Before discussing the icons of the 17th-18th centuries, let's get a little up to date. Despite the fact that Christianity also spread in Europe, it was the Russian school of icon painting that had its own significant differences in terms of subtle spirituality of writing and extraordinary originality. Today, modern people are often far from bygone religious traditions. But quite recently, in every Russian hut or house there was a red corner, where holy images necessarily hung, which were inherited or received as a gift as a blessing.
Then it was inexpensive icons. Therefore, the dilapidated and already blackened from time to time was usually given to some monastery icon shop and in return they received a new one, paying only a small amount. After all, as such, the sale of icons did not exist until the 17th century.
Priceless Images
The most interesting thing is that the icons of the mid-13th century (before the Mongol period) are practically priceless today, and there are only a few dozen of them. Icons of the 15th-16th century, owned by icon paintersthe schools of Rublev and Dionysius, also came down to us in small numbers. And they can only be seen in museums and, if you're lucky, in rare private collections.
For those who are interested in icons of the 17th century, it should be noted that earlier the master's signatures were not put on the icon. However, already in the second half of this century, the state treasury for its replenishment introduced a tax on the products of "bogomaz". They were forced to sign each icon they made, and then it was entered into the register. Almost every ancient Orthodox icon has its own amazing story. A real icon should not violate strict monastic traditions.
Stroganov school
At the beginning of the 17th century, after the end of the period of the Great Troubles, the first tsar (after the Rurik dynasty) Romanov Mikhail Fedorovich was elevated to the throne. At this time, the Stroganov school of icon painting with its prominent representative Prokopy Chirin was working for the tsar. The Stroganov school was formed at the end of the 16th century and got its name from the we althy merchants and patrons of the arts, the Stroganovs. The best masters then were Moscow icon painters who worked in the royal workshops.
For the first time, the Stroganov school discovered the beauty and poetry of the landscape. Panoramas with meadows and hills, animals and forests, herbs and flowers appeared on many icons.
During the Time of Troubles, the Stroganov school did not give colors to the icons, and at the same time, there was no idleness in them, but a characteristic gloomy color scheme. The development of ties with other states was immediately reflected in icon painting, which graduallyacquired a secular character, the canons were lost, and the subject of images expanded.
Experience sharing
From 1620, the icon chamber created a decree (executed until 1638), which provided for the resumption of magnificence in churches that suffered during the Time of Troubles.
From 1642, it was necessary to restore the almost lost painting of the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin. 150 best craftsmen from different Russian cities took part in the work on this project. They were led by Ivan Paisein, Sidor Pospeev and other royal "painters". Such joint work stimulated the exchange of experience, led to the replenishment of the almost lost skill of artel work. From the so-called "School of the Assumption Cathedral" came such famous artists of the 17th century as Sevastyan Dmitriev from Yaroslavl, Stepan Ryazanets, Yakov Kazanets, Kostroma residents Ioakim Ageev and Vasily Ilyin. There are opinions of historians that all of them later came under the leadership of the Armory, which became the center of the country's art.
Innovation
This leads to the spread of such an artistic movement as the “Armoury style”. It is characterized by the desire to display the volume and depth of space, the transfer of the architectural and landscape background, the outline of the situation and details of clothing.
In ancient icons of the 17th century, a greenish-blue background was widely used, which very successfully conveyed the air environment from light at the top to dark to the line of dung.
In the color scheme, red became the main color in a variety of itshue and saturation. Expensive imported paints (translucent varnish-paints based on sandalwood, cochineal and mahogany) were used in the icons of the royal masters for brightness and purity.
Great masters of icon painting
Despite all sorts of borrowings from Western European art, Moscow icon painting of the second half of the 17th century still remains in the rut of traditional icon painting. Gold and silver served as divine light.
With a noticeable commonality of style, the icon painters of the Armory were divided into two camps: some preferred monumentality and increased significance of images (Georgy Zinoviev, Simon Ushakov, Tikhon Filatiev), while others adhered to the "Stroganov" direction with a miniature aestheticized letter with many details (Sergey Rozhkov, Nikita Pavlovets, Semyon Spiridonov Kholmogorets).
Changes in the visual system of icon painting of the 17th century were most likely associated with the collapse of the medieval tribal foundations of society. The priority of the individual principle was outlined, which led to the fact that in Jesus Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos and the saints they began to look for individual features. Such a desire was a desire to make the holy faces as "life-like" as possible. An essential component of the religious feeling was empathy with the torment of the saints, the suffering of Christ on the Cross. Passionate icons became widespread. On the iconostases one could see a whole row dedicated to the mournful events of Christ the Savior. He substantiated these new requirements for church icon painting in his message toSimon Ushakov Joseph Vladimirov.
Distribution of folk iconography
In the second half of the 17th century, the need for icons increased. The Russian economy gradually developed. This made it possible to build new churches in towns and villages, and gave the peasants the opportunity to exchange holy images for their household products. Since that moment, icon painting has become a folk craft in the Suzdal villages. And, judging by the surviving icons of that time, it can be noted that there were practically no details in the compositions, and everything was reduced almost to a pictographic scheme. Suzdal icons, from the point of view of the icon painting technique, were a simplified version, however, undoubtedly, they had their own special merits and artistic expressiveness.
The royal icon painter Iosif Vladimirov testified that in the 17th century there were icons of this kind not only in houses, but also in churches. As a professional in his field, he strongly criticized poorly written images.
Disagreements
This aroused the concern of the secular and ecclesiastical authorities, they tried to correct the situation with prohibitive measures.
After comes a letter dated 1668, which was signed by Patriarchs Paisios of Alexandria, Macarius of Antioch and Iosaph of Moscow. Referring to St. Gregory the Theologian, they decided to divide icon painters into 6 ranks from skillful icon painters to apprentices. And only qualified icon painters were allowed to paint icons.
In the royal decree of Alexei Mikhailovich of 1669it was said that it is necessary to know “size in faces and compositions”. Non-professional artists distorted the icons with facial features and proportions of figures.
But still, the main drawback of the folk icons of the 17th century is considered to be not so much their ineptness, as the letters in the Old Believer sign of the cross (double-fingered), the bishop's blessing and the spelling of the name of the Savior Jesus with one letter "and".
Icons of the 17th century. Photo
One of the famous images - Nicholas the Wonderworker. This ancient icon was painted from a well-known carved sculpture depicting a saint with a sword in his hands. In 1993-1995, the image was restored and the lower layers of paint were opened. Today, the 17th century icon of Nicholas the Wonderworker is kept in Mozhaisk in the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit.
Another icon - "The Savior Not Made by Hands" was painted in 1658 by Simon Ushakov, who immediately began to be criticized for the uncharacteristic image of Christ. However, later this image became one of the most popular in Russia. Now this icon is kept in the Moscow Tretyakov Gallery.
Icons of the Mother of God of the 17th century
This is the brightest image in the history of icon painting. The most famous example related to the icons of the 16th-17th centuries is the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God. It was first mentioned in the chronicles of 1559, when the noblewoman landowner Goyskaya Anna presented this miraculous image to the monks of the Dormition Pochaev Lavra, which saved the holy place from the Turkish invasion on July 20-23, 1675. This icon is still inPochaev Monastery in Ukraine.
Kazan icon of the 17th century is the most revered icon of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Patriarch Germogen himself, who at that time was a minister of the Gostinodvorskaya Church of Kazan, Yermolai wrote that after the fire in Kazan in 1579, which burned down most of the city, the ten-year-old maiden Matrona herself appeared in a dream to the Mother of God herself and ordered her to dig up the icon from the ashes.
Matrona really found the icon in the indicated place. This happened on July 8, 1579. Now every year this day is celebrated as a church holiday of the Russian Church. Subsequently, the Mother of God Monastery was built on this site, and Matrona, who took the monastic name Mavra, became its first nun.
It was under the auspices of the Kazan Icon that Pozharsky was able to expel the Poles from Moscow. Of the three miraculous lists, only one has been preserved in our time, and it is kept in St. Petersburg, in the Kazan Cathedral.
