Old Russian art. from the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery

Yesterday, the exhibition "Masterpieces of Byzantium" opened at the Tretyakov Gallery, held as part of the year of cross-cultural communications between Russia and Greece. The presented icons, illustrated manuscripts and small plastic items from museums and private collections in Greece belong to different eras (from the 10th to the 16th centuries), stylistic trends and territorial schools and give an idea of ​​the diversity and richness of the artistic heritage of the great Eastern Christian empire.

The uniqueness and value of the exhibition is difficult to exaggerate. Firstly, Byzantine art is rather poorly represented in domestic museums, and attention to this richest and most interesting culture in our country is undeservedly small. (Here comes the prejudice Soviet era against the spiritually and churchly oriented heritage, and the difficulty for the perception of the average, poorly prepared modern viewer this sophisticated, refined and sublime art).

Secondly, each of the objects presented is an absolute masterpiece, each is an eloquent witness to the depth of the philosophical understanding of being, the height of theological thought and the intensity of the spiritual life of contemporary society.

The earliest piece shown at the exhibition is a fine silver processional cross from the end of the 10th century engraved with images of Christ, the Mother of God and saints. The severity of lines and perfection of proportions characteristic of the era are complemented by the elegance of finely drawn engraved medallions depicting Christ Pantocrator, the Mother of God and saints.

The red-fonned icon "The Resurrection of Lazarus" dates back to the 12th century, a masterpiece of the so-called "Comneno Renaissance". Harmony of proportions, refinement and plasticity of gestures, full-bodied, voluminous figures, expressive sharp looks are the characteristic features of the era. This is the time of a return to the ancient fundamental principle, from which, however, Byzantine art, unlike Western European art, never fundamentally parted. Therefore, in relation to Byzantium, such periods of special interest in the aesthetics of antiquity can only be called "renaissances" conditionally.

In this context, the icon of the Holy Great Martyr George is very interesting, which is a rare example of the interpenetration of Western and Eastern traditions. The relief image of the saint in the centerpiece refers to the so-called “crusading art” of the 13th century, when Constantinople was under the rule of Western knights for almost a century, and craftsmen from Europe arrived in the eastern capital. The genre of painted relief itself, characteristic of Gothic figurativeness, a rounded, slightly profiled volume, a somewhat provincial expressiveness of a figure with large arms and a head, a local, bright color scheme are obvious features of "barbarian" art. However, the shining golden background and the more refined painting of the hallmarks betray the hand of the Greek master. In hagiographic images in the margins, jewelry fractional forms, elegant plasticity of figures, more nuanced coloring, sustained in the colors of the centerpiece, and thin elongated facial features are striking.

The turnover of the icon depicting the holy martyrs Marina and Irina again brings us back to the “crusader” expressiveness with emphasized, large facial features, “talking” hands and expressive looks. However, the radiance of the golden "lights" in the attire of Christ betrays the author's unconditional admiration for the capital's Constantinople samples.

Among all the masterpieces of the exhibition, the magnificent double-sided icon of Our Lady Hodegetria and the Crucifixion from the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens, dating from the 14th century, is especially impressive. The monumental half-length image of the Mother of God with the Child in her arms is made in the best traditions of the capital's Constantinopolitan school of the era of the Paleologs. This is the statuary figure of Mary, with an elegant silhouette standing out against a golden background, and the grace of gestures, and Her exquisitely beautiful features: almond-shaped eyes, a thin nose, a small rounded pink mouth, a swollen, girlish oval face. It would be almost earthly, sensual beauty, if not for the radiance of another world, penetrating this perfect face with rays of gaps, illuminating it with spiritual light.

Since the middle of the 14th century, painting has reflected the new theological teaching and spiritual experience of the hesychast monks, followers of St. Gregory Palamas, about the uncreated divine energies. It is this light, the harmony of silence that transforms the sharply expressive composition of the crucifixion of Christ on the back of the icon into an overworldly and overemotional image, full of silent sorrow and prayerful burning. Against a luminous golden background, the figure of the grieving Mother of God in shining blue robes resembles a candle with a flame directed upwards. It is important to note that for all the elongation and refinement of proportions, the ancient basis of the entire artistic system of the Byzantines breathes in every detail: for example, the posture of the Apostle John bowed in tears echoes the bending of the body of Christ, which gives movement and vibration to the static composition.

By the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, there is a large icon of the Holy Martyr Marina, painted, of course, in the same late Paleolog tradition as the “Odegetria of the Mother of God with the Twelfth Feasts” of the second half of the 14th century. The thinnest golden gaps permeate these images, the light vibrates and enlivens, spiritualizes the images.

The exhibition also features several post-Byzantine icons painted after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. At that time, Crete became a great artistic center, but gradually Greek icon painting lost the monumental expressiveness and spiritual intensity of the images that distinguished the works of their predecessors.

In the image of the Mother of God Kardiotissa of the first half of the 15th century, there is already a tendency to ornament the grid of gaps, to the complexity of poses, which are unnaturally unfolded, broken, and frozen at the same time.

The icon of St. Nicholas, made around 1500, is distinguished by the obvious influence of Italian Renaissance art in the field of color and interpretation of folds. The iconography of the saint on the throne, which has become widespread in post-Byzantine art, is interesting.

Both the manuscripts and the objects of decorative and applied art brought to the exhibition are unique. Together with magnificent icons, they immerse viewers in the sublime and refined world of Byzantine imagery. They seem to reconstruct before our eyes the reflections of that splendor that was born from the ancient idea of ​​beauty, oriental expression and Christian spiritual fullness.

The main thing in this art, as in this exhibition, is the state of transcendental soaring and exultation of spirit, penetrating every image, every evidence of that amazing country where theology was not the lot of a select minority, but the basis of the life of the empire, where the royal court sometimes lived according to the monastic charter, where the refined art of the capital could appear both in remote regions of northern Italy and in the cave temples of Cappadocia. We had the good fortune to touch the unknown facets of this cultural continent, from which at one time the vast tree of Russian art grew.

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about the author

Art critic, specialist in Byzantine painting, curator of exhibition projects, founder of his own contemporary art gallery. Most of all I like to talk and listen about art. I am married and have two cats. http://arsslonga.blogspot.ru/

One of the highest achievements of Russian and in general European culture of the late Middle Ages, of course, is associated with the name of the great icon painter, who was called the notorious, that is, the most famous. It's definitely Dionysius. He, unlike Andrei Rublev and many other icon painters, was a secular person, but he grew up in an unusual, very educated, very refined, one might say, aristocratic Moscow environment.

A huge number of ensembles of works of art are associated with the name of Dionysius. Probably, his iconic heritage was incommensurably great, but not very much has come down to us. Why do I say "disproportionately great"? Because he painted temples in huge numbers. And in Joseph-Volokolamsk, and in Ferapontov, and in Pafnutyevo-Borovsky monasteries. And he made iconostases for everyone. And imagine, from the end of the XIV century, from the time of Theophan the Greek, Andrei Rublev, the iconostasis, as a rule, is already large, including several rows. And now Dionysius with an artel of masters is working on the creation of icons.

The features of his artistic language are very easily recognizable. It is impossible to confuse the icon of Dionysius by how thin and refined the line is, how elongated the proportions are; but all these artistic means are primarily necessary to create a completely specific spiritual, prayerful state that distinguishes the best creations of Russian culture at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries - icons and the famous frescoes of the Nativity Cathedral in the ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery that have survived to this day.

Our museum keeps a large number of works, one way or another connected with the name of Dionysius. And probably the first thing that needs to be said is the icon Mother of God"Hodegetria", which was created on an old board from a Byzantine icon. Why is it so important? It would seem that the solemn, restrained, stern appearance of the Mother of God on this icon differs from what Dionysius did. Precisely because it was a specific order. After a fire in Moscow, in the Kremlin, where the famous Byzantine shrine burned down, on a board from a burnt icon, according to the chronicle, Dionysius “in measure and likeness”, that is, in full size, repeated the ancient image. And you see here an inscription made in Greek: "Hodegetria."

This is the famous icon, "The Guide", according to tradition, the Mother of God is depicted on it with the Infant on her left hand, Who holds a scroll resting on her knee. And at the top we see the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The surviving icon suggests that she had a salary. And probably, this should be remembered when getting acquainted with the majority of icons from museum collections. Traces from the fastening of the salary, from the crowns are preserved. Also, we now see a lot of icons as white background, although in fact they had a gold or silver background. This icon was located in the very center, as they say, "in the heart of the Fatherland" - in the Moscow Kremlin, in the Ascension Convent.

Dionysius works very hard in the Moscow Kremlin. For the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, he, together with other masters, writes an entire iconostasis. The Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin was built in the 80s of the 15th century by Italian craftsmen. And it is for this cathedral that Dionysius and his comrades make an iconostasis, and in particular paint the icons of Metropolitan Alexy and Metropolitan Peter from the local row that have come down to us. The latter is kept in the Assumption Cathedral. Why is it so important? The fact is that the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin is already the third in a row. The first is from the time of Ivan Kalita, the second is built by Myshkin and Krivtsov, which fell during an earthquake; and this one, the third one, was oriented in its grandeur to the famous Assumption Cathedral in the city of Vladimir, the heart Ancient Rus'.

If you remember, the ancient pre-Mongolian temples were grandiose in size. It was for the Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir that the Monk Andrei Rublev and his artel painted his famous iconostasis, part of which is also kept in our collection. So, if the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin repeats the cathedral of the city of Vladimir in its shape and size, then the iconostasis, respectively, was also created according to the Vladimir example - of the same grandiose scale. This is an unprecedented size in general for our Fatherland at that time.

In the local row of this iconostasis were the icons of the first Russian metropolitans - Peter and Alexy. And I would especially like to say about this icon, which came to us very late, in the 40s, from the Moscow Kremlin (and the second one remained there). It was created, according to most researchers, during the painting of the cathedral, at the end of the 15th century, in the 1480s - this is one of the dates of the icon. This is a huge hagiographic icon, where in the center is the image of Alexy the Wonderworker, Metropolitan of Moscow. His holiness is a certain thesis, which is confirmed by the hallmarks that captured the moments of his life. Thanks to scientific research, we can say that these hallmarks fully correspond to the version of the life of St. Alexis, including the accurately dated event - the miracle of healing from the relics of Alexis, the elder Naum.

By tradition, all hallmarks on Russian icons read like this: top row from left to right - we see the birth of the lad Eleutherius, further developments: bringing him to the temple; a wonderful third mark, where the lad sleeps and dreams of birds, and the voice tells him that he, too, will be, like a bird-catcher, a fisher of human souls. Next - tonsure as a monk, ordained as a bishop. And finally - you and I must understand what time St. Alexis lives - he comes to the Tatar Khan. Next, the hallmarks are read from left to right, sorted. And we see on the sixth hallmark that the action is already taking place in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

And then we see prayer - and before us is the Assumption Cathedral, only the ancient one that has not survived to our time, where Peter, the first of the metropolitans of Kiev, who had a permanent residence in Moscow, was buried. Here, over the grave of St. Peter, St. Alexis is praying, and you see an image of a white-stone cathedral there. Then there is the story connected with the trip to the Horde, the healing of the blindness of Khansha Taidula. But, of course, this also has a symbolic connotation: healing from blindness is, as it were, opening the eyes of faith, opening the soul of a person. And then - a meeting with the monk, dormition, finding relics; we see how the icon of St. Alexis is brought to the temple, and finally the last brand is the miracles from the relics of St. Alexis.

Where the relics of Saints Peter and Alexius were, there were also these wonderful hagiographic icons, which for us are great artistic monuments of the turn of the 15th-16th centuries with all the features inherent in Dionysius that we spoke about: both elongated, refined proportions, and whitened light coloring, and from this - a feeling of joy, peace, lack of drama, tension, inherent in the icon painters of the previous era. All these artistic qualities are fully consistent, in my opinion, with that very special worldview of the period of the rise of the Russian state at the turn of the century, the time when Ivan III married Sophia Paleolog, when the expansion of Rus' begins, the expansion of the Russian Orthodox world.

- The famous ancient Russian icon painter Dionysius, who lived inXV- earlyXVI century, came from a noble family. Being a leading Moscow icon painter, he worked a lot not only in Moscow, but also in other places, receiving orders from princes and monasteries. Dionysius, together with his sons, painted the Assumption Cathedral of the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery, and then the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Ferapont Monastery and other churches. In addition, he created many icons and book miniatures. The works of Dionysius are distinguished by their special lyricism and refinement, loftiness and detachment, luminosity and rhythm.

Natalia Nikolaevna Sheredega, Head of Department ancient Russian art State Tretyakov Gallery:

The beginning of the 16th century is associated in Russian artistic culture with a very intensive promotion of Orthodoxy and monastic culture to the north, the creation of northern monasteries. Probably, Dionisy can be called the artist who accompanied with his talent, his hand and his feelings this adornment of the Russian Thebaid - the northern Russian monasteries. And for the Pavlo-Obnorsky Monastery, one of the beacons of Russian monasticism, a beautiful icon of the Crucifixion was painted. A short glance at this icon and a long deep contemplation are enough to see how completely different, in comparison with the previous Russian and Byzantine masters, our icon painter Dionysius understands and conveys his understanding in colors.

A small icon of an elongated format suddenly presents us with the Crucifixion not as a tragic, terrible event, but as the triumph of life over death. The Savior is crucified, the Savior, as it were, already appears in the rays of heavenly glory, that is, He seems to soar on the cross, His movements are calm and soft. He is echoed by Mary with three wives, the centurion Longinus, John the Theologian, who bow with light movements to the Cross. We see elongated proportions, elegant, very fine dressing, soft harmonic compositional solution, that is, everything that creates a feeling of joyful soaring in this shining golden background - life conquers death. And this entry into eternal life is transmitted artistic means painter Dionysius.

But there is one remarkable iconographic detail here, which has not only artistic merit, but also a special theological meaning. I ask you to pay attention to the fact that at the top, on the sides of the Cross, angels with covered hands are depicted, and below, under the hands of the Savior, there are four figures: two angels and two more - one of them flies away, turning around, and the second flies to the Cross. This is nothing but the personification of the Old and New Testaments, that is, the synagogue and the Christian Orthodox Church. In accordance with Christian teaching, the change of the Old Testament to the New takes place precisely at the moment of the crucifixion and death of the Savior on the cross.

If the icon had reached us in its original form, then we could understand that the blood of the New Testament is collected by an angel into the cup of the New Testament Church. That is, in fact, we see how very important dogmatic moments are revealed here in color and composition in an amazing way, the most important of which is the Christian teaching about the victory of life over death.

We know that Dionysius, as a master of the highest level, of course, did not work alone. He worked with his assistants, other masters and, of course, students. And probably, his refined, aristocratic art had a huge impact on Russian culture and Russian painting in the first half of the 16th century. And there are a number of icons in which we feel this influence; sometimes we call their authors the masters of the circle of Dionysius. On the icons painted by them, we see not only this Dionysian color, its proportions, but most importantly, a feeling of joy and triumph, conveyed by plastic means.

Before us is a wonderful icon, which is called: “Rejoices in You.” This is the beginning of the hymn from the Oktoechos, which is sung in the Church. But here before us is truly the image of paradise. What creature rejoices? We see the angelic ranks, the songwriter Kosma Mayumsky, righteous men and women, kings, saints - everyone who glorifies the Mother of God, who brought the Christ Child to the world. “Every creature rejoices in You, Blessed One” - this feeling sounds in the icons of the followers of Dionysius, those who transformed the world of Russian culture at the beginning of the 16th century

Posted by Igor Lunev

The exhibition “Masterpieces of Byzantium” is a great and rare event not to be missed. For the first time, a whole collection of Byzantine icons was brought to Moscow. This is especially valuable because to get a serious understanding of Byzantine iconography from several works in Pushkin Museum, not so easy.

It is well known that all ancient Russian icon painting came from the Byzantine tradition, that a lot of Byzantine artists worked in Rus'. There are still disputes about many pre-Mongolian icons as to whether they were painted by Greek icon painters who worked in Rus', or by their talented Russian students. Many people know that at the same time as Andrei Rublev, as his senior colleague and, probably, a teacher, the Byzantine icon painter Theophanes the Greek worked. And he, apparently, was by no means the only one of the great Greek artists who worked in Rus' at the turn of the XIV-XV centuries.

And therefore, for us, the Byzantine icon is practically indistinguishable from the Russian one. Unfortunately, science has not developed exact formal criteria for determining “Russianness” when we talk about art until the middle of the 15th century. But this difference exists, and you can see this with your own eyes at the exhibition in the Tretyakov Gallery, because several real masterpieces of Greek icon painting came to us from the Athens "Byzantine and Christian Museum" and some other collections.

I want to once again thank the people who organized this exhibition, and first of all, the initiator and curator of the project, a researcher at the Tretyakov Gallery, Elena Mikhailovna Saenkova, the head of the Department of Old Russian Art, Natalia Nikolaevna Sharedega, and the entire Department of Old Russian Art, which took an active part in the preparation of this unique exhibition.

Raising of Lazarus (XII century)

The earliest icon in the exhibition. Small in size, located in the center of the hall in a showcase. The icon is a part of a tibla (or epistylion) - a wooden painted beam or a large board, which, in the Byzantine tradition, was placed on the ceiling of marble altar barriers. These tabla were the fundamental basis of the future high iconostasis, which arose at the turn of the XIV-XV centuries.

In the 12th century, 12 great feasts (the so-called Dodekaorton) were usually written on the epistyle, and the Deesis was often placed in the center. The icon that we see at the exhibition is a fragment of such an epistyle with one scene from the Resurrection of Lazarus. It is valuable that we know where this epistylion comes from - from Athos. Apparently, in the 19th century it was sawn into pieces, which ended up in completely different places. In recent years, researchers have been able to discover several of its parts.

Resurrection of Lazarus. XII century. Wood, tempera. Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens

"The Resurrection of Lazarus" is in the Athens Byzantine Museum. Another part, with the image of the "Transfiguration of the Lord" was in State Hermitage, the third - with the scene of the "Last Supper" - is located in the Vatoped monastery on Athos.

The icon, being not a work of Constantinople, not a metropolitan work, demonstrates the highest level that Byzantine icon painting reached in the 12th century. Judging by the style, the icon belongs to the first half of this century and, with a high probability, was painted on Athos itself for monastic purposes. In painting, we do not see gold, which has always been an expensive material.

The gold background, traditional for Byzantium, is replaced by red here. In a situation where the master did not have gold at his disposal, he used a symbolic substitute for gold - red.

So we have one of the earliest examples of red-backed Byzantine icons - the origins of the tradition that developed in Rus' in the 13th-14th centuries.

Virgin and Child (early 13th century)

This icon is interesting not only for its stylistic decision, which does not quite fit into the purely Byzantine tradition. It is believed that the icon was painted in Cyprus, but perhaps an Italian master took part in its creation. Stylistically, it is very similar to the icons of Southern Italy, which for centuries was in the orbit of the political, cultural and religious influence of Byzantium.

However, the Cypriot origin cannot be ruled out either, because at the beginning of the 13th century there were completely different stylistic manners in Cyprus, and Western masters also worked alongside the Greek ones. It is quite possible that the special style of this icon is the result of interaction and a peculiar Western influence, which is expressed, first of all, in the violation of the natural plasticity of the figure, which the Greeks usually did not allow, and the deliberate expression of the drawing, as well as the decorative details.

The iconography of this icon is curious. The Baby on it is shown in a white and blue long shirt with wide stripes that go from the shoulders to the edges, while the Baby's legs are bare. A long shirt is covered with a strange cloak, more like a drapery. As conceived by the author of the icon, we have before us a kind of shroud in which the body of the Infant is wrapped.

In my opinion, these robes have symbolic meaning and related to the theme of the priesthood. The Christ Child is also represented in the image of the High Priest. This idea is associated with wide stripes-claves running from the shoulder to the bottom edge - an important distinguishing feature bishop's clerk. The combination of white-blue and gold-bearing clothes, apparently, is connected with the theme of the covers on the Altar Throne.

As you know, the Throne in both the Byzantine church and in the Russian one has two main covers. The lower robe is a shroud, a linen cover that is placed on the Throne, and a precious indium is already laid out on top, often made of precious fabric, decorated with gold embroidery, symbolizing heavenly glory and royal dignity. In Byzantine liturgical interpretations, in particular, in the famous interpretations of Simeon of Thessalonica at the beginning of the 15th century, we encounter precisely this understanding of two veils: the funeral Shroud and the robes of the heavenly Master.

Another very characteristic detail this iconography - the legs of the Infant are bare to the knees and the Mother of God pinches His right heel with her hand. This emphasis on the heel of the Child is present in a number of iconography of the Theotokos and is associated with the theme of the Sacrifice and the Eucharist. We see here an echo of the theme of Psalm 23 and the so-called Edenic promise that the son of the woman will strike the tempter on the head, and the tempter himself will bite this son on the heel (see Gen. 3:15).

Thus, the bare heel is at the same time a hint at the sacrifice of Christ and the coming Salvation - the embodiment of the high spiritual "dialectic" of the well-known Easter hymn "Death tramples death."

Relief icon of St. George (mid-13th century)

Relief icons, which are unusual for us, are well known in Byzantium. By the way, Saint George was quite often depicted in the relief. Byzantine icons were made of gold and silver, and there were quite a lot of them (we know about this from the inventories of Byzantine monasteries that have come down to us). Several of these wonderful icons have survived and can be seen in the treasury of the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice, where they came as trophies of the Fourth Crusade.

Wooden relief icons are an attempt to replace jewelry with more economical materials. In the tree, the possibility of sensual tangibility of the sculptural image also attracted. Although sculpture as an icon technique was not very common in Byzantium, it must be remembered that the streets of Constantinople were filled with antique statues. And the Byzantines had sculptural images, as they say, "in the blood."

The full-length icon shows the praying Saint George, who addresses Christ, as if flying down from heaven in the upper right corner of the centerpiece of this icon. In the margins - a detailed life cycle. Two archangels are shown above the image, which flank the not preserved image of the “Throne Prepared (Etymasia)”. It introduces a very important temporal dimension into the icon, reminding of the coming Second Coming.

That is, we are not talking about real time, or even the historical dimension of ancient Christian history, but about the so-called iconic or liturgical time, in which the past, present and future are woven into a single whole.

In this icon, as in many other icons of the mid-13th century, certain Western features are visible. During this era, the main part of the Byzantine Empire was occupied by the crusaders. It can be assumed that the customer of the icon could be associated with this environment. This is evidenced by a very non-Byzantine, non-Greek shield of George, which is very reminiscent of the shields with the coats of arms of the Western knights. Around the edges of the shield is a peculiar ornament, in which it is easy to recognize an imitation of the Arabic Kufic script, in this era it was especially popular and was considered a sign of the sacred.

In the lower left part, at the feet of St. George, there is a female figurine in a rich but very austere vestment, which falls at the feet of the saint in prayer. This is the unknown to us customer of this icon, apparently named after one of the two holy wives depicted on the back of the icon (one is signed with the name “Marina”, the second martyr in royal robes is an image of St. Catherine or St. Irina).

St. George is the patron saint of warriors, and, given this, it can be assumed that the icon ordered by an unknown wife is a votive image with a prayer for her husband, who is fighting somewhere in this very turbulent time and needs the most direct patronage of the main warrior from the rank of martyrs.

Icon of the Mother of God with the Child with the Crucifix on the back (XIV century)

most wonderful in artistically the icon of this exhibition is a large icon of the Mother of God with the Child with the Crucifix on the back. This is a masterpiece of Constantinopolitan painting, most likely painted by an outstanding, one might even say, great artist in the first half of the 14th century, the heyday of the so-called "Paleologian Renaissance".

In this era, the famous mosaics and frescoes of the monastery of Chora in Constantinople, known to many as Turkish name Kahrie-Jami. Unfortunately, the icon was badly damaged, apparently from deliberate destruction: just a few fragments of the image of the Mother of God with the Child have been preserved. Unfortunately, we see mostly late additions. The turnover with the crucifix is ​​much better preserved. But here, too, someone deliberately destroyed the faces.

But even what has been preserved speaks of a hand outstanding artist. And not just great master, but a man of outstanding talent, who set himself special spiritual tasks.

He removes everything superfluous from the scene of the Crucifixion, focusing on the three main figures, in which, on the one hand, one can read the ancient basis that never disappeared in Byzantine art - amazing sculptural plasticity, which, however, is transformed by spiritual energy. For example, the figures of the Mother of God and John the Theologian seem to be painted on the verge of the real and the supernatural, but this line is not crossed.

The figure of the Mother of God, wrapped in robes, is painted with lapis lazuli, a very expensive paint that was literally worth its weight in gold. On the edge of the maforium there is a golden border with long tassels. The Byzantine interpretation of this detail has not been preserved. However, in one of my writings, I suggested that it is also connected with the idea of ​​the priesthood. Because the same tassels along the edge of the robe, still complemented by golden bells, were an important feature of the robes of the Old Testament high priest in the Jerusalem temple. The artist very delicately recalls this inner connection of the Mother of God, who sacrifices her Son, with the theme of the priesthood.

Mount Golgotha ​​is shown as a small mound, behind it is visible the low wall of the city of Jerusalem, which is much more impressive on other icons. But here the artist seems to be showing the scene of the Crucifixion at the level of a bird's eye view. And so the wall of Jerusalem is in depth, and all attention due to the chosen angle is concentrated on the main figure of Christ and the figures of John the Theologian and the Mother of God framing Him, creating an image of an exalted spatial action.

The spatial component is of fundamental importance for understanding the concept of the entire two-sided icon, which is usually a processional image perceived in space and movement. The combination of two images - Our Lady Hodegetria on the one hand and the Crucifixion - has its own high prototype. The same two images were on both sides of the palladium of Byzantium - the icon of Hodegetria of Constantinople.

Most likely, this icon of unknown origin reproduced the theme of Hodegetria of Constantinople. It is possible that it could be connected with the main miraculous action that took place with Hodegetria of Constantinople every Tuesday, when she was taken out to the square in front of the Odigon monastery, and there a weekly miracle took place - the icon began to fly in a circle on the square and rotate around its axis. We have evidence of this from many people - representatives different peoples: and Latins, and Spaniards, and Russians who saw this amazing action.

The two sides of the icon at the exhibition in Moscow remind us that the two sides of the Constantinople icon formed the indissoluble dual unity of the Incarnation and the Redemptive Sacrifice.

Icon of the Mother of God Kardiotissa (XV century)

The icon was chosen by the creators of the exhibition as the central one. Here is that rare case for the Byzantine tradition, when we know the name of the artist. He signed this icon, on the bottom field it is written in Greek - "Hand of an Angel". This is the famous Angelos Akotantos, an artist of the first half of the 15th century, from whom a fairly large number of icons remain. We know more about him than about other Byzantine masters. A number of documents have survived, including his will, which he wrote in 1436. He did not need a will, he died much later, but the document was preserved.

The Greek inscription on the icon "Mother of God Kardiotissa" is not a feature of the iconographic type, but rather an epithet - a characteristic of the image. I think that even a person who is not familiar with Byzantine iconography can guess what it is about: we all know the word cardiology. Cardiotissa - cardiac.

Icon of the Mother of God Kardiotissa (XV century)

Particularly interesting from the point of view of iconography is the pose of the Infant, who, on the one hand, embraces the Mother of God, and on the other, as if tipped back. And if the Mother of God looks at us, then the Child looks to Heaven, as if far from Her. A strange pose, which was sometimes called Leaping in the Russian tradition. That is, on the icon there is a Baby who seems to be playing, but He plays in a rather strange way and is very uninfantile. It is in this position of the overturning body that there is an indication, a transparent allusion to the theme of the Descent from the Cross, and, accordingly, the suffering of the God-Man at the moment of the Crucifixion.

Here we meet with the great Byzantine drama, when tragedy and triumph are combined into one, a holiday is both the greatest grief and at the same time a wonderful victory, the salvation of mankind. The Playing Child will foresee His coming sacrifice. And the Mother of God, suffering, accepts the Divine plan.

This icon contains the infinite depth of the Byzantine tradition, but if we look closely, we will see changes that will lead to a new understanding of the icon in a very short time. The icon was painted in Crete, which at that time belonged to the Venetians. After the fall of Constantinople, it became the main center of icon painting throughout the Greek world.

In this icon of the great master Angelos, we see him teetering on the verge of turning a unique image into a sort of cliché for standard reproductions. Images of light-gaps are already becoming somewhat mechanistic, which look like a rigid grid laid on a living plastic base, which was never allowed by artists of an earlier time.

Icon of the Mother of God Kardiotissa (XV century), fragment

Before us is an outstanding image, but in a certain sense already borderline, standing at the turn of Byzantium and post-Byzantium, when living images gradually turn into cold and somewhat soulless replicas. We know what happened in the same Crete less than 50 years after the painting of this icon. We have reached the contracts of the Venetians with the leading icon painters of the island. According to one such contract in 1499, three icon-painting workshops were to produce 700 icons of the Mother of God in 40 days. In general, it is clear that a kind of art industry begins, spiritual service through the creation of holy images turns into a craft for the market, for which thousands of icons are painted.

The beautiful icon of Angelos Akotantos is a bright milestone in the centuries-old process of devaluation of Byzantine values, of which we are all heirs. All the more precious and important is the knowledge of the true Byzantium, the opportunity to see it with our own eyes, which we were given by the unique “exhibition of masterpieces” in the Tretyakov Gallery.

Free visit days at the museum

Every Wednesday, admission to the permanent exhibition "The Art of the 20th Century" and temporary exhibitions in (Krymsky Val, 10) is free for visitors without a guided tour (except for the exhibition "Ilya Repin" and the project "Avant-garde in three dimensions: Goncharova and Malevich").

The right to free access to expositions in the main building in Lavrushinsky Lane, the Engineering Building, the New Tretyakov Gallery, the house-museum of V.M. Vasnetsov, museum-apartment of A.M. Vasnetsov is provided on the following days for certain categories of citizens:

First and second Sunday of every month:

for students of higher educational institutions of the Russian Federation, regardless of the form of education (including foreign citizens-students of Russian universities, graduate students, adjuncts, residents, assistant trainees) upon presentation of a student card (does not apply to persons presenting student trainee cards) );

for students of secondary and secondary specialized educational institutions (from 18 years old) (citizens of Russia and the CIS countries). On the first and second Sundays of each month, students holding ISIC cards have the right to visit the exhibition “Art of the 20th Century” at the New Tretyakov Gallery free of charge.

every Saturday - for members of large families (citizens of Russia and CIS countries).

Please note that conditions for free access to temporary exhibitions may vary. Check the exhibition pages for details.

Attention! At the ticket office of the Gallery, entrance tickets are provided with a face value of "free of charge" (upon presentation of the relevant documents - for the above-mentioned visitors). At the same time, all services of the Gallery, including excursion services, are paid in accordance with the established procedure.

Museum visit in holidays

Dear visitors!

Please pay attention to the opening hours of the Tretyakov Gallery on holidays. The visit is paid.

Please note that entry with electronic tickets is carried out on a first-come, first-served basis. You can familiarize yourself with the rules for the return of electronic tickets at.

Congratulations on the upcoming holiday and we are waiting in the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery!

Right of preferential visit The Gallery, except as provided for by a separate order of the Gallery's management, is provided upon presentation of documents confirming the right to preferential visits:

• pensioners (citizens of Russia and CIS countries),
• full cavaliers of the Order of Glory,
• students of secondary and secondary special educational institutions (from 18 years old),
• students of higher educational institutions of Russia, as well as foreign students studying in Russian universities (except for student trainees),
• members of large families (citizens of Russia and CIS countries).

Right of free admission The main and temporary expositions of the Gallery, except for cases provided for by a separate order of the Gallery's management, are provided for the following categories of citizens upon presentation of documents confirming the right to free admission:

• persons under the age of 18;
• students of faculties specializing in the field of fine arts of secondary specialized and higher educational institutions of Russia, regardless of the form of education (as well as foreign students studying in Russian universities). The clause does not apply to persons presenting student cards of "trainee students" (in the absence of information about the faculty in the student card, certificate is provided from educational institution with the obligatory indication of the faculty);
• veterans and invalids of the Great Patriotic War, combatants, former underage prisoners of concentration camps, ghettos and other places of detention created by the Nazis and their allies during the Second World War, illegally repressed and rehabilitated citizens (citizens of Russia and the CIS countries);
• military servicemen of the Russian Federation;
• Heroes Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation, Full Cavaliers of the "Order of Glory" (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• disabled people of I and II groups, participants in the liquidation of the consequences of the disaster on Chernobyl nuclear power plant(citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• one accompanying disabled person of group I (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• one accompanying disabled child (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• artists, architects, designers - members of the relevant creative Unions of Russia and its subjects, art historians - members of the Association of Art Critics of Russia and its subjects, members and employees Russian Academy arts;
• members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM);
• employees of museums of the system of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the relevant Departments of Culture, employees of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and ministries of culture of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation;
• museum volunteers - entrance to the exposition "Art of the XX century" (Krymsky Val, 10) and to the Museum-apartment of A.M. Vasnetsov (citizens of Russia);
• guide-interpreters who have an accreditation card of the Association of Guide-Translators and Tour Managers of Russia, including those accompanying a group of foreign tourists;
• one teacher of an educational institution and one accompanying a group of students of secondary and secondary specialized educational institutions (if there is an excursion voucher, subscription); one teacher of an educational institution with state accreditation educational activities when conducting an agreed training session and having a special badge (citizens of Russia and the CIS countries);
• one accompanying a group of students or a group of military servicemen (if there is an excursion voucher, subscription and during a training session) (citizens of Russia).

Visitors of the above categories of citizens receive an entrance ticket with a face value of "Free".

Please note that conditions for preferential admission to temporary exhibitions may vary. Check the exhibition pages for details.

From the very beginning of his collecting activity, the founder of the museum, P.M. Tretyakov, was planning to create a “public (folk) art museum”, the collection of which would reflect the “progressive movement of Russian art,” according to Pavel Mikhailovich himself. He devoted his whole life to the realization of this dream.

Pavel Mikhailovich acquired the first icons in 1890. His collection consisted of only sixty-two monuments, but according to the Russian scientist, historian Nikolai Petrovich Likhachev (1862-1936), P.M. Tretyakov's collection was considered "precious and instructive."

At that time, private collectors, collectors of icons were known in Moscow and St. Petersburg - I.L. Silin, N.M. Postnikov, E.E. Egorov, S.A. Egorov and others. Tretyakov buys icons from some of them. On a fair note famous artist and art scientist, director of the Tretyakov Gallery Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar (1871-1960), Tretyakov differed from other collectors in that “he was the first among collectors to select icons not according to plots, but according to their artistic value and the first openly recognized them as genuine and great art, bequeathing to attach his icon collection to the Gallery.

Savior in power

The will was executed in 1904 - the icons acquired by P.M. Tretyakov, was included in the gallery's exposition for the first time. It was organized by Ilya Semyonovich Ostroukhov (1858-1929) - an artist, a member of the Gallery's Council, and a well-known collector of icons and paintings (after his death, in 1929, the collection entered the Gallery's collection). To arrange a new icon hall, he invited scientists Nikodim Pavlovich Kondakov (1844-1925) and Nikolai Petrovich Likhachev, who developed the concept, were able to scientifically systematize and group monuments for the first time, and publish a catalog.

Unknown icon painter, late 14th century. Deesis tier ("Vysotsky")
1387-1395
Wood, tempera
148 x 93

The famous Russian artist Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1848-1926) became the designer of this exposition. According to his sketches, showcases imitating icon cases were made in the Abramtsevo workshops - all the icons collected by Tretyakov were presented in them. Such a display of icons did not exist then in any Russian art museum. (It should be noted that some icons were exhibited as early as 1862 in the Moscow Rumyantsev Museum and in 1890 in the Historical Museum, but the icons were exhibited then as church antiquities, and not as works of art. They were not restored, they were dark, polluted, with paint loss).

Andrey Rublev
Savior in power
1408

It is noteworthy that the opening of the hall of ancient Russian icon painting in the Gallery took place in the early years of the 20th century - the period of the birth of restoration work in Russia, when professional scientific study of ancient Russian art began.

In 1918, despite the tragic post-revolutionary events, the "Commission for the Preservation and Disclosure of Monuments of Ancient Painting in Russia" was organized. This commission was headed by the then director of the Tretyakov Gallery I. E. Grabar. The commission took up the systematic discovery of ancient monuments, expeditionary and exhibition activities.
In 1929-30s, after restoration exhibitions, by the decision of the then government, it was decided to turn the Tretyakov Gallery into largest museum Russian art, to the center for the study cultural heritage ancient period of our history. In those years, our museum received many monuments of ancient Russian art from a variety of sources, including reformed museums and private collections. These receipts basically formed the current collection of ancient Russian art in the Gallery.

In the mid-1930s, a scientific department of ancient Russian art and a restoration workshop were created in the Gallery. A new exposition was opened, in which the principles of the historical and artistic display of monuments were observed, the main centers, stages and trends in icon painting of the 12th - 17th centuries were presented.
A number of valuable icons, sometimes very ancient ones, came to the Gallery as a result of expeditions to the Russian North and central regions conducted by the Gallery's employees in the 1960s and 70s.

Now the collection is already more than six thousand items of storage. These are icons, fragments of frescoes and mosaics, sculpture, small plastic arts, objects of applied art, copies of frescoes.

In pre-Petrine Rus', almost all painting was exclusively religious in nature. And we can rightfully call all painting iconography. All the striving for the beautiful, the craving for beauty, the impulse and aspiration to the heights, to the realm of the spirit towards God, found their resolution in church icons. In the skill of creating these sacred images, the most talented representatives of the gifted Russian people have reached the true heights of the world sound.

Unknown icon painter, mid-16th century
"Blessed is the army of the heavenly king..." (Church militant)
Mid 16th century
wood, tempera
143.5 x 395.5

The heyday of Russian icon painting as such falls precisely on the pre-Petrine era. Experienced in the process
their development, several bright and amazing in form and masterful embodiment of the religious and theological tasks that they faced, Russian icon painting after the Petrine era fell into decay, continuously degraded, finally turning into handicraft works of handicraftsmen. At the beginning of the 20th century, talented artists Nesterov, Vasnetsov and others tried to bring Russian icon painting out of the stagnant position in which it was, but a number of objective and subjective reasons did not make it possible for a genuine revival of this holy art to occur and did not create anything that could stand up in one a number with the immortal creations of the spiritual painting of pre-Petrine Russia.

In terms of its very tasks, in terms of its very purpose, icon painting is fundamentally different from the worldly portraiture that is close, it would seem, and similar to it. If a portrait necessarily implies the existence of a certain nature, which the artist accurately reproduces, trying not to shy away from portrait resemblance, then the icon painter, whose task it is to reproduce a sacred image or some specific theological thought, clothed in the most intelligible incarnation for those who pray, can, according to his talent, understanding, to a certain extent evade the “original icons” approved by church practice and give his own solution to the problem that confronted him.

Unknown icon painter early XIII century. Deesis: Savior, Mother of God, John the Baptist
First third of the XIII century.Wood, tempera.61 x 146

From this it becomes clear the importance that the ancient church rules attached to the personality itself and the behavior of the icon painter while working on the icon. So, in the famous collection of Resolutions of the Council of 1551, known under the name “Stoglav”, the requirement is given that the icon painter should be “humble, meek, reverent; lived in fasting and prayer, keeping with all fear the purity of soul and body. In the same "Stoglav" we will find a certain requirement for the indispensable adherence to the ancient "originals of icons", so that the sacred images created again do not break with the traditions established from ancient times and are immediately familiar and understandable to every prayer.

The main principle that lies in the work of the icon painter is sincere religious inspiration; the artist knows that he is faced with the task of creating for the mass of believers an image, an icon intended for prayer.

Russian icon painting developed its own definite and firmly defined style in the 14th century. This will be the so-called Novgorod school. Researchers see here a direct correspondence to the artistic dawn of the Byzantine era of the Palaiologos, whose masters worked in Rus'; one of them famous Feofan A Greek who painted between 1378 and 1405. some Novgorod and Moscow cathedrals, was the teacher of the brilliant Russian master of the XIV-XV centuries. Andrei Rublev.

Andrey Rublev. Trinity.

Rublev and his followers belong to the Moscow school. His work is the next step in comparison with Theophanes the Greek, whose works are typical of the Novgorod school and its variety, the more archaic Pskov.

The Novgorod school is characterized by large massive figures of saints, with the large size of the icons themselves. They were intended for vast and majestic temples, generously erected by the rich and pious population of the "lord of great Novgorod." The tone of the icons is reddish, dark brown, bluish. The landscape - stepped mountains and the architecture of buildings - porticos and columns - are largely close to the true nature of the territory of Alexandria and adjacent areas, where events from the life of the saints and martyrs depicted on the icons took place.

Unknown icon painter, Novgorod school
Fatherland with selected saints.
Early 15th century
wood, tempera
113 x 88

Unknown icon painter, XIV - early XV century
Nikola with life.
Late 14th - early 15th century
Wood, tempera
151 x 106

The type of faces of the saints and the Mother of God is also not Russian: oblong, “byzantized”. This characteristic detail in the future, in the Moscow school, more and more takes on a Slavic hue, finally turning into typical Russian round faces in the works of the brilliant “tsarist painter” of the 17th century, Simon Ushakov and his school.

Magnificent, brilliant Byzantium, whose capital Tsargrad, according to all historians and memoirists, was the richest city in the world, and its emperors considered themselves as earthly representatives of the Almighty God, demanding almost divine worship. Naturally, with the help of icons, they sought to strengthen their authority and strength. Saints of the Byzantine school, for the most part, just like their reflections that later passed onto the walls of Novgorod cathedrals and monasteries, are severe, punishingly strict, majestic. In this sense, the amazing frescoes of Theophanes the Greek will be characteristic, which (leaving aside all the differences in epochs and methods) involuntarily resemble the severely restless figures of Michelangelo's Roman frescoes.

In the middle of the 17th century, the famous “royal iconographer” Simon Ushakov became famous in Russia, personifying the new Moscow school, reflecting the splendor and wealth of the life of the Moscow royal court and the boyar nobility that had stabilized after the Time of Troubles and foreign intervention.

The works of this master are distinguished by their special softness and roundness of lines. The master seeks to express not so much and not only inner spiritual beauty, but external beauty and, we would even say, the “beautifulness” of their images.

Researchers, not without reason, see Western influence in the work of this school, and first of all, “Netherlands Italianizing masters of the second half of the 16th century.”

royal doors
Mid 15th century

If the works of Ushakov and his comrades were mainly intended for churches, then the need of wealthy people for a beautiful “measured” icon for home prayer was satisfied by the Stroganov school, most famous masters which: The Borozdin family, Istoma Savin, Pervusha, Prokopy Chirin, fully represented in the gallery, are quite close to the Ushakov school in their artistic credo. No wonder most of them worked with great success in Moscow.

Unknown icon painter of the 12th century. Savior Not Made by Hands. (right)
Second half of the XII century.Wood, tempera.77 x 71

Shrine. I managed to take one photo. This is how it looks. The content is impressive!
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