In the history of Old Russian iconography Simon Ushakov is associated with the last period of art of the Moscow Russia. Both his creativity and personality are typical for the epoch of basic changes that took place in the second half of the 17th century. Collapse of the medieval outlook lead to serious changes in understanding and interpretation of icon-painting images.
Simon (Pimen) Fyodorovich Ushakov
was most probably born into the family of tradespeople, and, apparently, quite
early received thorough training for his trade, since at the age of 22 he was
already employed as a full-fledged master of the Silver Chamber at the Armoury
Department. His direct duties there were to make drawings for various items of
church utensils and palace utilities, mainly for gold, silver and enameled
ones, paint church banners, design patterns for needlework, draw maps, plans,
etc. Apart from assiduously performing these duties, Simon Ushakov painted
icons for the court yard, for churches and private customers, and pretty soon
gained fame as the best Moscow icon painter.
After Ushakov's transfer from service
in the Silver Chamber to the Armoury in 1664 the area of his activities
expanded and accordingly his glory grew even more: he came to head other tsar’s
artists and even generated a school of icon painters. He was in favor of Tsar
Alexey Mikhailovich and his successors to the throne, executed all their orders
in the art field and was in clover till the end of his life.
Quite a number of icons painted by
Simon Ushakov have come down to us, but unfortunately most of them have been
deformed by later over-paintings and restorations. Ushakov's works testify that
he was a person very well developed for his epoch, and a gifted artist who had
mastery in all the art techniques of that time. As opposed to the prescribed
rule of painting icons according to ancient samples, Ushakov wasn't indifferent
to the western art, the tendencies of which were already widely spread in the
17th century in Russia. Standing firmly on the ground of authentic Russian-
Byzantine style of icon-painting he painted both following the old manner and
the new style, invented new compositions, looked closely at the western samples
and nature, and aspired to impart distinctness and movement to the depicted
figures.
Of all Ushakov's iconographic scenes
the most famous are his icons of the Savior, the Trinity, and the series based
on Scriptural history in the Moscow St. Trinity Church in Nikitniki.
Simon Ushakov was one of the first
Russian artists who starting introducing elements of realistic perspective into
iconography, though keeping up the canons of icon-painting. However, as M. B.
Alpatov mentions “in his works he allowed fewer innovations than in his
statements about art”.
Simon Ushakov made a strong impact
on Russian church art (among his students and followers there were George
Zinovev, Ivan Maksimov, Tihon Filatev, Cyril Ulanov and other icon-painting
masters), having anticipated its new course during the epoch of Peter the
First’s reforms.
In addition to a multitude of
frescoes for the churches of the Kremlin and palace buildings, icons for the
imperial family, and portraits of them, Ushakov painted icons for his local
church, the aforementioned Church of the Trinity in Nikitniki, throughout his
life. He also worked at times for other churches, monasteries, and private
patrons. In the spirit of the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, who strove to bring
the Russian church in line with the traditions of Greek Orthodoxy, Ushakov in
his icons chose to reflect the countenances of Greek icons, many of which had
been brought from the Orthodox east, and of old Russian icons that had been
painted in the Greek style. Ushakov believed, like many other icon painters,
that the saints in icons should look revived and illuminated, and indeed,
critics agree that he did manage to fill his icons with feeling and light. But
he did this while uniting traditional Byzantine formulas (flattened figures in
hieratic poses) with the chiaroscuro and perspective of Western painting, as
was also done in the Greco-Italian iconography that Ushakov favoured. This
style, however, ultimately worked counter to his intentions. By inspiring his
icons with life and strength, Ushakov was unable to withstand the
secularization of his iconography.
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