Biography of Rublev artist

Biography of Andrei Rublev.

Rublev claims by this mature his work fundamentally different from the Byzantine iconographic type of Christ, the preceding version of which was similar images in the ensemble of the year Frescent Savior Savior Judge from the “Last Court” and the icon “saved in power” we examined above. The Zvenigorodsky “Savior”, as it were, loses the well -known abstractness of the images of the deity and appears to be humanized, inspiring trust and hope, bearing a good beginning.

The master gives Christ the Russian features and externally and gives them to feel in the inner warehouse, in the special tonality of the state: clarity, benevolence, activity participation. Despite the fragmentedly preserved face and floor, the impression of the image is so complete and completed, which suggests a fundamental, increased meaning in the art of Andrei Rublev expressiveness of the face, eye.

In this, the master of pre -Mongol art, which left the excellent examples of the psychological expressiveness of the faces: “Theotokos of Vladimir”, “Ustyuzh Annunciation”, Novgorod “Savior the Emergency”, “The Angel of the Vlas”, “Saved the Golden Vlas”. Endowing the Savior of the Slavic appearance, the master writes the face with exceptionally soft light tones. The expressiveness of the Byzantine faces of that time was achieved by the contrast of brown-green lining tone in Greek “Sanker” with a light, strongly covered layer of subsequent modeling of fingertop.

In the Byzantine faces, the white strokes laid on top of the modeling layers, which were sometimes located fan-shaped, sometimes in pairs or combined into groups, stood out. Also contrasting and artistically, Kininari spots sound in Greek faces: on the lips, as a “in a friendly man”, in the shape of a nose, along the contour of the eye sockets and in the inner corner of the eyes of the stomach.

That is how the faces of Theophanes deesus from the Annunciation Cathedral in the Kremlin, including the face of the Savior icon, were written. Rublevskaya painting is different. The Russian icon painter prefers a soft lighten manner, the so -called melting, that is, smoothly, the “smelting”, as the icon painters said, and in several layers the set tones, taking into account the translucent of brighter lining through transparent and light upper ones.

The most protruding places were lined with light modeling cooing several times, so that these sections of multilayer writing make an impression of light -bearing light. To revive the painting of the face between the final layers of fingertips in certain places, a thin layer of cinnabar called the icon painters “in a friendly man” was laid. The features of the face were a confident, calligraphically clear upper brown pattern.

Modeling the form ended very delicately laid with white “engines”. They in the faces of the Rublevsky circle were not written as actively and were not as numerous as Feofan and Greek masters. Thin, elegant, slightly curved, they were not opposed to the tone, on the top of which they were laid, but served as an organic completion of light modeling of the form, becoming part of this smooth highlighting, as if its climax.

Moving to the image of the Archangel of Michael, it should be noted his proximity to the circle of angelic images in the sten pains of the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral. The grace and flexibility of the contour, the proportionality of movement and peace, thinly conveyed thoughtful, contemplative state - all this is especially related to the image with the angels on the slopes of the large arch of the cathedral.

Among the fresco images there is an angel that can be considered as preceding Zvenigorod. It is located on the southern slope of a large arch, in the second row, where it rises above the seated Apostle Simon. But the fresco angel is perceived in the circle of its many brothers, the entire fresco angelic host or cathedral. Its figurative characteristic is, as it were, dissolved surrounded by the like.

Zvenigorodsky Archangel Michael is an icon from Deesis. As, probably, the paired icon of the Archangel Gabriel, which was now lost to him, she embodied the quintessence of the “angelic theme”, since through these two images the “heavenly forces”, praying for the human race, are perceived in deesus. The Zvenigorod Archangel was born in the imagination of the artist of the highest thoughts and embodied the dream of harmony and perfection, which lives in his soul in spite of all the hardships and tragic circumstances of the then life.

In the image of the Archangel, the distant echoes of Hellenic images and ideas about the exalted beauty of the paradise celestials, correlated with the purely Russian ideal, noted by sincereness, thoughtfulness, contemplation, merged. The picturesque solution of the icon is exceptional beauty. The pinkish tones prevailing in personal smelter are slightly reinforced with a pink splash along the nasal line.

Delicate, slightly chubby lips, written more intensively pink, as if concentrating this leading tone.Golden-brown hair in soft curls framing the face gives the gamma a warmest shade that is consistent with the gold assistant of angel wings written in bright protection, and with the gold background. The turquoise-blue bandage in the hair, as if pierced by light, is woven into this golden gamut like the interspersed of a noble enamel.

A blue, more muffled shade in the porch and in small areas of chiton with gold patterned dazille is toned with it. But the term in icon painting prevailing in the valid, meaning all painting, except for the face, that is, the pink written before the face is again pink. This is the tone of the angelic Himatia, thrown over the shoulders and draining with exquisite folds. Filling most of the picturesque surface, the pink tone is masterfully modeled by the shabby folds emphasized by the upper pattern of condensed coral-pink tone.

The colorful solution of this icon, connecting golden yellow, pink and blue tones, ennobled by the golden background, ornament and the assisted hatching of angelic wings, as if perfectly corresponds to the image of the Archangel, a paradise celebration. The third character of the rank, the apostle Pavel, appears in the interpretation of the master completely different as it was customary to portray him in the circle of Byzantine art of this time.

Instead of the energy and determination of the Byzantine image, the master revealed the features of philosophical deepening, epic contemplation. The clothes of the apostle with his flavor, rhythm of folds, the subtlety of tonal transitions enhance the impression of exalted beauty, peace, enlightened harmony and clarity.