Andrei Rublev, a famous medieval painter of orthodox icons and frescos,
is considered the pride and glory of Russian culture. The name of Rublev is
connected not only to the flourishing period of Russian art, but also to the
revival of Byzantine art after its ruin under the Ottoman rule.
However, there is little information available on Andrei Rublev’s life.
It is not known where he was born but he probably lived in the Trinity St.
Sergey Monastery in the small town of Sergiev Posad near Moscow. He was a monk
under Nikon of Radonezh, who succeeded Sergey of Radonezh, a famous saint and
Father Superior of the monastery. Rublev’s contemporaries described him as “a
kind and quiet person, filled with light.” They said he was “unusually focused”
and that “everything he created was a result of his deep thoughts.”
In the early chronicles, the name of Rublev comes up in connection with
the construction of different churches. In the 1380s he belonged to the
Prince’s cartel of craftsmen and artists who moved from town to town building
and decorating churches. After the Battle of Kulikovo between the Tatar-Mongols
and the Russians near the Don River in 1380, many new churches were erected in
Russia, and each was decorated by Russian iconographers. This served as a
source of inspiration for Rublev.
The first mention of Rublev as a painter appears in 1405 when, together
with Theophanes the Greek and Prokhor of Gorodets, he painted icons and frescos
for the Cathedral of Annunciation of the Moscow Kremlin. His name was the last
on the list of craftsmen as he was a junior both by rank and age.
Most of his frescos were destroyed during the Moscow Kremlin fire of
1547.
Russian art was highly influenced by the art of the Byzantine Empire.
Many artistic traditions, particularly in regard to icon painting and church
architecture, originated in Byzantine and were
taken over by other Eastern European countries, including Russia. Rublev
is often considered to have been a pupil of Theophanes the Greek, a famous
Byzantine painter who worked in Russia for over thirty years. However,
Theophanes the Greek’s personality, as well as his views of art and life,
differed greatly from those of Rublev. The elder painter’s images were tense
and tragic, perceiving the sinful earth as hell. It is not known how both
artists got along, but there is evidence to suggest they often worked together,
and the process did wonders to develop Rublev’s genius. Nevertheless, Rublev
broke away from his Theophanes’s dramatic severity of form, color and
expression and developed his own light and harmonious style incarnating the
epoch of liberation.
Approximately during the same period, Rublev is believed to have painted
at least one of the miniatures in the Khitrovo Gospels, an illustrated Book of
Gospels from the early 15th century. The book contains eight full-page
miniatures, portraits of four Evangelists and four pictures of their symbols.
The miniature of the angel, a symbol of the evangelist Matthew, is usually
attributed to Rublev. A young winged boy with curly hair is framed in a circle,
which gives the image tranquility and completeness. The colors of azure blue
and fresh green create a feeling of joy and easiness. According to art
historians, the light and pureness display the uniqueness of the painter’s
style.
It is not possible to chronologically trace Rublev’s work, as Russian
icon painters never signed or dated their works. But one chronicle confirms
that in 1408 Rublev painted the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir with Danil
Cherny and other painters. The Cathedral was widely known in Old Russia and
Moscow’s Princes took great care in its decoration. In 1408, the son of Dmitry
Donskoy, Prince Vladimir, ordered the restoration of the Cathedral, including
the painting of new frescos to replace the one lost in the 12th century. The
surviving Cathedral frescos represent a fragment of the famous composition
Doomsday. Analyses of the style of the frescos helped determine their author:
the artistic composition, musicality and gracefulness of the lines belonged to
the hand of Andrey Rublev. The interpretation of the scene is rather unusual:
there is no fear of severe punishment and the idea of forgiveness and enlightenment
penetrates the composition, in line with Rublev’s worldview.
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Rublev is also believed to have painted icons for “Zvenigorod Row” -
part of the iconostasis in one of the Zvenigorod churches. Three
icons “Savior,” “Archangel Michael” and “Apostle Paul”
are partly preserved and show how the painter imagined his ideal character. The
Savior is full of kindness and attention, Apostle Paul is presented as a
philosopher and a thinker and Archangel Michael represents the earthly beauty
of a human being. The characters in all of Rublev’s paintings were always
peaceful and calm.
In 1408 the Tatar-Mongol troops of the Khan Edigey plundered the Russian
towns of Nizhniy Novgorod, Rostov and Pereslavl and attacked Moscow. Failing to
seize Moscow, they burnt down many towns and churches in the surrounding area,
including the Cathedral of St. Trinity in Sergiev Posad. The hegumen, Nikon of
Radonezh, was eager to rebuild the monastery. In 1423-1424 in place of the old
wooden one, a new white-stone monastery was built. Andrey Rublev and Danil
Cherny were invited by Father Nikon to decorate the monastery.
The icon “Trinity” became Rublev’s greatest masterpiece, created for the
Cathedral of St. Trinity. And if the name of Rublev personifies the art of old
Russia, the icon Trinity symbolizes the peak of that culture. The exact date of
its creation is unknown - it could be either 1411 or 1425-1427. Apparently,
Rublev painted this icon “in honor of St. Sergey of Radonezh.” The plot of the
icon has its origins in the Bible: a deity in the form of three wonderful
youngsters appeared in front of the elder Abraham foretelling the birth of a
son. The main idea of the image is life in peace and agreement; something that
people in the 15th century dreamt about but could not have.
In his book “The Trinity-St. Sergy Monastery and Russia,” the
philosopher and priest Pavel Florensky describes the icon and the style of the
great master: “What marvels and startles us in Rublev’s work is not the subject
or the numeral “three” or a cup on the Communion table, but the fact that it
shows us truly the Revelation beheld by Him. Under restless circumstances, in
the midst of local wars, general savagery and the Tatar intervention, with this
lack of peace that had depraved Rus, this infinite, indestructible peace of the
world opened to the eye… And this inexplicable world, this incomparable
sky-blue, this ineffable grace of the mutual bows, this peaceful unwordliness,
this infinite submissiveness to each other - is the artistic content of the Trinity.”
The question “Who is who in the Trinity? “ has sparked many heated
arguments; Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible posed the question to the “Stoglavy Sobor”
(“The Book of 100 Chapters” containing 69 questions asked and answered by the
Great Council) in 1551. The answer was: “Christ is the angel in the middle, the
one higher than God the Father and God the Spirit.” Thus, in the Orthodox
Church, God the Son was put higher than God the Father, while in the Catholic
Church they are equal. Four hundred years later the Sobor’s decision was
supported by some distinguished art critics, while opposed by most theologians.
But as evidenced by the geometry of the Trinity, for Rublev, all three
hypostases were equal and placed in a circle. The lines of the wings and clothes
fade into each other creating a feeling of balance and calmness. The ideal
proportions of the three figures are united by the perfect correlation of
colors. The light colors do not compete with the dark ones, but create a
glimmering mosaic of light.
After the death of his friend and colleague Danil Cherny, who was buried
in the St. Trinity monastery, Andrei Rublev went to Moscow’s Andronikov
Monastery where he painted the frescos of the Savior Cathedral, which became
his last work. According to the letter of the saint Epiphanies the Wise, Rublev
also worked on the construction of the church in 1426-1427. The frescos were
painted in 1428-1430. Andrei Rublev died in the Andronikov Monastery in 1430.
At present there is a museum in the monastery displaying the epoch and art of
Andrei Rublev.
Rublev’s art came to be perceived as the ideal of Church painting and of
Orthodox iconography and already in his lifetime his icons were worth their
weight in gold. In 1988 Andrei Rublev became the first Russian painter to be
canonized a saint by the Orthodox Church. The church commemorates
Rublev on 4 July.
Works attributed to Rublev can be seen in churches and the best art
museums across Russia. They include:
- Baptism of Jesus (c.1405) Cathedral of the Annunciation, Moscow.
- Annunciation (c.1405) Cathedral of the Annunciation, Moscow.
- Ascension (1408) Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
- St. Michael (1408) Iconostasis, Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir.
- St. Andrew the First-called (1408) Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir.
- St. John the Theologian (1408) Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir.
- Saviour in Glory (1408) Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir.
- St. John the Baptist (1408) Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir.
- Harrowing of Hell (1408-1410) Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir.
- Christ the Redeemer (c.1410) Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
- Deesis Range: The Apostle Paul (1410s) Tretyakov.
- Deesis Range: The Archangel Michael (1410s) Tretyakov.
- Holy Trinity (c.1411) Tretyakov.
Andrei Rublev's mantle was assumed by Dionysius (c.1440-1502) whose
pictures linked the Novgorod style with the Moscow school of painting. The
latter was represented by the Stroganov workshop, and the painters Procopius
Chirin, Nicephorus Savin and Simon Ushakov (1626-1686). After this, attention
centred on Petrine art (1700-50) at St Petersburg.
Source: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/
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