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In the Russian calendar Orthodox Church There are many icon painters, but the most famous, of course, is Andrei Rublev. Probably everyone in our country knows this name, even not the most educated person, and outside Russia it is well known, especially after Tarkovsky’s film, but what do we know about the great icon painter? The famous historian of Christian art Irina YAZYKOVA talks about this.

Andrei Rublev paints the Spassky Cathedral of the Andronikov Monastery (miniature of the late 16th century)

Happy fate of Andrei Rublev

We can say that his fate was happy: he was famous already during his lifetime, chronicles and lives of saints mention him, princes and monasteries ordered icons for him, he worked in Moscow, Vladimir, Zvenigorod. He was not forgotten even after his death; Rublev’s glory as the first icon painter in Rus' was preserved for centuries. The Stoglavy Council (1551) recognized Rublev's work as a role model. Joseph Volotsky in his “Message to the Icon Painter” also cites the example of Andrei Rublev and his associates, who “zealously applied themselves to icon writing and cared so much about fasting and monastic life, as if they were vouchsafed Divine grace and thus prosper in Divine love, as never before.” to exercise about earthly things, but always raise the mind and thought to the immaterial light, as even on the very feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, sitting in the seats and having Divine and honorable icons in front of you and steadily looking at them, being filled with Divine joy and lordship. And not just on that day I do this, but also on other days, when I don’t devote myself to painting. For this reason, the Lord Christ glorified them at the final hour of death.”

In the 17th century manuscript “The Tale of the Holy Icon Painters,” Andrei Rublev is called a holy ascetic and a seer of God. The Old Believers valued Rublev very much; collectors sought to acquire his works; in their eyes, he was the embodiment of canonical iconography and ancient piety. Thanks to this, even in the 19th century, when it would seem that icon painting was consigned to oblivion, the name of the ascetic icon painter was preserved as a standard of church art.

They didn’t forget Andrei Rublev in Soviet time, despite the godless and iconoclastic pathos of Soviet science, his name was a symbol of ancient Russian culture. By decision of UNESCO in 1960, a worldwide celebration of the 600th anniversary of Rublev was organized. A museum of ancient Russian culture named after Andrei Rublev was opened in Moscow. And his works, collected mainly in the Tretyakov Gallery, became the object of close attention of scientists.

Life collected bit by bit

Many books and articles have been written about the Rev. Andrei Rublev, his work has been thoroughly studied. But, if you think about it, what do we know about the life of the icon painter as a holy ascetic? Biographical information is extremely scarce; his life has to be collected literally bit by bit.

He was born in the 1360s. It is difficult to determine more precisely the date of his birth. But the date of death is known: January 29, 1430. This date was established by the famous restorer P. D. Baranovsky based on a copy of the 18th century. from the inscription on the tombstone of the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery. The slab itself was lost in the 1930s, when the monastery cemetery was destroyed. It is known that Rublev died at an old age, he was about 70 years old, which means he was born between 1360 and 1370.

This was a terrible time: the Tatars ruled Rus', they ravaged cities, plundered churches and monasteries, and took people captive. At the same time, there was a constant internecine struggle between the princes, it was especially bloody between Moscow and Tver, which laid claim to the grand ducal label. Twice - in 1364 and 1366. - a plague swept through Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. In 1365 Moscow burned, in 1368 it survived the invasion of the Lithuanian prince Olgerd, and in 1371 there was famine.

Among this chaos and turmoil, the future creator of images of heavenly harmony grew up and was educated. Unfortunately, we know nothing about his parents or the environment from which he came. True, his last name may suggest something. Firstly, in those days only noble people had surnames. Secondly, she can point to the hereditary craft that his father or a more distant ancestor was engaged in. Rublev most likely comes from the verb “to chop” or from “rubel”, which was the name of a long pole or roller, a tool for tanning leather.

Nothing is known about how early Andrei Rublev took up icon painting, where and with whom he studied. We know nothing about his early works either. The first mention of it is contained in the Chronicle of 1405, where it is reported that, by order of Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich, the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin was painted by an artel headed by three masters: Theophanes the Greek, Prokhor the Elder of Gorodets and the monk Andrei Rublev. The fact that Rublev’s name is mentioned suggests that he was already a completely respected master. But his name comes third, which means Andrei was the youngest of the named icon painters.

Rublev was a monk, that is, a monk. And the name Andrei, apparently, is not a generic or baptismal name, but a monastic one. Most likely, he took monastic vows at the Trinity Monastery, under Nikon of Radonezh, the disciple and successor of St. Sergius of Radonezh. There are records of this in manuscripts from the 18th century. Perhaps he found Sergius himself, who died in 1392. Many of the master’s works will also be associated with the Trinity Monastery. In recent years, Andrei lived in the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, also founded by a student of Sergius, Venerable. Andronik. In this monastery he ended his earthly journey.

The standard of church art

Andrei Rublev was involved in the circle of Rev. Sergius of Radonezh, the great teacher of monasticism, who played a huge role in the spiritual awakening of Rus'. Sergius or his students were able to convey to Andrei the experience of deep prayer and silence, that contemplative practice that is usually called hesychasm, and in Rus' was called “smart doing.” Hence the prayerful depth of Rublev’s icons, their deep theological meaning, their special heavenly beauty and harmony.

The second time the name of Rublev is mentioned in the Chronicle under 1408 in connection with the painting of the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. He carried out this work together with the icon painter Daniil Cherny, who was called his “friend and fellow priest.” Daniel was also a monk, possibly Greek or Serbian, as evidenced by the nickname - Black. The chronicler calls him first, which means that Daniel was the eldest: by age or rank. The entire future fate of Andrei Rublev will be connected with this person, right up to his death.

The Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir was considered the cathedral of the Russian Church, and its painting was a responsible matter. The cathedral was built in the 12th century, under Andrei Bogolyubsky, but its paintings were destroyed in 1238, during the Tatar-Mongol invasion. By order of Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich, the temple is being painted anew. An iconostasis was also erected and a copy of the ancient miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was created. Both masters - Andrei and Daniel - act here not only as icon painters, but also as genuine theologians: the surviving composition “The Last Judgment” speaks of a deep mystical experience and a surprisingly bright understanding of eschatology, as the aspiration of the Church towards the coming Savior.

In the mid-1420s. Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny are supervising the work in the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. The paintings of the temple have not reached us, but the iconostasis remains. For the same temple, Rev. Andrei paints his famous Trinity icon, in which the Trinitarian dogma finds its highest pictorial embodiment. According to the Chronicle, the image of the Trinity was commissioned by Nikon of Radonezh “in memory and praise of St. Sergius,” whose relics rest in the Trinity Church. This icon embodies the pure prayer of the monk Andrei, which was taught to him by his spiritual teacher, Sergius, who bequeathed “to conquer the hated discord of this world by looking at the Holy Trinity.” In the form of three angels, the Trinitarian God appears before us: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in their silent conversation the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice, offered for the salvation of mankind, is revealed. Truly, Andrei Rublev was a visionary of God: only a person who had repeatedly contemplated this mystery of Divine Triune Love in prayer could paint the image of the Trinity in this way.

Universal Master

Book miniatures are also attributed to the master. For example, sheets and screensavers of the “Gospel of Khitrovo”. Old Russian artists very often illuminated books. Copying and decorating books was one of the common monastic obediences. In general, the book culture of ancient Russian monasteries was extremely high, the reading range of the monks was very diverse. Andrei Rublev was also a bookish man, who read a lot and was very educated for those times. In any case, it is clear that the miniatures of the “Khitrovo Gospel” were made by a master who has a keen sense of beauty and a deep understanding of the meaning of what is depicted.

Andrei Rublev was a universal master: he painted icons and frescoes, and was engaged in book miniatures. It is likely that, together with Metropolitan Cyprian and Theophan the Greek, he was involved in the development of the high Russian iconostasis, which, in line with Cyprian’s liturgical reform, was a harmonious, deeply thought-out theological system that created the image of the Heavenly Church.

The last years of Andrei Rublev's life were associated with the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery. Unfortunately, the paintings of the Spassky Cathedral made by him have not survived. But the life of the icon painter even in this monastery was feat and service, prayer and creativity, for this is how he always lived.

Rublev is a recognized icon painter, but, first of all, he was a monk, his life was completely devoted to serving the Church. His holiness was already obvious to his contemporaries. Immediately after his death, in the 15th century, local veneration of St. Andrew the icon-maker was established in the Trinity-Sergius and Spaso-Andronikov monasteries, of which he was a monk. The Rev. Andrei Rublev was canonized by the general church only in 1988. The Church celebrates his memory on July 17 (4).

Text: Irina YAZYKOVA

Silence and light

Today we will talk about an era that is associated with a very interesting movement - hesychasm. Hesychia (“silence”) is an Orthodox movement, first within monasteries, then, thanks to the activities of Archbishop Gregory Palamas of Thessaloniki, it spread beyond the monasteries. There were huge controversies surrounding this movement, the teaching of “smart prayer,” as it would later be called in Rus'. But without going too much into these hesychast disputes, let’s just look at how this affected art, because it was associated with a revival throughout the Orthodox world. For Byzantium, this is the last, Palaiologan period, which was colored by just these disputes and indeed such a rise, a new and last rise of art, and for Rus' this is a time of spiritual revival. Because the second half of the 13th century. - the conquest of Rus' by the Horde, a time of terrible decline, a time of perfect survival. A slow but sure rise begins in the 14th century, and in Rus' it will be especially associated with the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh. But Sergius of Radonezh was also in a certain way connected with the flow of hesychasm.

So, let's start with the personality of Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica. His icon has been preserved, we have it in the Pushkin Museum, a small image that, apparently, was brought, perhaps, by Metropolitan Cyprian, one of his students, to Rus' at the end of the 14th century.

Gregory Palamas defended hesychasm from the attacks of such pro-humanistic Greek monks Varlaam and Akindinus, who, having studied in the West, lived in the West, became unaccustomed to Orthodox practice and attacked with some criticism the figures of hesychasm who practiced “smart doing”, silent prayer, as they they were called “navel pillows.” I would not like to go into details, but simply at the center of this teaching, at the center of the apology that Gregory Palamas built in defense of the “sacredly silent”, or, as we say, hesychasts, was the problem of divine energies and light. It is precisely this theme that becomes the main one in art.

In the Byzantine icon, in Byzantine art in general, even in architecture, as we have already seen from Sophia of Constantinople, light played an exceptional role. A whole mystery was built with light, light played a big role in liturgy, light played a big role, naturally, in theology. But that's it last period in Byzantium, and then the same came to Rus', was due to the fact that light began to play a key role in the icon. This can be seen in this very icon of Gregory Palamas, where light literally splashes from his eyes, where the light illuminates his entire face. But this applies not only to Gregory Palamas himself, who defended the light and, naturally... He, by the way, was canonized by his closest student, who knew him very well, Patriarch Philotheus Kokkin, and this icon of Gregory Palamas is considered to be a portrait one, i.e. . it was written by people who knew Gregory Palamas well.

But we see this in other icons of this time. For example, the Hermitage houses a wonderful image of Christ Pantocrator, also from the mid-14th century, where we see that the personal (face, hands) is literally sculpted from light. Light literally creates volume and truly emphasizes the luminosity of this face. There is even such a contrast between the dark background, the ochre, and the bright, literally splashing lights. And this is not the only case. But our task is to look again at how this Byzantine movement within the monasteries, this teaching influenced Russian art.

Well, to look at the light again, let us remember the fresco that we have already talked about - Kakhrie-Jami, or the Chora Monastery, where the Resurrection is like an explosion of light, this is exactly the light that explodes hell - the place where there is no light - from within and brings Adam and Eve out from there.

Two humanisms

But it is interesting that this polemic between hesychasts and humanists concerned not only light, not only divine energies, not only how we perceive God, how we communicate with him (for the hesychasts it was just clear that we communicate through his energy, through light, and we ourselves are transformed, and the goal of salvation was deification, theosis), but it also concerned man, because at the center of the teaching of humanists, we know, is man. And especially Italian culture at this time is reoriented from theocentricity to anthropocentricity.

But it is interesting that the hesychasts also recognized man’s great influence in the sense that, firstly, God comes to man and, strictly speaking, the center of God’s concern is man’s salvation. And that each person personally, in his own personal experience, through his personal communication achieves this theosis. They are saved not in droves, not in bulk, but truly individually. And this personality of man, which acquires deification, stood at the center of the teachings of the hesychasts. This is not always noticed, but it is clearly visible in the art of that time, when the faces become very individual. Generalization goes away, and we see literally characteristic faces.

This can be seen in the same frescoes of Kahrie-Jami of the Chora Monastery, where a number of holy fathers are represented under the famous fresco of the Resurrection: Gregory the Theologian, Cyril of Alexandria, Basil the Great, etc. Not all the faces are well preserved, but those that are preserved can be called portraits. We remember that at this time the portrait was born in Italy. The icon is not portrait, the icon moves away from the portrait, but I would like to call these faces portraits. And most importantly, they truly reflect the character of each father, because when depicting, the artist was precisely attuned to the personality of this particular father. We will see that it was different in different eras. Sometimes they sought to unify the faces; we will especially see this in the late Russian Middle Ages. But at this moment, both in Rus' and in Byzantium, a person’s personality, under the rays of this divine, transforming Tabor light, blossoms and acquires its uniqueness. Looking at these frescoes, one would like to imagine that this is exactly what Theophanes the Greek looked like. Because Theophanes the Greek, a fiery Byzantine artist, created his art precisely under the influence of hesychasm.

Feofan the Greek in Novgorod

He arrived in Rus' at the end of the 14th century, quite possibly in the retinue of Metropolitan Cyprian, because this unspoken alternation in Rus' (Greek Metropolitan - Russian Metropolitan, as we know, there was such a tradition) carried with it the already established system that every Greek The Metropolitan brings artists with him. We have no direct information, but most likely this was the case. We know that Metropolitan Cyprian was expelled from Moscow by Prince Dmitry Ivanovich of Moscow (in the future he will be called Donskoy), Cyprian was forced to leave for Lithuania, where, so to speak, he sat out until the prince’s will changed. And Theophanes the Greek was invited by the Novgorodians. And he painted the Church of the Savior on Ilyin Street, the Transfiguration of the Savior, i.e. again, a dedication very close to the hesychast problematic - the idea of ​​the Tabor light, the idea of ​​​​contemplating divine energies as they were revealed on Tabor. And the program for this painting speaks precisely about this light. Perhaps Theophanes was not the first to introduce this hesychast element into art in Rus', but he is one of the brightest.

When you enter this church, and it is quite high, you see first of all the huge face of Pantocrator. From the dome Christ looks at you with a fiery gaze. And you remember the words “Our God is a consuming fire”[i]. And if we look at this entire painting, we will see that here, indeed, the theme of divine energies is the main one. The theme of the coming of light into the world, the coming into the world of not just light, but this scorching fire - this is exactly how Theophanes the Greek interprets it.

The huge open eyes of Pantocrator literally stop you at the threshold. God is light and there is no darkness in him. At the same time, it is interesting that Feofan makes here what seems to be a very non-trivial technique: he reduces all painting, in fact, to two colors: ocher and white, and on this contrast he builds such an absolutely expressive painting. There were different versions about this. There were versions that there was a fire here, and therefore the polychrome was not preserved, only ocher and white were preserved. Well, first of all, this is probably unlikely to happen. Secondly, even polychrome pieces found during archaeological excavations indicate that if there had been a fire, they too would have disappeared.

No, it was a program. Moreover, Theophanes did not invent it, he brought it here, because at that time at least two more artists were known in Byzantine art who used this technique of two colors, ocher and white. This is the master Eutyches, who painted several churches in Serbia, in one of which this is especially clearly expressed, and Cyrus Emmanuel Eugenicus in Georgia. Those. also the same masters. Well, maybe master Eutychius was a local Serbian master, and Cyrus Emmanuel Eugenicus, judging even by his name, was a Byzantine master who came to Georgia at that time. We know this practice of Greek masters coming to other countries, where they brought their ideas and their skills.

So, returning to Feofan. Of course it's a program. This is a program that in the brightest way demonstrates the idea of ​​light. Everything is unusual here. Well, the image of Christ. The first thing that catches your eye is that there are angels around Pantocrator, this is a traditional thing. And then in the drums, as a rule, in the scheme of temple painting that was preserved in Byzantium and was customary in Rus', prophets are usually depicted. So, here these are not prophets, but forefathers, as they are sometimes called - antediluvian prophets. Those. of the post-Flood prophets there are only Elijah and John the Baptist, and so - starting with Adam: Adam, Abel, the mysterious Melchizedek, who is outside of time, Noah, etc., i.e. the really early ones who lived before the flood. We know that the Lord decided to destroy the first world with the help of water. Then he repented, of course, but still. These are those who lived before and made covenants with God.

And then the prophet Elijah and John the Baptist are introduced - people who are already partly associated with water, because John the Baptist baptized, Elijah demanded that the sacrifice be poured with water, but nevertheless it caught fire. But they are also associated with fire. Again, the problem of fire and water is, of course, a hesychast problem.

Here is such a wonderful Adam... Here is Abel... And we see that they are made of different tones of ocher and these literally beating, like fiery tongues of flame, curling on different parts of the body and clothing, like reflections of fire or bursting fragments of flame. This is Melchizedek, such amazing elders. And here is the fiery prophet Elijah, who was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot and who brought fire from heaven to earth. The second world, as the hesychasts said, will be tested by fire, and the Lord himself said that “I brought fire to the earth and I languish until it burns.” And the image of Pentecost as the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of fire and the birth of the spirit of the church in this fiery flame is also the idea of ​​the hesychasts. That this is a fire that should burn all untruth in a person, the Holy Spirit is like fire. And it is in this hypostasis of fire that Theophanes the Greek considers divine energies.

It is interesting that the main painting has not been preserved or has been preserved, so to speak, in fragments. This is clearly the altar “Liturgy of the Holy Fathers”... We cannot read the general program. But in fragments... The dome survived, which usually, by the way, suffered primarily due to leaks. But here the dome, this fiery Pantocrator and the antediluvian prophets and forefathers survived.

And the so-called Trinity Chamber survived well. This is an individual chapel, as we would say. Although this is not a chapel, it is a kind of chapel, it’s not even clear what, because such a tradition has not reached our time. In the choir there is a small room for individual prayer. Again, since this is an individual prayer, it means that most likely the customer was somehow involved in this movement and knew it. Maybe he practiced this individual prayer, special, “smart doing,” as they would later say in Rus'. In any case, the program for painting this chamber, which is also well preserved, also says that here the idea of ​​this divine energy, the idea of ​​Transfiguration, theosis, deification is revealed simply as visual material on the east wall. We see an image of Abraham's hospitality with a powerful Trinity in the center, where three angels sit behind a semicircular throne and the main angel covers the other two with his wings. And here, too, again this technique is white and brown, like a division: being - non-existence, light - darkness. Well, not in the sense of darkness as negative, but as something that shades the light. Created - uncreated, visible - invisible. This dichotomy is at work here all the time.

And if we take a closer look even at angels (we will see this in the faces of saints), then often the eyes are indicated not so much by the pupils, and sometimes there are simply no pupils at all, as by these white highlights. Let me remind you that “his eyes are like a flame of fire” - this is what was said about the Lord at his last appearance in last times. And the most important signs denoting the Trinity itself are white tunics, a trefoil on a staff, toroki (these are angelic rumors, meaning all-seeing and all-hearing), a scroll in the hand of an angel, etc. - here they are marked in white. Those. such accents that tell us that these are not just people, not just travelers, not just some sent youths, as they were sometimes depicted in early Christian art, but really this is a divine phenomenon.

And on the other three sides of this chapel, or, as we call it, the Trinity Chamber, we see amazing images of stylites and hermits, those who contemplated the Trinity, going into the desert, climbing onto some structures in the form of pillars or the ruins of old buildings, to be closer to the sky, away from the earth. And literally Feofan is playing out a whole mystery of light here. Each of them represents a kind of degree... Theophan seems to show different degrees of deification, different degrees of prayer. Because first of all it is a prayer practice.

As the hesychasts themselves said, lower your mind into your heart and then pray. This is listening to the heart, not verbosity in prayer, but silence, listening to God, God speaks. “God speaks in prayer, and I listen to him” - this was characteristic of the hesychasts. And here, for example, is a wonderful one of the stylites, who turned his hands towards us, and he also has white highlights on his fingertips - he feels this light physically, as, in fact, wrote one of the authoritative authors among the hesychast ascetics, Simeon the New Theologian , that “God comes like fire, like water, like a waterfall, like rain of fire,” that he physically feels him. He, of course, expressed this in poetic form, he was truly a poet, and his divine hymns, of course, are just about this. And here this light pulsates in the curls of the hair, and the light pulsates at the tips of the fingers, and in the beard, and just falls like splashes on the folds of clothes.

But this one has opened itself like a thicket and absorbs all the light that flows from above. He closed his eyes, he sees only internally, he does not look at the light outside, at the world, this world is no longer interesting to him.

Or this Alypius the Stylite, who doesn’t even have folds of his cloak, but as if lightning bolts of light are piercing into him, and also with his eyes closed, and this gesture that we know from the icons of Seraphim of Sarov, who was the heir, in fact, of the hesychast ascetics , the heir to the fathers of “smart doing” - his hands lie on his chest, he listens to his heart, this is an image of heartfelt prayer.

But the most amazing image is, of course, Macarius of Egypt, who is believed to have stood at the origins of this movement back in the 4th century. going into the desert. It was Macarius, it is believed, who began this movement of listening, silence, offering himself as a kind of cup for the divine stream or fire, which descends on the ascetic and burns all untruths in him. And this is a pillar of fire. If everyone else is pierced or engulfed in this flame to varying degrees, then Macarius of Egypt turned entirely into a pillar of fire.

We know that in classical icon painting the personal is lighter, more luminous, and the subordinate is usually darker, more dense, etc. It's the other way around here. Here the face and hands are indicated with ocher, and everything else, his entire figure, his hair, and the figure with the tunic - everything turned into light. Those. in comparison with the light that he absorbed into himself, he became light, permeated with divine light, his light - “in Your light we will see light,” as the psalmist said in one of the psalms. Those. his personal, his personal light is even darker than this naturally divine light. And he became light, this pillar of fire. This, of course, is the apotheosis of all these stylites, the apotheosis of this light. This is how Theophanes the Greek energetically, literally visually shows the degree of deification in this wonderful painting of the Novgorod Church of the Savior on Ilyin Street.

From Novgorod to Moscow

If we talk about Feofan, then we have reached a wonderful document that tells us about him. This is a letter from Epiphanius the Wise, one of the disciples of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the author of his first life, to his friend, Bishop Kirill of Tver. And in this letter he writes about a meeting with Feofan already in Moscow. He says that he saw an artist who writes absolutely amazingly. He describes him as if we were describing the masters of the Renaissance: that he writes completely freely, without looking at samples, and even when he asked him to depict Sophia or talk, at least, about Sophia, about this miracle temple, which for Rus' was always the model of everything, Theophanes took and drew an image of this temple with charcoal on a white wall, which, of course, also plunged Epiphanius into indescribable delight.

And so he describes that he is a great artist, he came to Rus' and painted churches and painted icons in many cities. And he lists literally all the cities in which Theophanes the Greek worked, and we know the path of Theophanes the Greek from Novgorod to Moscow. He lists Nizhny Novgorod, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Kolomna and Moscow. Those. we know this path, we know the movement of Theophanes the Greek across Rus'. This means he worked in many cities. Well, of course, it was impossible not to notice such a master; he was invited everywhere. But if we look at the icons that are attributed to him, then they no longer have such a dichotomy of light, they are completely filled with color, but they have the same energy, the same image of theosis, deification.

And one of the icons, coming from Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, where Theophanes the Greek also worked... Naturally, it is not signed, icons were not signed in Rus', but everything suggests that this is the same master, because here the same energy of light: standing Christ is on the mountain, around him there is a diverse light in the form of golden rays on his white clothes, the rays of a star, which around his body in the form of concentric bluish-bluish circles, also permeated with a golden radiance, and three more rays that literally nail down each of the apostles. We remember that three apostles witnessed the Transfiguration: Peter, James and John. These apostles fell “on their faces,” and literally these rays nailed them down. And the rays pierce everything: the clothes of Moses and Elijah, who appeared here, and the hills themselves, and the clothes of the apostles who fell “on their faces,” and trees, and even caves that seem to be craters from explosions are outlined in white. Ordinary caves that have always been painted on iconic landscapes. But here they really are like craters from explosions, as if the entire Universe is really exploding from the inside from this light that Christ emits on Tabor. And this energy, of course, was very characteristic of Feofan.

Another icon that is associated with the name of Theophanes the Greek is the image of Our Lady of the Don. It comes from Kolomna (we know that Theophanes the Greek also worked there), and it was clearly written by a Greek master. In the Tretyakov Gallery, where it is located, of course, under the name of Feofan, there is a question, because we can never say for sure the authorship, but nevertheless, this is also the same idea of ​​light coming from within. But here is the image of the Mother of God, a lyrical image, although quite monumental, and it is resolved in its own way. In the golden assist of clothes that decorate both the image of the Mother of God and the image of Christ, in the clear ladder-like blue accents that move the viewer’s eye to the faces, there is an image of tenderness, an image of hugs, an image of conversation, an image of the Mother of God and Christ listening to each other.

And the faces are painted with such an amazing light radiating from within. This is such a soft glow that really transforms the flesh: it seems that this flesh is breathing, that this flesh is so alive and warm. And at the same time she is luminous. This is characteristic of Feofan: he makes even a lyrical image radiate this amazing light.

The icon is double-sided. On the reverse side is her Assumption, because she was a temple image of the Assumption Church - the main temple of Kolomna. And the image on the back speaks of the same idea of ​​Theophanes - this light from which the darkness parted. The Virgin Mary lies on the bed. It would seem that everything here is so traditional. The apostles gathered around the bed and said goodbye to the Mother of God. In front of the bed there is a candle, which symbolizes fading life and at the same time prayer. The life of the Mother of God was a prayer given to God. And behind the bed stands Christ in golden robes, appearing for the soul of the Mother of God. He holds her in the form of a baby swaddled in white swaddling clothes. And above him there is such a huge flaming seraph. And the viewer clearly notices the parallelism of the images: a burning candle - and, like a burning candle, Christ standing behind the bed. I remember the words: “I am the light of the world”, “you are the light of the world”[v]. Those. The Mother of God here also represents that light that cannot fade in this world, and therefore it continues to shine even after death - here in luminous clothes Christ holds her soul in his hands.

But one more thing is striking: the mandorla around Christ is made dark. The dark mandorla generally appeared in Byzantine icons; it is practically absent in Russian icons. But here it is. For what? In order to show this luminous figure of Christ in contrast. And again, this comes from the way Palamas says that Christ is incomprehensible darkness. God is an unapproachable light that blinds us, just as he blinded Paul on the road to Damascus. This blinding, in which we recognize the already immaterial light, the uncreated light, another light, is presented here. This is darkness receding like death, and at the same time this incomprehensible darkness that surrounds Christ, who appears behind the soul of the Mother of God.

Meeting of masters

Blagoveshchensky cathedral. Not only in this, in several churches of the Moscow Kremlin, Theophan the Greek worked, but it was in this temple that the fateful meeting of Theophan the Greek and Andrei Rublev, another master of the same time, took place, who also reflected the problems of light, “smart doing,” silence - everything, what we collectively call hesychasm. We know from the chronicle that, at the behest of Vasily Dmitrievich, the Moscow prince, the house church of the Moscow princes was painted by three masters: Feofan the Greek, Prokhor from Gorodets and Andrei Rublev. Andrei Rublev is called a Chernets, i.e. a simple monk, and was named third, i.e. junior master.

Well, there are three names that appear here. We know little about Prokhor from Gorodets. True, he is called an elder, which means respected, or even, perhaps, this reflects his spiritual title. Theophanes the Greek, as we know, was a layman, but Andrei Rublev was a monk. And this, perhaps, also lies the difference that we will talk about now. There has been a lot of research about this iconostasis, there is even an opinion that the iconostasis that has now been preserved is not at all the iconostasis that the chronicle speaks of.

But we will not go into details of these art history and archaeological research. It is important for us to see that here two rows were clearly written by Greek and Russian masters. The Deesis was written by a Greek master, apparently Theophanes the Greek, and the holidays were divided between two Russian masters - Prokhor from Gorodets and Andrei Rublev. Looking at the Deesis, we remember all those stylistic features that we have already seen in other works of Theophanes.

The image of the Savior is the least preserved, the best preserved is the image of the Mother of God, and we see here this amazing aristocratic figure with elongated proportions with a face blazing like a lamp. This inner light, illuminating the face from the inside, flowing in a stream, a powerful energetic stream of light - this, of course, is a technique that we have already seen in many of Theophan’s works. And even her lower cap also seems to surround the face of the Mother of God with a halo of radiance.

But the works of Russian masters are different, although they also have light. It is best preserved and definitely... At least, many researchers believe that this is the work of Rublev. This is the icon of the Transfiguration. But how sharply it differs from the work attributed to Feofan, from Pereslavl-Zalessky, where the light literally explodes everything! Here the light flows in a quiet stream, not like fire, but rather like oil, flowing from hill to hill. The only point of contrast here is the dark star in the mandorla surrounding the image of Christ standing on Mount Tabor, and white clothes. This is the only contrasting moment. But Andrei Rublev will then move away from such contrasts.

And, of course, other icons - the master who is associated with Prokhor from Gorodets. Although I repeat that many researchers do not consider these icons to belong to the original iconostasis. But nevertheless, we see three hands here absolutely accurately. Here is the Crucifixion - another manner. We won’t talk about it anymore, although luminosity is present here too.

Very often, especially earlier, in the literature one can find the statement that Andrei Rublev was a student of Theophanes the Greek. Perhaps, as always, when two masters work together, one older, the other younger, Andrei Rublev took a lot from Theophanes the Greek - the same contrast of a white chiton and a dark mandorla. But if we look at further works related to the name of Rublev, we will see that he is completely opposite to Feofan.

Vladimir frescoes by Andrei Rublev

If the iconostasis of the Annunciation Cathedral is dated by the chronicle to 1405, then already under 1408 the chronicle tells us that Andrei Rublev, together with his fellow faster and friend Daniil Cherny... Fellow faster - i.e. a monk with whom they passed obedience together in the same monastery. Here, together with Daniil Cherny, Andrei Rublev paints the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. This is the cathedral at that time, i.e. episcopal, metropolitan, and this is also an order of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Dmitrievich.

And here, despite the fact that it was rebuilt, and burned a lot, and little was preserved, an amazing painting was still preserved here, which just shows the character of both Russian hesychasm - such a concept also exists in scientific literature - and Andrei Rublev himself. This is the composition “The Last Judgment”. This is an amazing composition, which even shows such, one might say, a special event, which we always associate with shocks, with some events of great energy, very peacefully, very calmly, I would say, in such an absolutely hesychast spirit. But hesychasm is understood here precisely not as the influence of divine energies, but as the peace that the Holy Spirit brings to the human soul.

What is, first of all, the Last Judgment? This is the appearance of Christ in glory. And this is exactly how Andrei Rublev portrays it. We see the apostles sitting on couches, or, more correctly, on thrones. Behind them is a host of angels and etimasia, the Throne prepared on which the returning Savior must sit, the upcoming Mother of God and John the Baptist and the kneeling Adam and Eve.

This expectation of the Savior, this parousia, return, appearance, reappearance of Christ at the end of time is amazingly solemn and beautifully presented here by Andrei Rublev. Two angels are rolling up a scroll. We remember these words from the Apocalypse: “And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll.” In the circles of glory on the rainbow - it is already difficult to see, the fresco is quite poorly preserved, but still preserved - Christ returns.

Here are those waiting for him. And Christ meets people with his palm raised up. This is not a gesture of blessing! It is he who shows the wounds from the cross, the wounds of love, the signs of love. He comes with love. He does not come as a judge, but he comes with love. The emphasis on love in Russian hesychasm was much stronger than in Greek and Byzantine, in which, on the contrary, it is an intense test of one’s own flesh, which withstands divine energies.

And this peaceful spirit, this beauty, this lack of panic, no special crying at all, we see nothing here. We see angels peacefully talking with the apostles. And it seems that they do not even see the approach of the Savior, do not hear the trumpets, but are talking peacefully. This interview is also a hesychast idea: an interview with God, an interview with a brother, listening to each other, communication in the spirit, communication as the revelation of one’s own soul, the disclosure of thoughts. Nothing remains secret, this is the discovery of each other. And the gestures of the angels who turn to the apostles are truly amazing, and the, I would say, Russian faces of the apostles are amazing - we will also say about this that Rublev changes, even physiognomically changes the icon. He brings some special, soft Slavic element into it.

The fresco where the Apostle Paul leads the righteous to heaven is amazing. He waves his charter over their heads - his message, he calls them; this impulse is perhaps the most energetic scene in the entire painting - well, at least from what has survived. But we remember that such was the character of the Apostle Paul, he was really all directed forward, towards the meeting of the Savior, he carries everyone along with his flow. This is the only such energetic, energetic, or energy-charged scene.

But, of course, there is a court here too. We remember that the judgment is that light comes into the world, but people loved darkness more. Here is this judgment, which is carried out not as some kind of legal event, but as light coming into a world that separates light and darkness. Still, the theme of the Apocalypse, the theme of the end of times should also have been reflected somehow. And it was reflected in a small scene of four apocalyptic animals, which are enclosed in a circle. The circle is eternity, this cycle of time and movement, where different eras, according to the prophecy of the prophet Daniel, as we read in his book, are represented in the form of four animals. Kingdom of Babylon, Macedonia, Rome and Antichrist. The Antichrist must come in the last times, Rublev remembered this well. But if he depicts all the animals as quite ferocious - a lion, a bear, some other winged creature - then he depicts the Antichrist in the form of a pitiful dog, so two-faced, with a muzzle and some kind of face between the horns - yes, these are horns at the top. Something like a hyena or jackal. She's more disgusting than scary. And we remember how the fathers taught that sin is not so much terrible as it is vile. We must run away from sin not out of fear of it, but out of love for God, to be afraid of this filth. This is also a very hesychast interpretation of these four animals, all of which were usually depicted as very ferocious.

Mother of God icons by Andrei Rublev

Unfortunately, the iconostasis by Rublev has not been preserved in the Assumption Cathedral. More precisely, it was a huge brigade in which Rublev and Daniil Cherny were flag bearers, i.e. the main artists who distributed the work - they wrote something themselves, corrected the work, etc. This iconostasis was brought out in the 18th century. Empress Catherine, who, seeing the black icons, simply ordered them to be taken out of here, gave money for a baroque iconostasis, and today we see it in the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir. Thank God, the old iconostasis has been preserved. It was given to the village of Vasilievskoye and is now mostly in the Tretyakov Gallery, and partly in the Russian Museum.

Well, here we simply see a continuation of the same theme that was developed by Theophanes the Greek. And we can say, although this is not the topic of today’s conversation, but I will say in passing that it was at this time, during the time of Theophanes the Greek and Andrei Rublev, that the high iconostasis was actually formed. Most likely, the idea of ​​a high iconostasis belonged to Metropolitan Cyprian, who was carrying out a liturgical reform at this time, changing the charter from Studite to Jerusalem.

But one icon, which is still kept in Vladimir, very well shows the genius of Rublev and the different character of Russian hesychasm. This is the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the so-called Vladimir Spare Icon. We know that in 1395 the famous Vladimir icon, the one that was brought back in the 30s of the 12th century. to Kyiv, then was transferred to Vladimir by Andrei Bogolyubsky and received, in fact, because of its miracles the name Vladimir, moved to Moscow due to the fact that Moscow was then, in 1395, threatened by Khan Tamerlane. They prayed in front of this icon for three days, and Khan Tamerlane retreated.

But Muscovites did not want to return the icon back. And then the cunning Cyprian came up with something. He locked the icon in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin and asked Muscovites to pray for three more days. And the people of Vladimir, who, naturally, sent an embassy with their icon. And he said that he gave God to resolve this dispute about where the icon should be.

And when, after three days of prayer, this cathedral was opened, there were two icons lying on the lectern. And the residents of Vladimir chose the one they liked best. Well, most likely it's a legend. Most likely, just for the people of Vladimir, in order to calm them down, Rublev painted this spare icon. In any case, it always stood in the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral, and only in Soviet times was it moved to the Vladimir Local History Museum. And the image of the Mother of God - we can compare it with the Byzantine icon of Vladimir, completely different, although it is painted to the extent and similarity to that one, even the parameters of the board are exactly the same, these wide margins, not very characteristic of Russian icons.

And you can compare it with the work of Theophanes the Greek, for example, with Donskaya. This is a completely different image. This image, I would say, is so angelic. An image where the Mother of God dissolves in light. If in a Byzantine icon of the 12th century. The Mother of God mournfully, with an amazingly painful feeling, looks at the person praying, and one cannot help but be infected by this pain; If Feofan the Greek in Donskoy these embraces are so warm, so human, I would say, then here it is such a dissolution in the inner light. Here the Mother of God looks both at the Baby and at the same time inside herself. And he, too, clinging to her, seems to impart his energy to her and at the same time absorbs her warmth. And this shimmering gold, and such a blur of these faces - everything says that here the light is not in the form of this burning fire, but like oil is poured out. And oil, as we remember, is also “joy” in Greek. This is inner joy, inner rejoicing, but it is a quiet joy, like a flickering lamp. But a lamp that does not illuminate the inside of, say, a dark space, but is really such a flickering candle flame.

Sergius of Radonezh and the image of the Holy Trinity

Well, of course, it is impossible to understand this character of Russian hesychasm without remembering the figure of Sergius of Radonezh. It is no coincidence that one of the main works of Andrei Rublev is connected with the memory of St. Sergius. This is an image of the Trinity, painted for the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, now the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, which was built on the site of a wooden temple cut down by Sergius himself. In this temple the relics of St. Sergius were placed and an icon was painted in memory and praise of St. Sergius - the image of the Trinity.

Let's remember Sergius. An amazing saint, who, one might say, alone accomplished the reform of monasteries, without setting such a goal for himself, but simply by going to Makovets, devoting himself to prayer to God, solitary prayer, even his brother abandoned him, as we know. But over time, a circle of disciples gathered around him, not just one, but many monasteries were formed, and these monasteries then, like birds, as he said in a vision, scattered all over the earth. If before Sergius there were about a hundred or a hundred-odd monasteries in Rus', then in half a century or a little more of the activity of Sergius himself and his disciples, more than 90 more monasteries were formed from the White Sea to Astrakhan. But the point is not even in the number, but in the character of those monasteries that were formed around Sergius and through the efforts of his students too.

The image of Sergius was preserved for us by this shroud, which was embroidered by the disciples of St. Sergius. From this we draw a wonderful conclusion that not only women embroidered, but also male monks embroidered, this is now known for certain.

And from this shroud, which covered the shrine with the relics of St. Sergius, we can even imagine what Sergius looked like, because it is believed that this shroud is a portrait one. When the relics were revealed, the truly characteristic close-set eyes on this shroud were actually confirmed by the skull, which at one time was preserved by Father Pavel Florensky, who was afraid that the relics would simply be ruined by the Bolsheviks during the autopsy.

And, in fact, the icon of Andrei Rublev, painted for the Trinity Cathedral, served as the image by which we can judge what Russian hesychasm is. Let me remind you: the icon was painted in memory and praise of St. Sergius. In general, his image is painted in memory and praise of the saint. And here was written an image of his prayer, what he dedicated his life to. Having named his monastery Trinity, he not only gave it such a special dedication, but he, as his disciples would later pass on his words, taught to overcome the hated discord of this world by looking at the Holy Trinity. The image of divine unity, unity in love, harmony, listening to each other - everything is reflected in this icon, which truly conveys what St. Sergius taught. And this light is spilled, and this is not bright gold, but rather such a golden-ocher radiance, this cabbage roll, which is also present in each of these angels, these gestures, these head tilts, the composition is inscribed in a circle, everything converges in concentric circles towards cup, to the image of the sacrifice. And the image of a sacrifice is an image of the love with which God gives himself to this world.

It was this amazing image that conveyed to us what hesychasm was, at least in its exposition, in the teaching and practice of St. Sergius. This is, first of all, a union in love, an image of unity. This is what Rus' was missing. Because, as the chroniclers said, the Horde came to Rus' for our sins. And we remember that with the help of the Horde, the princes solved their problems, called on the Horde to fight each other. In any case, this is how the dispute between Moscow and Tver was resolved. And this civil strife, in order to stop it, to unite Rus', was facilitated by prayer, practice, teaching, and monastic life in the monastery of St. Sergius. And, of course, this icon is the focus of the teaching about unity and love.

Assumption Cathedral in Zvenigorod on Gorodok

Another monument that is associated with the name of Andrei Rublev is the Assumption Cathedral in Zvenigorod on Gorodok. It was built by Yuri Zvenigorodsky, the youngest son of Dmitry Donskoy. If the Moscow prince Vasily Dmitrievich was the eldest son, then Yuri Dmitrievich was the youngest son and godson of St. Sergius. And here he also invited Andrei Rublev to paint this temple.

Today in this temple the iconostasis is not from Rublev’s time, but the paintings have been preserved, and now they are being opened, from Rublev’s time. They are not in very good condition, but still reflect the period when, perhaps even before the Vladimir frescoes, Andrei Rublev worked here.

But the most amazing thing connected with this temple is the discovery of three icons, which were surprisingly found by restorers in 1918. These are three icons: the Savior, the Apostle Paul and the Archangel Michael. At one time, a commission led by Grabar came here; already in the early Soviet years there was such a commission that confiscated the best works so that they would not perish. Because churches were closed, destroyed, etc., icons were often burned. So that good icons would not perish, this commission on ancient temples collected these monuments. And when they came to this temple, they found nothing. And as the memories say... True, today they found some other memories that the priest himself gave these icons... Well, it doesn’t matter whether it was so or whether they were really found in the woodshed. In any case, these three icons were removed from this temple and sent to restoration workshops in a very poor condition.

Only the middle part remains of the icon of the Savior. But when they cleared it, they saw the amazing face of the Savior, amazing! Of course, restorers and art historians immediately associated these three icons with the name of Andrei Rublev, although today there are also other opinions on this matter - that this is a different master. But I still adhere to the idea that such great icons could only be painted by a person who went through the school of St. Sergius, and was familiar with the art of Theophan the Greek, and who worked in other churches, including the Trinity Church of the Sergius Monastery. This is an amazing image of the Savior, full of love, light, some kind of forgiveness. This is probably the best icon that was created in Rus'. In any case, this face cannot be forgotten. And this is the inner glow! And again, not fiery, burning you, but, as it were, illuminating, enlightening, warming. This is surprising, of course. This is a hesychast image, an image of silence, an image of love, an image that invites you to open up.

And the other two icons are also imbued with the same hesychast ideas. Apostle Paul. Probably the most humble image of the Apostle Paul that exists in Russian art. Usually the Apostle Paul is such an intellectual... Here we also see the big forehead of a thinker. But very solemnly holding in his hands Holy Bible. Half of the New Testament, as we know, was written by the Apostle Paul himself, both in the Scriptures and in Acts. But here he humbly, bent almost, one might say, bowing before the Savior, brings this book to his feet. Here is the humility of the Apostle Paul and his silence. It’s not his fiery sermon, he’s no longer waving a charter here, leading us to Christ, but he humbly stands before him: “I consider everything as rubbish except Jesus Christ.” These are his words.

And just as amazing is the image, very hesychast, of the Archangel Michael. An image that is always portrayed as a warrior. He is the archangel, he is the one who wages spiritual warfare against the forces of evil. But here he is shown to be the quietest. Because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the ruler of the darkness of this age, against the spirits of wickedness in high places. And this silence is also expressed here. This hesychia is like silence, hesychia is like silence, like listening, like peace, like humility. This is the character of Russian hesychasm, and this is the character, of course, of Rublev’s art. We remember in Scripture, and John Chrysostom was very fond of saying that he who conquers himself is better than the conqueror of cities.

Andronikov Monastery

Andrei Rublev finds his last refuge in the Andronikov Monastery, which was headed by one of the disciples of St. Sergius Andronik, who was placed here at the request of Metropolitan Alexy. Another figure that we have not touched upon, which is, of course, connected with the history of the 14th century. The monastery was established by vow in the name of the icon of the Savior, in front of which Metropolitan Alexy prayed during a storm when he sailed from Constantinople. This Spassky Cathedral was painted by Andrei Rublev, but only small fragments of this painting were found here and nothing more. It suffered and was rebuilt many times. And we know that Rublev was buried here. Here he lived out his last years together with his friend and fellow priest Daniil Cherny, and here he was buried. Back in the 20s, when there was a cemetery here, people knew where Andrei Rublev’s grave was. But then, when the cemetery was razed and a dormitory and production was set up here, and everything else that happened here in Soviet times, the grave was lost. But we know that today there is a museum named after Andrei Rublev, and at least this way his memory is preserved.

The figure of Andrei Rublev, like the figure of Theophanes the Greek, probably marks the highest peak in ancient Russian art. And the 15th century, however, we call the “golden age of the Russian icon” because it begins with Andrei Rublev and ends with Dionysius. But still, especially by the end of the 15th century, and by the 16th century we will see it completely, from this peak it will be gradually, gradually... First very gradually, and then more rapidly the path will go down. But, in any case, XIV - early XV centuries. marked by this high art.

[i] Hebrews chapter 12 verse 29

Rumors - in icon painting, fluttering ribbons of matter behind the ears in the image of angels, a symbol of constant listening by angels to the will of God, otherwise called toroks.

Psalm 35, verse 10.

Materials

• Alapatov M.V. Feofan the Greek. M., 1979.
• Vzdornov G.I. Feofan the Greek. M., 1983.
• Goleizovsky N.K. Hesychasm and Russian painting of the XIV-XV centuries - Byzantine temporary book, No. 54 (1968). pp. 196-210.
• History of icon painting. Origins. Traditions. Modernity. VI - XX centuries M., 2002.
• Lazarev V.N. Russian icon painting from its origins to the beginning of the 16th century. M., 1994. Meyendorff John, prot. Byzantium and Muscovite Rus'. Paris, 1990.
• Ostashenko E. Andrey Rublev: Paleologian traditions in Moscow painting of the late XIV - first third of the XV centuries. M., 2005.
• Plugin V. A. Worldview of Andrei Rublev. M., 1974.
• Plugin V. A. Master of the Holy Trinity. M., 2001.
• Popov G.V. Andrey Rublev. M., 2007.
• Rus' and Byzantium in the era of the Battle of Kulikovo. St. Petersburg, 2000.
• Sarabyanov V.D., Smirnova E.S. History of ancient Russian painting. M.: PSTGU Publishing House, 2007.
• Trinity by Andrei Rublev. Anthology / Compiled by G. I. Vzdornov. M., 1981.
• Cherny V.D. Art medieval Rus'. - M., 1997.

The Tretyakov Gallery also houses the most famous work of Andrei Rublev - the famous “Trinity”. Created in the prime of his creative powers, the icon is the pinnacle of the artist’s art. During the time of Andrei Rublev, the theme of the Trinity, which embodied the idea of ​​a triune deity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), was perceived as a symbol of the reflection of universal existence, the highest truth, a symbol of spiritual unity, peace, harmony, mutual love and humility, readiness to sacrifice oneself for the sake of the common benefits. Sergius of Radonezh founded a monastery near Moscow with a main church in the name of the Trinity, firmly believing that “by looking at the Holy Trinity, the fear of the hated discord of this world was overcome.”

Venerable Sergius Radonezhsky, under the influence of whose ideas Andrei Rublev’s worldview was formed, was a holy ascetic and an outstanding personality in the history of mankind. He advocated overcoming civil strife and actively participated in political life Moscow, contributed to its rise, reconciled warring princes, and contributed to the unification of Russian lands around Moscow. A special merit of Sergius of Radonezh was his participation in the preparation of the Battle of Kulikovo, when he helped Dmitry Donskoy with his advice and spiritual experience, strengthened his confidence in the correctness of his chosen path and, finally, blessed the Russian army before the Battle of Kulikovo. The personality of Sergius of Radonezh had special authority for his contemporaries; a generation of people during the Battle of Kulikovo was brought up on his ideas, and Andrei Rublev, as the spiritual heir of these ideas, embodied them in his work.

In the twenties of the 15th century, a team of masters, headed by Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny, decorated the Trinity Cathedral in the monastery of St. Sergius, erected above his tomb, with icons and frescoes. The iconostasis included the “Trinity” icon as a highly revered temple image, placed according to tradition in the lower (local) row on the right side of the Royal Doors. There is evidence from one of the sources of the 17th century about how the abbot of the monastery Nikon instructed Andrei Rublev “to paint the image of the Most Holy Trinity in praise of his father Saint Sergius.”

The plot of “Trinity” is based on the biblical story of the appearance of deity to righteous Abraham in the form of three beautiful young angels. Abraham and his wife Sarah treated the strangers under the shade of the Mamre oak, and Abraham was given to understand that the deity in three persons was embodied in the angels. Since ancient times, there have been several options for depicting the Trinity, sometimes with details of the feast and episodes of the slaughter of the calf and the baking of bread (in the gallery’s collection these are 14th-century Trinity icons from Rostov the Great and 15th-century icons from Pskov).

In the Rublev icon, attention is focused on the three angels and their condition. They are depicted seated around a throne, in the center of which is a Eucharistic cup with the head of a sacrificial calf, symbolizing the New Testament lamb, that is, Christ. The meaning of this image is sacrificial love. Left angel, meaning God the Father, right hand blesses the cup. The middle angel (Son), depicted in the gospel clothes of Jesus Christ, with his right hand lowered onto the throne with a symbolic sign, expresses submission to the will of God the Father and readiness to sacrifice himself in the name of love for people. The gesture of the right angel (the Holy Spirit) completes the symbolic conversation between the Father and the Son, affirming the high meaning of sacrificial love, and comforts the doomed to sacrifice. Thus, the image of the Old Testament Trinity (that is, with details of the plot from the Old Testament) turns into the image of the Eucharist (the Good Sacrifice), symbolically reproducing the meaning of the Gospel Last Supper and the sacrament established at it (communion with bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ). Researchers emphasize the symbolic cosmological significance of the compositional circle, into which the image fits laconically and naturally. In the circle they see a reflection of the idea of ​​the Universe, peace, unity, which embraces multiplicity and cosmos. When comprehending the content of the Trinity, it is important to understand its versatility. The symbolism and polysemy of the images of the “Trinity” go back to ancient times. For most peoples, such concepts (and images) as a tree, a bowl, a meal, a house (temple), a mountain, a circle, had a symbolic meaning. The depth of Andrei Rublev's awareness in the field of ancient symbolic images and their interpretations, the ability to combine their meaning with the content of Christian dogma, suggest a high level of education, characteristic of the enlightened society of that time and, in particular, of the artist’s likely environment.

The symbolism of the “Trinity” is correlated with its pictorial and stylistic properties. Among them, color is the most important. Since the contemplated deity was a picture of the heavenly heavenly world, the artist, with the help of paints, sought to convey the sublime “heavenly” beauty that was revealed to the earthly gaze. The painting of Andrei Rublev, especially the Zvenigorod rank, is distinguished by a special purity of color, nobility of tonal transitions, and the ability to impart a luminous radiance to the color. Light is emitted not only by golden backgrounds, ornamental cuts and assists, but also by the delicate melting of bright faces, pure shades of ocher, and the peacefully clear blue, pink and green tones of the angels’ clothes. The symbolism of the color in the icon is especially palpable in the leading sound of blue-blue, called Rublevsky cabbage roll. Comprehending the beauty and depth of content, correlating the meaning of the “Trinity” with the ideas of Sergius of Radonezh about contemplation, moral improvement, peace, harmony, we seem to come into contact with the inner world of Andrei Rublev, his thoughts translated into this work.

The true flourishing of ancient Russian painting is inextricably linked with the work of the brilliant Russian icon painter Andrei Rublev. It was he who raised the church art of the late XIV - early XV centuries to such a height that the greatest masters of the Western Renaissance could have envied. It was this Russian monk who managed to achieve such perfection in the execution of canonical Orthodox subjects of icon painting that his name still stands among the most remarkable painters in the world. It was this man, in all likelihood, very modest in everyday life, who was destined to be surrounded by such great glory that he was considered almost the ideal type of icon painter.

Rev. Andrei Rublev

Surely Andrei Rublev was well acquainted with the work of Theophanes the Greek, probably more than once marveled at his bold and explosive painting, and probably talked more than once about his art with the venerable Greek master.

But the Byzantine style of the restless Greek did not find a response in the soul of the Russian artist; his works were purely Russian from beginning to end, expressing national character and national ideas, “his work is more lyrical, softer, more soulful than Feofanov’s.” .

Andrei Rublev's entire life was connected with Moscow and its surrounding cities. In 1405, together with Theophan the Greek and Prokhor from Gorodets, he painted the Annunciation Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, then in 1408, with Daniil Cherny, the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, and in 1424-1426 - the Trinity Cathedral in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery .

It was at this time that his world-famous “Trinity” was probably written, which for a long time was considered the only work reliably belonging to Rublev’s brush. However, in the 20s of our century, part of the frescoes in the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir was cleared, icons of the Deesis rank from the same Assumption Cathedral were brought from the village of Vasilyevskoye, and three icons of the so-called Zvenigorod rank were discovered in the Zvenigorod monastery near Moscow.

So now, after clearing and restoring the newly found works of the brilliant master, we can get a more complete picture of his work. But even if all this unique heritage had not been discovered, if Rublev had still remained the author of the “Trinity” alone, then even then his name would have been forever inscribed in golden letters in the book of immortal authors of world masterpieces who have reached truly divine heights in your creativity.

As is known, the Council of the Hundred Heads in 1551, convened by Ivan the Terrible to streamline church affairs, recommended that painters paint holy icons “as Greek icon painters painted and as Ondrei Rublev and other notorious painters painted.” .

Chronicles speak differently about the life and death of this famous master. Based on their brief notes, it can be established that, together with his “spostnik” Daniil Cherny, Andrei Rublev was invited to perform icon painting work at the Andronikov Monastery in Moscow and became a monk of this monastery. He died there around 1427, but his grave has not been found.

Probably, before joining the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, Rublev was a monk of the Trinity Monastery, founded by St. Sergius of Radonezh in 1345, seventy kilometers from Moscow .

The name of Rublev is mentioned in the chronicles for the first time in connection with the painting of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, where he worked together with Theophan the Greek and Prokhor from Gorodets.

In 1408, Andrei Rublev, together with Daniil Cherny, painted the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir: "In May, the great and cathedral church of the Most Holy Volodymersky began to quickly sign, by order of the Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich, and the masters Danilo the icon painter, and Ondrei Rublev" .

There is debate among art historians about who Rublev's teacher was. Some say - Danilo the icon painter, others deny this, citing the fact that Danilo, although older than Andrei Rublev, was still called a “companion,” a comrade, with whom Rublev gathered a squad of icon painters to paint the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. Most likely, his teacher was the same Prokhor from Gorodets, with whom the Church of the Annunciation was decorated and who is called the “elder” in the chronicles .

Perhaps Prokhor from Gorodets was, like Rublev, a monk of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery and took the monk Andrei as his student, and then took him with him to Moscow to work in the Annunciation Cathedral.

Of course, the influence of Theophanes the Greek on the Russian icon painter was enormous. He probably marveled at the skill of this “very cunning philosopher,” admired his quick and precise brushwork, the passion and power of his images.

But, as art critic M.V. writes. Alpatov, Rublev "was embarrassed by the fact that his heroes - burdened with life's wisdom and gray-haired elders - were not able to overcome internal discord, that despite their constant readiness for repentance and renunciation, they were in the grip of pride. He could not be satisfied with what was in the works "Theophan almost never comes across images of serene joy, feminine grace, youthful sincerity. He was also worried that Theophan's images produce a ghostly, unsteady impression, as if they were illuminated by flashes of lightning, they lack the clarity and harmony of forms that caress the eyes." .

As is known, after St. Sergius, who died in 1392, Nikon of Radonezh became the abbot of the monastery, who sacredly honored the traditions of his spiritual mentor. Under him, the Trinity-Sergius Monastery was thoroughly destroyed by the hordes of Khan Edigei, who again attacked Russia in 1408-1409. Nikon wanted to restore the desecrated monastery of Sergius as soon as possible, and shortly before his death, “we conquer with a great desire, by faith and in this, remaining immutable, to see with our own eyes the church completed and decorated with this, painters are soon collecting, Daniel in the name and Andrey, his companion, and some with them..." .

Nikon was afraid to die without seeing the restored Trinity Cathedral, and hurried the painters to paint it. One of the chronicles says:

“... it’s wonderful how the desire of the reverend father, abbot Nikon, was fulfilled, that the elder painters, Daniel and Andrew, who have always acquired great spiritual brotherhood and love for themselves, begged from him for the wonderful virtues of the elder painters and who decorated this church with a signature...” .

The Second Sofia Chronicle talks about the same thing in more detail.

“A little time passed, and Nikon gathered good advice with the brethren on how to erect a stone temple of the Holy Trinity. And Almighty God contributed to his desire. Nikon erected a beautiful church in praise of his father Sergius and removed it with many kindnesses. But, seeing that it was not decorated with paintings, Nikon was very distressed in spirit, trying to decorate it with them, but some brothers forbade this because of the deplorable poverty of the monastery. But the Monk Nikon adamantly wanted to see with his own eyes a perfect and decorated church. And soon he gathered painters, men of considerable distinction, superior to all, in virtues perfect - Danil in the name of Andrei, his fellow faster, and some with them. They quickly did their work, as if they foresaw in their spirit their imminent departure from this life. But God helped to finish the work of the saint, and they worked diligently and with wonderful paintings decorated the church: they can still surprise everyone who sees it. The monks left this last handicraft and memory for themselves." .

The same chronicle also provides information about the death of two fellow icon painters.

“After that, soon the humble Andrei left this life. His fellow-faster Danilo, the honorable, followed him - God gave him many years, and in his honest old age he accepted a good end. When Danil wanted to be released from his bodily bonds, he saw his beloved, Andrei, who had previously departed, in the joy of him who called him. Danil, seeing Andrei, was filled with great joy and confessed to the brethren standing before him the coming of his fellow faster, and so in joy he gave up his spirit to the Lord." .

Other chronicles refute the news of the death of Andrei Rublev in the Trinity Monastery and talk about his recent years in the Spaso-Andronikovsky Monastery. He is called “an extraordinary icon painter, surpassing everyone in wisdom, green and gray-haired Locals.” .

It is known that for the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Andrei Rublev wrote his famous “Trinity” “in praise of his father Sergius.” There is also no exact information about the time of its creation. Some art historians believe that the most likely year of its execution is 1411, when a wooden church was erected at the burial site of St. Sergius. Others believe that “Trinity” was written later, in the 20s of the 15th century, when the stone Trinity Cathedral was built on the site of a wooden church .

But be that as it may, the icon ended up in this new stone church and remained there for a number of centuries until it was transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery.

The theme of the Trinity became extremely popular in Rus' in the second half of the 14th century; At this time, especially many icons on this subject appeared. It was to the Trinity that the Monk Sergius of Radonezh dedicated his monastery and erected the Trinity Church there, “so that by looking at the Holy Trinity the fear of the hateful strife of this world could be overcome.” .

New monasteries were dedicated to the Trinity by numerous disciples of Sergius, who dispersed throughout Russia, for the Holy Trinity for them signified unity and harmony.

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the belief in the trinity of the Divine, are fundamental in the Church. God is triune, He appears in three Persons, or three Hypostases: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The iconographic plot of the Trinity is directly related to the Biblical Book of Genesis, which tells how three beautiful young men appeared to the old man Abraham, sitting in front of his tent near the Mamre oak tree. Abraham and his wife Sarah showed them all kinds of hospitality: they killed a calf, baked fresh bread and treated the strangers under the shade of an oak tree. During the meal, during the conversation, Abraham was predicted that he and his wife Sarah would have a son, Isaac.

Icons of the Holy Trinity usually depict three angels sitting at a table against the background of a building, the Mamre oak and hills. There is a bowl of wine and food on the table. Often the middle angel reaches out his hand to the cup. Below is Abraham or a young servant slaughtering a calf. There may be images of Abraham and Sarah serving food; they can also be at the table among the angels.

On the icon of Andrei Rublev, which he painted “in praise of St. Sergius of Radonezh,” there are no everyday details: there are no figures of Abraham and Sarah, there is no scene with the slaughter of a calf, there is only one sacrificial bowl on the table. Traditional biblical story, embodying the idea of ​​the trinity of the Divine, is executed at the highest artistic and philosophical level. The icon, in which there is neither action nor movement, is full of spirituality, high enlightenment and solemn peace.

The artist presented here the greatness of high sacrificial love, when the Father sends His Son to suffer for humanity, and at the same time the willingness of the Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer, to sacrifice Himself to people. In addition, the image of the Trinity, according to the interpretation of the Byzantines, is not only the embodiment of the triune Divinity, but also a symbol of faith, hope and love.

Noting the charm of the icon, the greatest harmony and tenderness of the embodiment of a widespread plot, the special melodiousness of its colorful coloring, art critic V.N. Lazarev noted that Rublev “took the colors for his icon not from the gloomy Byzantine palette, but from the nature surrounding him with its white birches, green rye, golden ears, bright cornflowers.” .

According to the observations of restorers, the icon was drawn three times: at the beginning of the 16th century; V late XVIII century simultaneously with the repair of other icons of the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral; and also in the 19th century .

The way we see it greatest work Now, it appeared only in 1919, when its clearing was completed. Freed from darkened linseed oil and later drawings, this masterpiece by Andrei Rublev is kept in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery, and in its place there is a copy in the local row of the iconostasis of the Dormition Cathedral of the Lavra.

Reminiscent of music translated into the language of painting, Rublev’s “Trinity” embodies the eternal dreams of the people about universal human love, dreams of peace and harmony. Complete harmony, spirituality, melodiousness of colors make this work one of the most perfect creations not only of ancient Russian painting, but also of medieval art in general.

The name of Andrei Rublev stands apart among the names of other icon painters of Ancient Rus'. It has long been surrounded by universal honor; for six centuries it served as a symbol of the ancient Russian isographer, glorifying in his creations the Divine principle in the world and man.

How much the icons of this painter were valued is evident from the fact that even the Venerable Joseph of Volotsky, wanting to reconcile with the Tver prince Fyodor Borisovich, “began to console the prince with bribes, and sent to him icons from Rublev’s letter and Dionysius.” .

There are no special legends about the icons of Andrei Rublev; it is not said about them that they were created with the participation of heavenly powers, like the unknown to us creations of the first Russian icon painter Alypius; no miracles were attributed to them. And yet, Rublev’s “Trinity” is one of the main Russian shrines.

Answering the question why the works of this master were so valued in ancient times and are so valued now, art critic M. Alpatov writes: “People recognized in his works an incomparable charm, which is the lot of only the creations of geniuses. They were proud of Rublev, appreciated his masterpieces, "They rejoiced at the fact that they owned them, and through him they became familiar with high artistic contemplation. With his art, Rublev raised people." .