, for whom the images were familiar and understandable. In kata-combs we can trace how Christian art was born.

In total, there are over 60 catacombs in Rome, their length is about 170 kilometers. But today only a few are available Catacombs of Priscilla, Callistus, Domitilla, Peter and Marcellinus, Commodilla, catacombs on Via Latina and others.. These underground mustaches are galleries or corridors, in the walls of which there are tombs in the form of niches covered with slabs. Sometimes the corridors expand, forming halls - cubicles with niches for sarcophagi. On the walls and vaults of these halls, on the slabs, paintings and inscriptions have been preserved. The range of images ranges from primitive graffiti to complex plot and decorative compositions similar to Pompeian frescoes.

Early Christian art is permeated with deep symbolism. The most common symbols are fish, anchor, ship, vine, lamb, basket of bread, phoenix bird and others. For example, fish was perceived as a symbol of baptism and the Eucharist. We find one of the earliest images of fish and a basket of bread in the catacombs of Callistus; it dates back to the 2nd century. The fish also symbolized Christ himself, since the Greek word “ichthyus” (fish) was read by the first Christians as an acronym in which the letters unfold into the phrase “Jesus Christ God's Son the Savior” (Ἰησοὺς Χριστὸς Θεoς ῾Υιὸς Σωτήρ).

Fish and basket of bread. Fresco from the catacombs of Callista. 2nd century Wikimedia Commons

Good Shepherd. Fresco from the catacombs of Domitilla. III century Wikimedia Commons

Jesus Christ. Fresco from the catacombs of Commodilla. Late 4th century Wikimedia Commons

Orpheus. Fresco from the catacombs of Domitilla. III century Wikimedia Commons

It is important to note that the image of Christ until the 4th century was hidden under various symbols and allegories. For example, the image of the Good Shepherd is often encountered - a young shepherd with a lamb on his shoulders, referring to the words of the Savior: “I am the good shepherd...” (John 10:14). Another important symbol of Christ was a lamb, often depicted in a circle with a halo around its head. And only in the 4th century do images appear in which we recognize the more familiar image of Christ as the God-man (for example, in the catacombs of Commodilla).

Christians often reinterpreted pagan images. For example, on the vault in the catacombs of Domitilla, Orpheus is depicted sitting on a stone with a lyre in his hands; around him are birds and animals listening to his singing. The entire composition is inscribed in an octagon, along the edges of which there are biblical scenes: Daniel in the lion's den; Moses bringing water out of a rock; resurrection of Lazar-rya. All these scenes are a prototype of the image of Christ and His resurrection. So Orpheus in this context also correlates with Christ, who descended into hell to bring out the souls of sinners.

But more often in the painting of the catacombs Old Testament scenes were used: Noah with the ark; Abraham's sacrifice; Jacob's ladder; Jonah being devoured by a whale; Daniel, Moses, three youths in the fiery furnace and others. From the New Testament - the worship of the Magi, the conversation of Christ with the Samaritan woman, the resurrection of Lazarus. There are many images of meals on the walls of the catacombs, which can be interpreted both as the Eucharist and as funeral meals. Often there are images of praying people - orants and orants. Some female images are related to the Mother of God. It must be said that the image of the Mother of God appears in kata-combs earlier than the image of Christ in human form. Most ancient image Our Lady in the catacombs of Priscilla dates back to the 2nd century: Mary is represented here sitting with the Child in her arms, and next to her stands a young man pointing at a star (different versions are expressed: the prophet Isaiah, Balaam, Mary’s husband Joseph the Betrothed).

With the invasion of the barbarians and the fall of Rome, the looting of burials began, and burials stopped in the catacombs. By order of Pope Paul I (700-767), the popes buried in the catacombs were transferred to the city, temples were built over their relics, and the catacombs were closed. Thus, by the 8th century, the history of the catacombs ends.

2. Icon “Christ Pantocrator”

Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai, Egypt, 6th century

"Christ Pantocrator" (Greek: "Pantocrator") - the most famous icon of the pre-Nobolic period Iconoclasm- a heretical movement expressed in the denial of the veneration of icons and the persecution of them. In the period from the 8th to the 9th centuries it received official recognition in the Eastern Church several times.. It is written on a board using encaustic technique. Encaustic- a painting technique in which binder The paint is wax, not oil, as, for example, in oil painting., which has long been used in ancient art; all early icons were painted using this technique. The icon is not very large, its size is 84 × 45.5 cm, but the nature of the image makes it monumental. The image is written in a free, somewhat expressive painterly manner; pasty strokes Pasty smear- a thick smear of undiluted paint. clearly sculpt the shape, showing the volume and three-dimensionality of space. There is still no desire for flatness and conventionality, as there will be later in canonical icon painting. The artist was faced with the task of showing the reality of the Incarnation, and he sought to convey the maximum sensation of the human flesh of Christ. At the same time, he does not miss the spiritual side, showing in his face, especially in his gaze, strength and power that instantly affects the viewer. The image of the Savior is already quite iconographically traditional and at the same time unusual. The face of Christ, framed by long hair and a beard, surrounded by a halo with a cross inscribed in it, is calm and peaceful. Christ is dressed in a dark blue tunic with a golden clave Klav- decoration sewn in the form of a vertical stripe from the shoulder to the bottom edge of the garment. and a purple cloak - the robes of emperors. The figure is depicted from the waist up, but the niche that we see behind the Savior’s back suggests that he is seated on a throne, behind which the blue sky stretches. Hand ( right hand) Christ blesses, in his left hand he holds the Gospel in a precious frame decorated with gold and stones.

The image is majestic, even triumphant, and at the same time unusually attractive. There is a sense of harmony in it, but it is largely built on dissonances. The viewer cannot help but notice the obvious asymmetry in the face of Christ, especially in the way the eyes are painted. Researchers explain this effect in different ways. Some trace it back to tradition ancient art, when the gods depicted one eye as punishing, the other as merciful. According to a more convincing version, this reflected a polemic with the Monophysites, who affirmed one nature in Christ - divine, which absorbs his human nature. And as a response to them, the artist depicts Christ, emphasizing in Him both divinity and humanity at the same time.

Apparently, this icon was painted in Constantinople and came to the Sinai monastery as a contribution from Emperor Justinian, who was a ktitor, that is, a donor, of the monastery. The highest quality of execution and theological depth of development of the image speak in favor of its metropolitan origin.

3. Mosaic “Our Lady on the Throne”

Hagia Sophia - Divine Wisdom, Constantinople, 9th century

After a long iconoclastic crisis that lasted more than a hundred years, in 867, by imperial decree, the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople began to be decorated with mosaics again. One of the first mosaic compositions was the image of the Mother of God enthroned in the conch Conha- a semi-dome ceiling over semi-cylindrical parts of buildings, for example apses.. It is quite possible that this image restored an earlier image that was destroyed by icon fighters. The Russian pilgrim from Novgorod, Anthony, who visited Constantinople around 1200, left in his notes a mention that the mosaics of the altar of Hagia Sophia were executed by Lazarus. Indeed, the iconographer Lazarus lived in Constantinople, who suffered under the iconoclasts, and after the Council of 843, which restored the veneration of icons, he received national recognition. However, in 855 he was sent to Rome as the ambassador of Emperor Michael III to Pope Benedict III and died around 865, so he could not have been the author of the Constantinople mosaic. But his fame as a victim of the iconoclasts connected this image with his name.

This image of the Mother of God is one of the most beautiful in Byzantine monumental painting. Against a golden shining background, on a throne decorated with precious stones, the Mother of God sits regal on high pillows. She holds in front of her the infant Christ, sitting on her lap as if on a throne. And on the sides, on the arch, stand two archangels in the robes of courtiers, with spears and mirrors, guarding the throne. Along the edge of the conch there is an inscription, almost lost: “The images that the deceivers overthrew here were restored by the pious rulers.”

The face of the Mother of God is noble and beautiful, it does not yet have that asceticism and severity that would be characteristic of later Byzantine images, it still has a lot of antique features: a rounded oval face, beautifully defined lips, a straight nose. The gaze of the large eyes under the curved arches of the eyebrows is averted slightly to the side, this shows the chastity of the Virgin, upon whom the eyes of thousands of people entering the temple are fixed. In the figure of the Mother of God one senses royal grandeur and at the same time truly feminine grace. Her deep blue robe, decorated with three golden stars, falls in soft folds, emphasizing the monumentality of her figure. The thin hands of the Mother of God with long fingers hold the infant Christ, protecting Him and at the same time revealing Him to the world. The baby’s face is very lively, childishly plump, although the proportions of the body are rather adolescent, but the golden royal robe, straight posture and blessing gesture are designed to show: before us is the true King, and He is sitting with royal dignity on the Mother’s lap.

The iconographic type of the Mother of God enthroned with the infant Christ gained particular popularity in the 9th century, the post-iconoclastic era, as a symbol of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. And often it was placed precisely in the apse of the temple, signifying the visible manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven and the mystery of the Incarnation. We meet him in the Church of Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki, in Santa Maria in Domnica in Rome and in other places. But the Constantinople masters developed a special type of image in which physical beauty and spiritual beauty coincided, artistic perfection and theological depth harmoniously coexisted. In any case, the artists strove for this ideal. Such is the image of the Mother of God from Hagia Sophia, which laid the foundation for the so-called Macedonian Renaissance - this name was given to art from the middle of the 9th to the beginning of the 11th century.

4. Fresco “Resurrection”

Chora Monastery, Constantinople, XIV century

The last two centuries of Byzantine art are called the Palaiologan Renaissance. This name is given after the ruling dynasty of the Palaiologos, the last in the history of Byzantium. The empire was declining, pressed by the Turks, it was losing territory, strength, and power. But her art was on the rise. And one example of this is the image of the Resurrection from the Chora Monastery.

The Constantinople monastery of Chora, dedicated to Christ the Savior, according to tradition, was founded in the 6th century by the Monk Savva the Sanctified. At the beginning of the 11th century, under the Byzantine emperor Alexei Komnenos, his mother-in-law Maria Duca ordered the construction of a new temple and turned it into a royal tomb. In the 14th century, between 1316 and 1321, the temple was again rebuilt and decorated through the efforts of Theodore Metochites, the great logothete Logofet- the highest official (auditor, chancellor) of the royal or patriarchal office in Byzantium. at the court of Andronicus II Andronikos II Palaiologos(1259-1332) - emperor Byzantine Empire in 1282-1328.. (On one of the mosaics of the temple he is depicted at the feet of Christ with the temple in his hands.)

The mosaics and frescoes of Chora were created by the best Constantinople masters and represent masterpieces of late Byzantine art. But the image of the Resurrection stands out especially because it expresses the eschatological ideas of the era in magnificent artistic form. The composition is located on the eastern wall of the paraklesium (southern aisle), where the tombs stood, which apparently explains the choice of theme. The interpretation of the plot is associated with the ideas of Gregory Palamas, an apologist for hesychasm and the doctrine of divine energies. Hesychasm in the Byzantine monastic tradition was a special form of prayer in which the mind is silent, in a state of hesychia, silence. The main goal of this prayer is to achieve internal illumination with a special Tabor light, the same one that the apostles saw during the Transfiguration of the Lord..

The image of the Resurrection is located on the curved surface of the apse, which enhances its spatial dynamics. In the center we see the Risen Christ in white shining robes against the backdrop of a dazzling white and blue mandorla Mandorla(Italian mandorla - “almond”) - in Christian iconography, an almond-shaped or round radiance around the figure of Christ or the Mother of God, symbolizing their heavenly glory.. His figure is like a clot of energy that spreads waves of light in all directions, dispersing the darkness. The Savior crosses the abyss of hell with wide, energetic strides, one might say, he flies over it, because one of his legs rests on the broken door of hell, and the other hovers over the abyss. The face of Christ is solemn and concentrated. With an imperious movement, He carries Adam and Eve along with Him, lifting them above the tombs, and they seem to float in darkness. To the right and left of Christ stand the righteous whom He brings out of the kingdom of death: John the Baptist, kings David and Solomon, Abel and others. And in the black abyss of hell, open under the feet of the Savior, one can see chains, hooks, locks, pincers and other symbols of hellish torment, and there is a bound figure: this is the defeated Satan, deprived of his strength and power. Above the Savior in white letters on a dark background is the inscription “Anastasis” (Greek “Resurrection”).

The iconography of the Resurrection of Christ in this version, which was also called “The Descent into Hell,” appears in Byzantine art in the post-North era, when the theological and liturgical interpretation of the image began to prevail over the historical. In the Gospel we will not find a description of the Resurrection of Christ, it remains a mystery, but, reflecting on the mystery of the Resurrection, theologians, and after them icon painters, created an image that reveals the victory of Christ over hell and death. And this image does not appeal to the past, as a memory of an event that occurred at a certain moment in history, it is directed to the future, as the fulfillment of the aspirations of the general resurrection, which began with the Resurrection of Christ and entails the resurrection of all humanity . This cosmic event— it is no coincidence that on the vault of the paraclesia, above the composition of the Resurrection, we see the image of the Last Judgment and angels rolling up the scroll of heaven.

5. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

First third of the 12th century

The image was painted in Constantinople and brought in the 30s of the 12th century as a gift from the Patriarch of Constantinople to the Kyiv prince Yuri the Long-Ruky. The icon was placed in Vyshgorod Now a regional center in the Kyiv region; located on the right bank of the Dnieper, 8 km from Kyiv., where she became famous for her miracles. In 1155, Yuri's son Andrei Bogolyubsky took it to Vladimir, where the icon remained for more than two centuries. In 1395, at the behest of Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich, it was brought to Moscow, to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, where it remained until 1918, when it was taken for restoration. Now it is in the State Tretyakov Gallery. Legends about numerous miracles are associated with this icon, including the deliverance of Moscow from the invasion of Tamerlane in 1395. Before her, metropolitans and patriarchs were chosen, monarchs were crowned kings. Our Lady of Vladimir is revered as a talisman of the Russian land.

Unfortunately, the icon is not in very good condition; according to the restoration work of 1918, it was rewritten many times: in the first half of the 13th century after Batu’s ruin; at the beginning of the 15th century; in 1514, in 1566, in 1896. From the original painting, only the faces of the Mother of God and the Child Christ, part of the cap and the border of the cape - maforia - have survived Maforius- a woman's robe in the form of a plate, covering almost the entire figure of the Mother of God. with golden assist Assist- in icon painting, strokes of gold or silver on the folds of clothes, wings of angels, on objects, symbolizing reflections of Divine light., part of the ocher chiton of Jesus with a gold assist and the shirt visible from under it, the left hand and part of the baby’s right hand, the remains of a gold background with fragments of the inscription: “MR. .U".

Nevertheless, the image retained its charm and high spiritual intensity. It is built on a combination of tenderness and strength: the Mother of God hugs her Son to herself, wanting to protect her from future suffering, and He gently presses her cheek and puts his hand around her neck. The eyes of Jesus are lovingly fixed on the Mother, and her eyes look at the viewer. And in this piercing look there is a whole range of feelings - from pain and compassion to hope and forgiveness. This iconography, developed in Byzantium, received the name “Tenderness” in Rus', which is not an entirely accurate translation of the Greek word “eleusa” - “mercy”, which was the name given to many images of the Mother of God. In Byzantium, this iconography was called “Glykofilusa” - “Sweet Kiss”.

The coloring of the icon (we are talking about the faces) is built on a combination of transparent ocher and color linings with tonal transitions, glazes (floats) and thin whitewash strokes of light, which creates the effect of the most delicate, almost breathing flesh. The eyes of the Virgin Mary are especially expressive; they are painted with light brown paint, with a red stroke in the teardrop. Beautifully defined lips are painted with three shades of cinnabar. The face is framed by a blue cap with dark blue folds, outlined with an almost black outline. The Baby's face is painted softly, transparent ocher and blush create the effect of warm, soft baby skin. The lively, spontaneous expression of Jesus' face is also created through energetic strokes of paint that sculpt the form. All this testifies to the high skill of the artist who created this image.

The dark cherry maforia of the Mother of God and the golden tunic of the Infant God were painted much later than the faces, but in general they fit harmoniously into the image, creating a beautiful contrast, and the general silhouette of the figures, united by embraces into a single whole, is a kind of pedestal for the beautiful faces.

Vladimir icon double-sided, external (that is, for performing various processions, religious processions), on the back is a throne with instruments of passion (early 15th century). On the throne, covered with red fabric decorated with gold ornaments and gold borders, lie nails, a crown of thorns and a book bound in gold, and on it is a white dove with a gold halo. Above the altar table rises a cross, a spear and a cane. If you read the image of God-te-ri in unity with the turnover, then the tender embrace of the Mother of God and the Son becomes a prototype of the future suffering of the Savior; clutching the Infant Christ to her breast, the Mother of God mourns His death. That's exactly how it is in Ancient Rus' and understand the image of the Mother of God giving birth to Christ for the atoning sacrifice in the name of the salvation of mankind.

6. Icon “Savior Not Made by Hands”

Novgorod, XII century

The double-sided external icon of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands with the scene “Adoration of the Cross” on the reverse, a monument of pre-Mongol times, testifies to the deep assimilation by Russian icon painters of the artistic and theological heritage of Byzantium.

On the board, close to a square (77 × 71 cm), the face of the Savior is depicted, surrounded by a halo with a crosshair. The large, wide open eyes of Christ look slightly to the left, but at the same time the viewer feels that he is in the field of vision of the Savior. High arches of the eyebrows are curved and emphasize the sharpness of the gaze. A forked beard and long hair with a golden assist frame the face of the Savior - stern, but not stern. The image is laconic, restrained, very capacious. There is no action here, no additional details, only a face, a halo with a cross and the letters - IC XC (abbreviated “Jesus Christ”).

The image was created by the steady hand of an artist skilled in classical drawing. The almost perfect symmetry of the face emphasizes its significance. The restrained but refined coloring is built on subtle transitions of ocher - from golden yellow to brown and olive, although the nuances of color are not fully visible today due to the loss of the upper layers of paint. Due to losses, traces of the image of precious stones in the crosshairs of the halo and the letters in the upper corners of the icon are barely visible.

The name “Savior Not Made by Hands” is associated with the legend about the first icon of Christ, created not by hands, that is, not by the hand of an artist. The legend says: King Abgar lived in the city of Edessa; he was sick with leprosy. Having heard about Jesus Christ healing the sick and raising the dead, he sent a servant for him. Unable to abandon his mission, Christ nevertheless decided to help Abgar: He washed his face, wiped it with a towel, and immediately the face of the Savior was miraculously imprinted on the fabric. The servant took this towel (ubrus) to Abgar, and the king was healed.

The Church considers the miraculous image as evidence of the Incarnation, for it shows us the face of Christ - God who became man and came to earth for the salvation of people. This salvation is accomplished through His atoning sacrifice, which is symbolized by the cross in the Savior’s halo.

The composition on the back of the icon is also dedicated to the atoning sacrifice of Christ, which depicts the Calvary cross with a crown of thorns hanging on it. On either side of the cross stand worshiping archangels with instruments of the passions. On the left is Michael with the spear that pierced the heart of the Savior on the cross, on the right is Gabriel with a cane and a sponge soaked in vinegar, which was given to the crucified to drink. Above are fiery seraphim and green-winged cherubs with ripids Ripidy- liturgical objects - metal circles mounted on long handles with images of six-winged seraphim. in the hands, as well as the sun and the moon - two faces in round medallions. Under the cross we see a small black cave, and in it are the skull and bones of Adam, the first man who, through his disobedience to God, plunged humanity into the kingdom of death. Christ, the second Adam, as the Holy Scripture calls Him, conquers death by his death on the cross, returning eternal life to humanity.

The icon is in the State Tretyakov Gallery. Before the revolution, it was kept in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. But initially, as Gerold Vzdornov established Gerold Vzdornov(b. 1936) - specialist in the history of ancient Russian art and culture. Leading researcher at the State Research Institute of Restoration. Creator of the Museum of Dionysian Frescoes in Ferapontovo., it comes from the Novgorod wooden church of the Holy Image, erected in 1191, now defunct.

7. Presumably, Theophanes the Greek. Icon "Transfiguration of the Lord"

Pereslavl-Zalessky, around 1403

Among the works of ancient Russian art located in the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery, the “Transfiguration” icon attracts attention not only with its large dimensions - 184 × 134 cm, but also with its original interpretation of the Gospel plot. This icon was once a temple icon in the Transfiguration Cathedral of Pereslavl-Zalessky. In 1302, Pereslavl became part of the Moscow Principality, and almost a hundred years later, Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich undertook the renovation of the ancient Spassky Cathedral, built in the 12th century. And it is quite possible that he attracted the famous icon painter Theophan the Greek, who had previously worked in Novgorod the Great, Nizhny Novgorod and other cities. In ancient times, icons were not signed, so the authorship of Theophanes cannot be proven, but the special handwriting of this master and his connection with the spiritual movement, called hesychasm, speaks in his favor. Hesychasm paid special attention to the theme of divine energies, or, in other words, the uncreated Favorsky light, which the apostles contemplated during the Transfiguration of Christ on Mt. Let's consider how the master creates an image of this luminous phenomenon.

We see a mountainous landscape on the icon, at the top central mountain Jesus Christ stands, He blesses with his right hand, and holds a scroll in his left. To his right is Moses with the tablet, to his left is the prophet Elijah. At the bottom of the mountain are the three apostles, they are thrown to the ground, James covered his eyes with his hand, John turned away in fear, and Peter, pointing his hand at Christ, as the evangelists testify, exclaims: “It is good for us here with You, let us make three tabernacles” (Matthew 17:4). What so struck the apostles, causing a whole range of emotions, from fear to delight? This is, of course, the light that came from Christ. In Matthew we read: “And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2). And in the icon, Christ is dressed in shining clothes - white with golden highlights, radiance emanates from Him in the form of a six-pointed white and gold star, surrounded by a blue spherical mandorla, pierced by thin golden rays. White, gold, blue - all these modifications of light create the effect of a diverse radiance around the figure of Christ. But the light goes further: three rays emanate from the star, reaching each of the apostles and literally nailing them to the ground. There are also reflections of bluish light on the clothes of the prophets and apostles. The light glides over the mountains, trees, lies wherever possible, even the caves are outlined with a white outline: they look like craters from an explosion - as if the light emanating from Christ does not just illuminate, but penetrates into the earth, it transforms, changes the universe .

The space of the icon develops from top to bottom, like a stream flowing from a mountain, which is ready to flow into the viewer’s area and involve him in what is happening. The time of the icon is the time of eternity, here everything happens at the same time. The icon combines different plans: on the left, Christ and the apostles are ascending the mountain, and on the right, they are already descending from the mountain. And in the upper corners we see clouds on which angels bring Elijah and Moses to the Mount of Transfiguration.

The “Transfiguration” icon from Pereslavl-Zalessky is a unique work, written with virtuoso skill and freedom, while the incredible depth of interpretation of the Gospel text is visible here and the ideas expressed by the theorists of hesychasm - Simeon the New Theologian, Gregory Palamas - find their visual image , Gregory Sinait and others.

8. Andrey Rublev. Icon "Trinity"

Early 15th century

The image of the Holy Trinity is the pinnacle of Andrei Rublev’s creativity and the pinnacle of ancient Russian art. The “Tale of the Holy Icon Painters,” compiled at the end of the 17th century, says that the icon was painted by order of the abbot of the Trinity Monastery Nikon “in memory and praise of St. Sergius,” who made the contemplation of the Holy Trinity the center of his spiritual life. life. Andrei Rublev managed to reflect in colors the full depth of the mystical experience of St. Sergius of Radonezh - the founder of the monastic movement, which revived prayerful and contemplative practice, which, in turn, influenced the spiritual revival of Rus' at the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th centuries .

From the moment of its creation, the icon was in the Trinity Cathedral, over time it darkened, it was renewed several times, covered with gilded vestments, and for many centuries no one saw its beauty. But in 1904, a miracle happened: on the initiative of the landscape painter and collector Ilya Semenovich Ostro-ukhov, a member of the Imperial Archaeological Commission, a group of restorers led by Vasily Guryanov began to clean the icon. And when suddenly cabbage rolls and gold peeked out from under the dark layers, it was perceived as a phenomenon of truly heavenly beauty. The icon was not cleaned then; only after the monastery was closed in 1918 they were able to take it to the Central Restoration Workshops, and the cleaning continued. The restoration was completed only in 1926.

The subject for the icon was the 18th chapter of the Book of Genesis, which tells how one day three travelers came to the forefather Abraham and he gave them a meal, then the angels (in Greek “angelos” - “messenger, messenger”) They told Abraham that he would have a son, from whom a great nation would come. Traditionally, icon painters depicted “The Hospitality of Abraham” as an everyday scene in which the viewer only guessed that the three angels symbolized the Holy Trinity. Andrei Rublev, excluding everyday details, depicted only three angels as a manifestation of the Trinity, revealing to us the secret of the Divine trinity.

On a golden background (now almost lost) three angels are depicted sitting around a table on which stands a bowl. The middle angel rises above the others, behind him grows a tree (the tree of life), behind the right angel is a mountain (an image of the heavenly world), behind the left is a building (the chambers of Abraham and the image of the Divine economy, the Church). The angels' heads are bowed, as if they are having a silent conversation. Their faces are similar - as if it were one face, depicted three times. The composition is based on a system of concentric circles, which converge in the center of the icon, where the bowl is depicted. In the bowl we see the head of a calf, a symbol of sacrifice. Before us is a sacred meal in which an atoning sacrifice is made. The middle angel blesses the cup; the person sitting to his right expresses with a gesture his consent to accept the cup; the angel located on the left hand of the central one moves the cup to the one sitting opposite him. Andrei Rublev, who was called the seer of God, makes us witnesses of how, in the depths of the Holy Trinity, a council takes place about an atoning sacrifice for the salvation of humanity. In ancient times this image was called “Eternal Council”.

Quite naturally, the viewer has a question: who is who in this icon? We see that the middle angel is dressed in the clothes of Christ - a cherry tunic and a blue himation Himation(ancient Greek “fabric, cape”) - the ancient Greeks had outerwear in the form of a rectangular piece of fabric; usually worn over a tunic.
Chiton- something like a shirt, often sleeveless. Therefore, we can assume that this is the Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. In this case, to the left of the viewer is an Angel, personifying the Father, his blue tunic covered with a pinkish cloak. On the right is the Holy Spirit, an angel dressed in blue-green robes (green is a symbol of the spirit, the rebirth of life). This version is the most common, although there are other interpretations. Often on icons the middle angel was depicted with a cross-shaped halo and inscribed IC XC - the initials of Christ. However, the Stoglavy Council of 1551 strictly forbade the depiction of cross-shaped halos and the inscription of the name in the Trinity, explaining this by the fact that the icon of the Trinity does not depict the Father, Son and Holy Spirit separately, but it is an image of the divine trinity and trinity of divine existence . Equally, each of the angels may seem to us to be one or another hypostasis, for, in the words of St. Basil the Great, “The Son is the image of the Father, and the Spirit is the image of the Son.” And when we move our gaze from one angel to another, we see how similar they are and how dissimilar they are - the same face, but different clothes, different gestures, different poses. This is how the icon painter conveys the mystery of the non-fusion and inseparability of the hypostases of the Holy Trinity, the mystery of their consubstantiality. According to the definitions of the Stoglavy Cathedral Stoglavy Cathedral- church council of 1551, the decisions of the council were presented in Stoglav., the image created by Andrei Rublev is the only acceptable image of the Trinity (which, however, is not always observed).

In an image written during a difficult time of princely civil strife and Tatar-Mongol yoke, the covenant of St. Sergius is embodied: “By looking at the Holy Trinity, the hateful discord of this world is overcome.”

9. Dionysius. Icon "Metropolitan Alexy with his Life"

End XV - early XVI centuries

The hagiographic icon of Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, was painted by Dionysius, whom his contemporaries called “the notorious philosopher” (famous, illustrious) for his skill. The most common dating of the icon is the 1480s, when the new Assumption Cathedral in Moscow was built and consecrated, for which Dionysius was commissioned to create two icons of Moscow saints - Alexy and Peter. However, a number of researchers attribute the painting of the icon to the beginning of the 16th century on the basis of its style, in which the classical expression of Dionysius’ skill was found, most fully manifested in the painting of the Ferapontov Monastery.

Indeed, it is clear that the icon was painted by a mature master who masters both the monumental style (the size of the icon is 197 × 152 cm) and miniature writing, which is noticeable in the example of stamps Stamps- small compositions with an independent plot, located on the icon around the central image - the middle.. This is a hagiographic icon, where the image of the saint in the middle is surrounded by stamps with scenes of his life. The need for such an icon could have arisen after the reconstruction of the Cathedral of the Chudov Monastery in 1501-1503, the founder of which was Metropolitan Alexy.

Metropolitan Alexy was outstanding personality. He came from the boyar family of Byakontov, was tonsured at the Epiphany Monastery in Moscow, then became Metropolitan of Moscow, played a prominent role in governing the state both under Ivan Ivanovich the Red (1353-1359) and under his young son, Dmitry Ivanovich, later nicknamed Donskoy (1359-1389). Possessing the gift of a diplomat, Alexy managed to establish peaceful relations with the Horde.

In the center of the icon, Metropolitan Alexy is represented full-length, in solemn liturgical vestments: a red sakkos Sakkos- long, loose clothing with wide sleeves, the liturgical vestments of a bishop., decorated with gold crosses in green circles, on top of which hangs a white stole with crosses Stole- part of the vestment of priests, worn around the neck under the chasuble and with a stripe going down to the bottom. This is a symbol of the priest’s grace, and without it the priest does not perform any of the services., on the head there is a white cockle Kukol- the upper vestment of a monk who has accepted the great schema ( highest degree monastic renunciation) in the form of a pointed hood with two long strips of material covering the back and chest.. With his right hand the saint blesses, in his left he holds the Gospel with a red edge, standing on a light green kerchief (shawl). The color of the icon is dominated by white, against which many different tones and shades stand out brightly - from cold green and bluish, soft pink and ocher-yellow to bright spots of flashing scarlet cinnabar. All this multicolor makes the icon festive.

The centerpiece is framed by twenty marks of life, which should be read from left to right. The order of the marks is as follows: the birth of Eleutherius, the future Metropolitan Alexy; bringing the youth into teaching; Eleutherius's dream, foreshadowing his calling as a shepherd (according to the Life of Alexy, during his sleep he heard the words: “I will make you a fisher of men”); tonsure of Eleutherius and naming of the name Alexy; the installation of Alexy as bishop of the city of Vladimir; Alexy in the Horde (he stands with a book in his hands in front of the khan sitting on the throne); Alexy asks Sergius of Radonezh to give his student [Sergius] Andronik to be abbot in the Spassky (later Andronikov) monastery he founded in 1357; Alexy blesses Andronik to become abbess; Alexy prays at the tomb of Metropolitan Peter before leaving for the Horde; Khan meets Alexy in the Horde; Alexy heals Khansha Taidula from blindness; The Moscow prince and his warriors meet Alexy upon his return from the Horde; Alexy, feeling the approach of death, invites Sergius of Radonezh to become his successor, Metropolitan of Moscow; Alexy is preparing a tomb for himself in the Chudov Monastery; repose of Saint Alexis; acquisition of relics; further the miracles of the metropolitan - the miracle of the dead baby, the miracle of the lame monk Naum of Miracles and others.

10. Icon “John the Baptist - Angel of the Desert”

1560s

The icon comes from the Trinity Cathedral of the Stefano-Makhrishchi Monastery near Moscow, now located in the Central Museum of Ancient Russian Culture named after Andrei Rublev. The size of the icon is 165.5 × 98 cm.

The iconography of the image seems unusual: John the Baptist is depicted with angelic wings. This is a symbolic image that reveals his special mission as a messenger (“angelos” in Greek - “messenger, messenger”), prophet of fate and forerunner of the Messiah (Christ). The image goes back not only to the Gospel, where John is given great attention, but also to the prophecy of Malachi: “Behold, I am sending My angel, and he will prepare the way before Me” (Mr. 3:1). Like the prophets of the Old Testament, John called for repentance, he came just before the coming of Christ to prepare the way for Him (“Forerunner” means “one who goes ahead”), and the words of the prophet Isaiah were also attributed to him: “ The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his ways straight” (Isaiah 40:3).

John the Baptist appears dressed in a hair shirt and himation, with a scroll and a cup in his hand. On the scroll is an inscription made up of fragments of his sermon: “Behold, you have seen and testified of me, for behold, you are the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Repent, for fear of the Kingdom of Heaven; the ax is already at the root of the tree; every tree is cut off” (John 1:29; Matt. 3:2, 10). And as an illustration of these words, right there, at the feet of the Baptist, is depicted an ax at the root of a tree, one branch of which has been cut down, and the other is turning green. This is a symbol of the Last Judgment, showing that the time is near and soon there will be judgment for this world, the Heavenly Judge will punish sinners. At the same time, in the bowl we see the head of John, a symbol of his martyrdom, which he suffered for his preaching. The death of the Forerunner prepared the atoning sacrifice of Christ, granting salvation to sinners, and therefore with his right hand John blesses those praying. In the face of John, ascetic, with deep furrows of wrinkles, torment and compassion are visible.

The background of the icon is dark green, very characteristic of the icon painting of this time. John's ocher wings resemble flashes of fire. In general, the coloring of the icon is gloomy, which conveys the spirit of the times - heavy, filled with fears, bad omens, but also hope for salvation from above.

In Russian art, the image of John the Baptist, the Angel of the Desert, has been known since the 14th century, but it became especially popular in the 16th century, during the era of Ivan the Terrible, when the still-yen---sentiment in society increased. John the Baptist was the heavenly patron of Ivan the Terrible. The Stefano-Makhrishchi Monastery enjoyed the special patronage of the Tsar, which is confirmed by the monastery inventories containing information about numerous royal contributions made in the 1560-70s. Among these contributions was this icon.

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