Trinity – Andrei Rublev

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“Trinity” which is also called “Hospitality of Abraham” is an icon of the Holy Trinity, painted by Andrei Rublev in the 15th century. It is one of the most famous Russian icons, and also the most famous of his works. It is one of two (together with frescoes in Vladimir ) surviving works, which, according to scientists , authentically belong to him. It is now in one of the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery.

Andrei Rublev, whose “Trinity” is perceived by many as the very proof of the existence of God, was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988. Posthumously, he became the first canonized artist.

The famous icon “Trinity” by Andrei Rublev left the Tretyakov Gallery for the first time since 1917 and was transported to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra for two days on July 17, 2022.

Today, on July 19, 2022, “The Holy Trinity icon of St. Andrei Rublev has returned to the State Tretyakov Gallery and is now being studied by restorers. The museum added that: “There are no visible signs of deterioration in the condition of this most important work of ancient Russian art”. And after a detailed and comprehensive examination of the icon, a decision will be made on the timing of the return of the “Trinity” to the gallery’s exposition.

Andrei Rublev was born in the late 60s of the XIV century in the small town of Radonezh, not far from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Historians think that in his youth Andrei was a novice of this monastery, and then he took the rank of a monk. In 1380 during the Battle of Kulikovoin , Rublev was already a member of the princely artel of craftsmen, who moved from city to city and was engaged in the construction and decoration of churches. Like any medieval master, he did not sign his works, and his name was rarely mentioned in the annals. Nevertheless, careful research by historians of ancient Russian art suggests that he was a monk of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, for the Trinity Cathedral of which he painted his masterpiece

There are 2 opinions on the issue of dating the icon. It could have been painted for the wooden church of the Trinity Monastery, built by hegumen Nikon after the invasion of Edigey. In this case Scholars date the icon to 1412. But others determine the 20s. 15th century linking its origin with the stone cathedral of the monastery, founded in 1422. It is possible that Hegumen Nikon, who became the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery after Sergius of Radonezh didn’t like that the newly erected white-stone Trinity Cathedral was not decorated with paintings. Anticipating his imminent death and wishing to complete the decoration of the cathedral during his lifetime, Nikon called for work Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny.

Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra

They were famous painters, “fair grandees, superior to all and perfect in virtue.” Their work consisted not only in painting the temple with frescoes, they also had to paint a large number of icons for a high multi-tiered iconostasis. During his lifetime, Hegumen Nikon wanted not only to see the temple decorated, but he also wanted to have an icon painted, which was to become the main monument “in praise of Sergius of Radonezh”

This board of the icon painter quickly became a model for all subsequent creators of images of the Holy Trinity and by 1551, the Stoglavy Cathedral announced that all future images must comply with it. In 1575, Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered to decorate it with a gold salary, which is also called a golden riza. A salary is an overhead decoration fixed on top of an icon painting, covering the entire icon board on top of the paint layer, except for a few significant elements. It closes the pictorial image, leaving open faces, arms and legs. Subsequently, the salaries were also changed by other kings, and the icon itself was updated in accordance with the ideas of the artists of those times.

Авторство: монтаж участника shakko. Собственная работа, CC BY-SA 3.0
How the public saw “Trinity” before 1904: salary plus darkened drying oil (photo collage).

The restoration of the original appearance of the work was taken up only by 1904. Here we can see the Icon in 1904 with the salary just removed. The original painting is hidden under a layer of writing from the late 19th century.

And a photo of “Trinity” after the completion of clearing Guryanov. 1904.

“Airy”, transparent colors, in which our contemporary often sees a special author’s intention, creating the color and atmosphere of Rublev’s “Trinity”, making the figures of angels thin and incorporeal are a consequence of restorations and renovations.

On the instructions of the Commission for the Protection of Monuments of Art and Antiquities of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, they returned to the restoration of the Trinity in 1918. At that time the icon was already significantly damaged and needed special storage, however, it was transferred to the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery only in 1929. During the war, in 1941, the Trinity was evacuated to Novosibirsk, and returned from the evacuation in October 1944.

Each year the Icon is transferred to the church on the feast of the Trinity, but in 2007 the Icon was taken to the building on Krymsky Val because it had been damaged during transportation and needed additional reinforcement.

Now the icon is stored in a special icon case and its condition is stable, but there are irreversible damages.

The Holy Trinity of Rublev is written according to a biblical story from the Old Testament, according to which three pilgrim angels came to Abraham with the good news: he will have a son who will become the progenitor of the entire Jewish people. But there are also many important references to all the key biblical points. The picture embodies a lot, while remaining quite simple.

The form that most clearly expresses the idea of the consubstantiality of the three hypostases of the Holy Trinity, in the Rublev icon, is the circle which is the basis of the composition.

On the Icon we see three angels gathered around the table, on which the sacrificial bowl stands, for a quiet, unhurried conversation.

Three angels are the embodiment of the one God. This is indicated by a number of important symbols. First, they are dressed in azure robes which symbolizes their unearthly essence. The prototype of the Father is an angel sitting in the middle. This is indicated by his regal purple robes decorated with clavius (vertical stripes from the shoulder to the bottom edge). The middle angel is determined not only by its central position, but also by its monumentality. The turn of the head and the bend of the right hand of the central angel express the imperious and powerful motor principle, which is the initial and decisive moment of the composition. But since each of the wanderers has scepters of power, one can speak of a trinity.

God the Son is symbolized here by the angel sitting on the right. His head is lowered most humbly, and his hand is closest to the bowl. if we recall the biblical phrase “And a branch will come from the root of Jesse, and a branch will grow from its root”, then it immediately becomes clear that the right angel personifies God the Son. Also according to Ulyanov, “… the right angel’s himation is girded from right to left. And according to Russian custom, on a dead man, clothes were fastened not on the right side, as in life, but on the left side, like on a woman.”

The third angel, located on the left, becomes the personification of the Holy Spirit.

The combination of blue and red is inherent only in the clothes of the middle and left angels symbolizing the dogma about the procession of the grace of the Holy Spirit, The contours and folds of their robes are fragile and weightless, the harmony of blue, cornflower blue, pale green, golden yellow colors is pure, behind their backs are wings, in their hands are thin staffs, and around their heads are luminous halos.

The image contains more than the divine wanderers. In the background, a church or an entrance to the house of Abraham is visible, and the silhouette of a tree which could be the tree of knowledge from the garden of Eden, and at the same time it could be the oak under which Abraham rested.

Looking more closely, you will be able to see a mountain, located in the upper right corner, that becomes a symbol of Golgotha, to which Jesus ascended with his cross. An ancient symbol of everything sublime, in the Bible, “mountain” is the image of “rapture of the spirit”, therefore the most significant events take place on it.

The icon “Trinity” by Andrei Rublev is inscribed in a circular composition. Italian artists of those times also inscribed groups of angelic entities in a circular composition for greater symbolism. But Rublev’s composition is strikingly different from the classical one. The circle is imperceptible at first sight, and looking at this work of art in more detail, it can be noted that everything here is inscribed in a circular structure, symbolizing the trinity, as well as eternity, infinity.

Even the heads of the angels are bowed, allowing the overall silhouette to organically form a single circle. It has long symbolized eternity, the vicious circle of human existence, from the birth of the world to the end, which becomes a new beginning. In the context of the three angels, it is also interpreted as a symbol of the trinity of the Christian God.

Many researchers draw attention to the fact that the “Trinity” was created during the period of confrontation between the Russian princes and the Tatar-Mongol yoke and pointed to the need for unity. Peace, harmony, and love, this is what Andrei Rublev called his contemporaries to. It was a call to unite all Russian people – a call based on a deep philosophical awareness of the structure of the world, the moral cohesion of people.

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Girl With Peaches by Valentin Serov

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The painting “Girl with Peaches” («Девочка с персиками») is a recognized masterpiece of the Russian artist Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov (1865-1911) (Серов Валентин Александрович). It was painted in 1887 and is an oil on canvas measuring 91 x 85 cm, now located in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. This is one of the first and most significant works in the direction of Russian impressionism for which it paved the way. This picture combines several genres: there is a landscape , a still life , and a portrait .

Valentin Serov first went to the Abramtsevo estate in 1875 with his mother, and growing up continued to often visit the estate.

Serov wrote “Girl with Peaches” when he was not yet 22 years old. Valentin Aleksandrovich sought to create not just a portrait, but a living picture that reflected a moment in life. He was inspired by the beauty and spontaneity of Verusha, and invited the 11-year-old Vera Mamontova to pose after seeing her running into the house, taking a peach, and sitting down at the table. Vera posed for Serov every day for almost two months.

The expressiveness of the picture is given by bright details, a play of highlights and a young image of the heroine of the portrait. The artist placed the girl in an atmosphere of a carefree sunny day, ripe peaches and a cozy dining room. The peculiarity of this portrait was that Serov added to it elements of a still life (fruits on the table, a knife, leaves) and a landscape (a garden outside the window). This technique allowed to expand the general meaning of the picture.

In the center of the composition is Mamontov’s daughter Verochka. She is sitting at a large table covered with a white tablecloth, and there are several chairs with high backs nearby. The objects in the room indicate that the girl lives in a wealthy family, and many chairs in the dining room are reminiscent of a large family.

The girl is dressed in a light pink loose blouse with a turn-down collar and a puffy bow. This bow tells about the romantic and bright character of the girl. There is no feeling that she was preparing to pose. The artist deliberately left her hair the way they were, sticking out in unruly curls. She certainly frolicked in the garden and wants to run to play again. It seems hard for her to sit still. There is a blush on her cheeks, making her look like the peaches that lying on the table. The happy look of the girl says that she lives among people who love her.

She holds a peach in her hands, which look very tanned. We can say that the girl spent the summer outdoors outside the city. Three more fruits and a silver carving knife lie on the table nearby. The peaches are beautifully combined with yellow leaves which talks about the time of fruit ripening. It can be seen that the objects were not laid out on purpose, but the moment was chosen spontaneously. The peaches have their own history. They were raised in a greenhouse by a gardener specially hired by the owner of the estate. These fruits indicate the prosperity of the owners of the estate and a penchant for the exotic.

The girl is surrounded by various objects. We see the backs of the chairs around the dining table. Behind the girl is a figure of a grenadier, reminiscent of the children in the house.

There is a painted plate on the wall. The plate is drawn as a tribute to Savva Mamontov, who was fond of pottery arts.

Another detail that reflects an outstanding intuitive impressionist in Serov is as if a random edge to the composition. The door on the girl’s right, a half of a chair cut by the frame give the image a look of reality, spontaneous and relaxed. The art historian Mark Copshitzer noted, ” a chair, part of which is captured on canvas, has its continuation beyond the space of the painting, it marks the beginning of the whole world which did not appear on the painting, with its chairs and tables, and other peaches, and the other girls”.

Outside the window, the garden begins to turn yellow. Summer is coming to an end. Maple leaves, in turn, are depicted because the artist began work on the canvas in the height of summer, and finished only in September. In addition, maple autumn leaves create a special contrast in comparison with ripe peaches, reminiscent of the transience of everything and the need to enjoy the sun, as well as everything that happens around.

Serov achieved a fantastic effect of lightness and freshness by placing the light source behind the model. Shining through the leaves, the sun’s rays reflecting off the tablecloths and the girl’s blouse, it adds pink and gold to the space around the subject. Warm, delicate colors, soft reflected light, a lot of air were unusual for Russian painting of those years.

The main difference from the canvases of other portrait painters is the fullness of light. The main character sits in front of the window and is well lit, sun glare on all objects, on hair and clothes. Light dissolves the contours of objects, this brings the work closer to the canvases of the French Impressionists.

The statement of the author himself about the idea of the picture has been preserved. He wrote that he wanted to achieve a special freshness in his painting. The girl was supposed to look in the picture the same as on that summer day. The bright image of Vera coincided with how the artist imagined beauty. The author dreamed of conveying on canvas the joy of life that surrounds the girl and lives in her.

The artist succeeded superbly. Together with him we admire the carefree world of childhood. These moments are especially valuable because they pass quickly. The transience of time is reminiscent of autumn leaves in the foreground of the picture and the coming autumn outside the window. You can feel the philosophical message in the picture. The artist shows the transience of time. Summer changes very quickly, and youth also passes quickly.

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La Fille aux Pêches de Valentin Serov

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Le tableau “Fille aux Pêches” (“Девочка с персиками”) est un chef-d’œuvre reconnu de l’artiste russe Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov (1865-1911) (Серов Валентин Александрович). Il a été peint en 1887 et est une peinture à l’huile sur toile mesurant 91 x 85 cm, maintenant situé dans la Galerie nationale Tretiakov à Moscou. C’est l’une des premières et des plus importantes œuvres dans la direction de l’impressionnisme russe auquel elle a ouvert la voie. Ce tableau mêle plusieurs genres : il y a un paysage, une nature morte, et un portrait.

Valentin Serov est allé pour la première fois au domaine d’Abramtsevo en 1875 avec sa mère et, en grandissant, il a continué à visiter souvent le domaine.

Serov a peint “La Fille aux Pêches” alors qu’il n’avait pas encore 22 ans. Valentin Aleksandrovich a cherché à créer non seulement un portrait, mais une image vivante qui reflètait un moment de la vie. Il a été inspiré par la beauté et la spontanéité de Verusha et a invité Vera Mamontova, 11 ans, à poser après l’avoir vue courir dans la maison, prendre une pêche et s’asseoir à table. Vera a posé pour Serov tous les jours pendant près de deux mois.

L’expressivité de l’image est donnée par des détails lumineux, un jeu de reflets et la jeune image de l’héroïne du portrait. L’artiste a placé la jeune fille dans une atmosphère de journée ensoleillée insouciante, avec des pêches mûres et dans une salle à manger confortable. La particularité de ce portrait était que Serov y a ajouté des éléments de nature morte (des fruits sur la table, un couteau, des feuilles) et, un paysage (un jardin à l’extérieur de la fenêtre). Cette technique a permis d’élargir le sens général de l’image.

Au centre de la composition se trouve la fille de Mamontov, Verochka. Elle est assise à une grande table recouverte d’une nappe blanche, et il y a plusieurs chaises à haut dossier à proximité. Les objets dans la pièce indiquent que la jeune fille vit dans une famille aisée, et de nombreuses chaises dans la salle à manger rappellent une famille nombreuse.

La fille est vêtue d’un chemisier ample rose clair avec un col rabattu et un nœud bouffant. Ce nœud bouffant raconte le caractère romantique et lumineux de la fille. Il n’y a aucun sentiment qu’elle se préparait à poser. L’artiste a délibérément laissé ses cheveux tels qu’ils étaient, formant des boucles indisciplinées. Elle a certainement gambadé dans le jardin et veut courir pour rejouer. Il semble difficile pour elle de rester assise. Il y a une rougeur sur ses joues, la faisant ressembler aux pêches qui se trouvent sur la table. Le regard heureux de la jeune fille dit qu’elle vit parmi des gens qui l’aiment.

Elle tient une pêche dans ses mains, qui ont l’air très bronzées. On peut dire que la jeune fille a passé l’été à l’extérieur de la ville. Trois autres fruits et un couteau à découper en argent reposent sur la table à proximité. Les pêches sont magnifiquement combinées avec des feuilles jaunes qui parlent du moment de la maturation des fruits. On voit que les objets n’ont pas été disposés exprès, mais le moment a été choisi spontanément. Les pêches ont leur propre histoire. Elles ont été élevés dans une serre par un jardinier spécialement engagé par le propriétaire du domaine. Ces fruits témoignent de la prospérité des propriétaires du domaine et d’un penchant pour l’exotisme.

La jeune fille est entourée de divers objets. On voit les dossiers des chaises autour de la table à manger. Derrière la fille se trouve une figure de grenadier, rappelant les enfants de la maison.

Il y a une assiette peinte sur le mur. L’assiette est dessinée en hommage à Savva Mamontov, qui aimait les arts de la poterie.

Un autre détail qui reflète un impressionniste intuitif exceptionnel chez Serov est le bord aléatoire de la composition. La porte à droite de la jeune fille, une moitié de chaise coupée par le cadre donnent à l’image un aspect de réalité, spontané et détendu. L’historien de l’art Mark Copshitzer a noté : « une chaise, dont une partie est capturée sur toile, a sa continuation au-delà de l’espace du tableau, elle marque le début du monde entier qui n’apparaissait pas sur la toile, avec ses chaises et ses tables, et d’autres pêches, et les autres filles ».

Derrière la fenêtre, le jardin commence à jaunir. L’été touche à sa fin. Les feuilles d’érable, à leur tour, sont représentées parce que l’artiste a commencé à travailler sur la toile au plus fort de l’été et n’a terminé qu’en septembre. De plus, les feuilles d’érable d’automne créent un contraste particulier par rapport aux pêches mûres, rappelant la fugacité de tout et la nécessité de profiter du soleil, ainsi que de tout ce qui se passe autour.

Serov a obtenu un fantastique effet de légèreté et de fraîcheur en plaçant la source lumineuse derrière le modèle. Brillant à travers les feuilles, les rayons du soleil se reflétant sur la nappe et le chemisier de la fille, il ajoute du rose et de l’or à l’espace autour du sujet. Des couleurs chaudes et délicates, une douce lumière réfléchie, beaucoup d’air étaient inhabituels pour la peinture russe de ces années.

La principale différence avec les toiles des autres portraitistes est la plénitude de la lumière. Le personnage principal est assis devant la fenêtre et est bien éclairé, les reflets du soleil sur tous les objets, sur les cheveux et les vêtements. La lumière dissout les contours des objets, ce qui rapproche l’œuvre des toiles des impressionnistes français.

La déclaration de l’auteur lui-même sur l’idée de l’image a été conservée. Il a écrit qu’il voulait obtenir une fraîcheur particulière dans sa peinture. La fille était censée avoir l’air sur la peinture de la même manière que ce jour d’été. L’image lumineuse de Vera coïncidait avec la façon dont l’artiste imaginait la beauté. L’auteur rêvait de transmettre sur toile la joie de vivre qui entourait et habitait la jeune fille.

L’artiste a superbement réussi. Avec lui, nous admirons le monde insouciant de l’enfance. Ces moments sont particulièrement précieux car ils passent vite. La fugacité du temps est rappelée par les feuilles d’automne au premier plan de l’image et par l’automne qui vient à l’extérieur de la fenêtre. Vous pouvez sentir le message philosophique dans l’image. L’artiste montre la fugacité du temps. L’été change très vite et la jeunesse passe aussi vite.

J’espère que vous avez apprécié ce tableau autant que moi.

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History of the Saint Basil’s Cathedral

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Saint Basil’s Cathedral, an architectural treasure of Moscow

The extraordinarily beautiful and mysterious St. Basil’s Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin, on the Moat, flaunting on Red Square, is one of the most significant monuments of ancient Russian architecture of the 16th century. Neither before nor after it was built any such structure. It looks like a vault of eight churches, which surrounds the highest – the ninth. Such a temple still does not exist anywhere else in Russia. Even the bright pattern of the domes of the cathedral makes it look like a blooming Garden of Eden.

Each temple has its own entrance and lighting, however, the cathedral is a single building. The complexity and amazing combination of details of the St. Basil’s Cathedral are unparalleled in Russian architecture and had a huge impact on the development of Russian national architecture.

The cathedral was erected in 1555–1561. at the behest of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in honor of the conquest of the Kazan kingdom. It is believed that the architects who created it were deprived of sight. Even Stalin did not allow the building to be demolished, and during the war the temple was hidden from shelling. The cathedral is included in the Russian list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is a branch of the State Historical Museum.

The upper tier of the cathedral resembles a labyrinth, and the base is an eight-pointed star.

The cathedral unites ten churches (chapels), some of which were consecrated in honor of the saints, whose days of memory fell on the decisive battles for Kazan.

The central church was built in honor of the Intercession of the Virgin , around which separate churches are grouped in honor of: the Holy Trinity , the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem , St. Nicholas of Velikoretsky , the Three Patriarchs: Alexander, John and Paul the New, Gregory of Armenia , Cyprian and Justina , Alexander Svirsky and Varlaam Khutynsky , placed on the same base-basement, and a chapel in honor of St. Basil the Blessed, after whose name the temple received a second, more well-known name.

Royal Doors in the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 2009

The thickness of the walls of the foundation of St. Basil’s Cathedral reaches three meters. It is this thickness that allows it to securely hold as many as nine buildings. If you look at the foundation of the church, you can see that 8 small temples form an eight-pointed star – a symbol of the Virgin. There are larger churches in the ensemble of small churches. They are strictly oriented to the cardinal points and form symmetry. The main temple, with a huge dome and a tent, is the Protection of the Virgin, Her intercession.

During the campaigns of Ivan the Terrible to Kazan on today’s Red Square, “camping” wooden churches were erected in memory of the victories won.

On the day of the memory of Cyprian and Justina ( October 2, 1552), the next campaign ended with a victory over the Kazan Khanate and the annexation of the city to the Muscovite state. It was, the day after the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, and Ivan the Terrible ordered to unite all the “marching” wooden churches into one stone temple in the name of the Intercession of the Virgin – Intercession Cathedral, but it stood only less than a year before to be dismantled, and finally a stone cathedral was laid in its place.

Already, in the autumn of 1554 were the first reliable mention of the construction of the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God. The construction of this temple began in 1555 and lasted 6 years. The temple was built of brick, and its foundations , plinth and a number of details are made of white stone. In the western part of the cathedral there is a flat brick ceiling.

A legend about the architects Barma and Postnik which names became known only in 1895 told that they had been blinded by order of the the Tsar Ivan the Terrible so that they could no longer build such a temple, but Postnik could not be blinded, since for several years after the construction of the cathedral he participated in the creation of the Kazan Kremlin.

By 1559, in the fall, the temple main part was erected, and at the same period, all but the central church were consecrated.

Despite the apparent grandiosity from the outside of St. Basil’s Cathedral the inside is quite small, accommodating a very small number of people during the service. That is because according to the plan of its creators, it should not have been too spacious, since during major church holidays the entire Red Square was the church, the place of execution, on which the clergy ascended, became a lectern, and the Pokrovsky Cathedral turned into the altar of an open-air temple. After all, there is no temple in Heavenly Jerusalem, but “there is only His Throne” … and the Intercession Cathedral – turned into an altar of a church in the open.

Finally, on June 29, 1561 according to the old calendar, the central Intercession Church of the cathedral was once consecrated in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.

St. Basil’s Cathedral from the Book of the election of the Tsar and Grand Duke Mikhail Fedorovich, 1672 1673

The first changes to the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin, on the Moat, took place almost immediately after construction and were associated with the name of the famous Moscow saint – St. Basil the Blessed. Before the appearance of a stone cathedral on this site, there was a wooden Trinity Church, where St. Basil often came to pray. In 1558, a lower church was added to the Pokrovsky Cathedral over the burial place of the Moscow miracle worker – St. Basil the Blessed. To build this temple, the builders dismantled part of the original cathedral.

Some historians believe that the cathedral was originally conceived as a likeness of the seven-tower Blachernae monastery with the Church of the Virgin , in which the miracle of the Intercession once took place . By its presence and location, it was supposed to assert a new state ideology: ” Moscow is the third Rome ” , and the eight chapel was there because of the dimension of the foundation” . Others believe that the very idea of a multi-chapel cathedral belonged to Metropolitan Macarius , who planned to recreate in the center of Moscow the image of the holy city of Jerusalem.

In the middle of the 16th century, the cathedral was painted in the fresco technique and imitated brickwork. There were no porches, and the St. Basil’s Church bell tower had a different look. It gave the cathedral a strict but elegant appearance which could be compare to a memorial with the eight separates churches symbolizing the days of the decisive battles for Kazan.

The original roof of the church burned downed at the end of the 16^th century and the figured domes of the cathedral appeared instead of the original roof.

The Intercession Cathedral is richly decorated with wall paintings, has an impressive collection of ancient Russian icon painting and masterpieces of church applied art.

Until the reconstruction of the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin in 1660, the cathedral was the tallest building in Moscow.

In the 1670 the wooden churches on Red Square were closed, then the cathedral was supplemented by a hipped bell tower, its heads were covered with iron, the porch was covered with tiles , and a bright colorful ornamental painting appeared on the cathedral. Finally the chapel of Blessed John of Moscow was added in 1672

The cathedral was seriously renovated in 1680, with brick galleries replacing the wooden ones and the outer and inner galleries, platforms and parapets of the porches being painted with grass ornaments motifs.

In the 18 and 19 centuries Divine services were regularly performed in St. Basil’s Cathedral. As a rule, they were performed in an annex – a temple built in honor of St. Basil the Blessed, because the rest of the temples were cold. That is why the people got accustomed to the name – St. Basil’s Cathedral.

Divine services in the temple continued until the beginning of the 20th century. The last rector was Father John Vostorgov, now canonized among the saints in the host of new martyrs and confessors

In 1737, the temple almost completely burned out because of one of the strongest fires in Moscow. The restoration of the architecture and interiors of the cathedral was done under the leadership of the architect Ivan Michurin.

Painting by Giacomo Quarenghi “The Intercession Cathedral and the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin”, 1797

The cathedral was seriously repaired and rebuilt by decree of Catherine II from 1784 to 1786, and it was then that the walls of St. Basil’s Cathedral were painted with multi-colored paints and acquired their modern look. Before it was mainly painted in red and white colors.

After the Patriotic War of 1812, Alexander I decided to restore the temple and in 1817, the architect Osip Bove , while reconstructing Red Square with shopping malls, laid out the retaining wall of the temple with “wild” stone and installed a cast-iron fence. First along Moskvoretskaya Street, then in 1834, on the south side of the temple.

Red_Square_in_Moscow_(1801)_by_Fedor_Alekseev

In 1880, a manor on Pyatnitskaya street was added to the temple . Until 1918, the last rector of the temple , Father John lived in it .

In the 1890s, the temple was again seriously reconstructed. The floors were strengthened, and the Cathedral sacristy was decorated with colored stained-glass windows, designed by the architect Andrei Pavlinov.

In 1918, the Intercession Cathedral became one of the first cultural objects taken under state protection as a monument of national and world significance. It is during this period that services were stopped in the upper churches and the museumification began.

Archpriest John Kuznetsov became the first caretaker of the museum. In the 1920s, the cathedral was in dear need of repair and restoration work was carried out, led by architects Nikolai Kurdyukov and Alexander Alexandrovich Zhelyabuzhsky.

Basil’s Cathedral and the monument to Minin and Pozharsky

After the decision of 1923 to establish a historical and architectural museum in the cathedral, this one was opened to visitors on May 21, 1923.

Beginning in 1923 and until 1949 research was carried out in the museum because of legends which attributed to the temple a network of underground passages. And in 1924, walled-up room with a deep hole in the floor under the chapel of John the Merciful was found by the restorer and architect Dmitry Sukhov and the speleologist-historian Ignatius Stelletsky.

The window-loopholes of the room were bricked up both from the side of the river and from the side of Red Square. Ignatius Stelletsky wrote that the embrasures had the same approaches as for the cannons in the towers of Kitay-gorod and any of the monasteries which led him to the idea that in the 16th century the lower part of St. Basil’s Cathedral was intended for combat.

The Pokrovsky Cathedral museum became a branch of the State Historical Museum in 1928 and in 1929 the divine services were banned in the cathedral, and the bells were removed and melted down.

During the Great Patriotic War, the museum did not stop its work, although it was closed to visitors. St. Basil’s Cathedral was carefully disguised to save it from bombing. There is a legend that after the war, Stalin was offered to remove the cathedral under the pretext that it was interfering with the parade. It is believed that Kaganovich showed Stalin a model of the square, and in his presence he removed the model of the temple, suggesting that it be demolished. Stalin abruptly interrupted him: “Lazar, put it in its place!” Since then, no one has raised questions about the inviolability of the cathedral.

The cathedral began to be restored, on September 7, 1947, and the museum reopened on the day of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Moscow.

From 1954 to 1955 the “brick-like” painting of the 16th century was returned to the cathedral, and at the same time the white-stone details of the décor was restored.

On November 18, 1991, the Russian Orthodox Church was allowed to hold regular services in the Kremlin cathedrals and St. Basil’s Cathedral but the first divine service took place on the patronal feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on October 1, 1991

Beginning in 2001 and ending ten years later the interiors of ten churches were restored, the icon of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos was restored, and the basements were restored to their original appearance.

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Visit the Repin museum complex in the village of Shiryaevo in the Samara region with a music Video

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A beautiful video of the Repin museum complex in the village of Shiryaevo close to Samara. It was sent to me by a friend. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

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Who is Prince Zasekin Grigory Osipovich?

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Thanks to Prince Zasekin Grigory Osipovich efforts in the 16th century, the borders of the Russian state significantly expanded in the east. He was the first governor and founding father of the Russian fortresses on the Volga, which later became the huge cities of Samara, Saratov, and Perevoloka (Volgograd).

The exact date of birth of Prince Zasekin is unknown, but historians agrees that he was born around 1550. He came from the ancient family of the princes of Yaroslavi: the Zasekins. His father by the standard of that time was a very poor man. There is little known about his childhood but it can be assumed that he began his military service , under Ivan the Terrible at the age of about 15, which was the norm at that time for young nobles.

The beginning of his career fell on the final stage of the Livonian War of 1558 to 1583. He served on the western borders of the Russian kingdom, where regular military conflicts were commonplace. In 1570, Prince Zasekin was mentioned as a head of archers,

Grigory Zasekin first actions as head are connected with the Russian-Swedish war of 1570-1595. He carried out his military service in the fortress of Korela approximatively from 1574-1575 to 1579 with short breaks. In 1575, a battle with the Swedes took place there in which the Russian won. In 1577, Prince Zasekin served in the Oreshek fortress and participated in the Livonian campaign. For a short period of time during the autumn of 1577 his cousin Zasekin-Solntsev and himself were appointed junior governors in the town of Trikaten which had been captured during the war.

In the middle of the summer of 1579, Prince Zasekin participated in the campaign of Russian troops in which he pursued reconnaissance goals under the command of M.A. Beznin, the former Karelian governor. The beginning of this campaign was so successful for the Russian troops that Grigory Zasekin was sent with a personal report about the victory to the Tsar Ivan the Terrible , for which he received a “gold penny” as a reward.

However, he was already far from the Baltic before the defeats received by the Russian troops near Polotsk.

Under the command of Prince V.M. Lobanov he was appointed the second governor to the guard regiment in Kolomna. Then he served as governor in Kaluga and repelled the raids of the Crimeans.

In the 1580s, Zasekin-Solntsev and Prince Zasekin were sent to serve on the southern borders of the Russian state, to the wild field, in the Volga region.

In 1581, for the first time in his career, he became the first governor in the city of Mikhailov, which was a well-fortified defensive point on the Prony river.

After the annexation of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates to Russia in the middle of the 16th century, the entire Volga waterway up to the Caspian sea was in the possession of the Russian state, but because the new region was sparsely populated, the trade caravans passing here were often attacked so the building of fortresses became important.

After 1.5 to 2 years of preparation for the construction of the Samara fortress, Grigory Zasekin began to build a fortress far from the Volga on a hill. It took him and his archers a few days to build it, and the date of birth of the new city of Samara can be considered the feast of the trinity, which in the year of 1586 fell on May 22 . The city of Samara was built on a grand scale on a hill above the Samara river, where it divided into two channels.

Samara fortress in the 17th century. Engraving from the edition of the notes of Adam Olearius

The appearance of the fortress greatly upset the Nogai biy Urus until a detachment of Cossacks stole a herd of 500 heads from the Nogais. Grigory Zasekin captured the Cossacks and hanged them. He gave everything that had been stolen by the Cossacks back to the Nogai. After that event, many Nogai Murzas abandoned thoughts of independence and began to send their detachments to serve in the Russian army.

In the summer of 1589 Zasekin built the fortress of Perevolok at the crossing between the Volga and the Don which is a strategically important site. The fortified city was built in only 3 months.

Prince Zasekin was recalled to participate in the campaign against Narva in the spring of 1590 but was again on the Volga by summer. On July 12, Prince Grigory Zasekin and boyar Fyodor Turov founded the city of Saratov on the left bank of the river. At that time it was only an outpost of the Russian development of the Volga, but later became one of the largest city on the Volga. In 1674, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovoch, the city was moved to the right bank of the river.

In 1591, Prince Zasekin restored the fortress of Terki, in the Caspian sea (now the city of Kizlyar) founded back in 1735, but he died a year later. The documents do not indicate the cause of death, and it can assumed that the prince died of wounds received during the campaign or by a sudden illness.

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Sources:

Засекин Григорий Осипович

Биография Засекина Григория

Засекин Григорий Осипович

The Last Day of Pompeii by Karl Bryullov

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The canvas “The Last Day of Pompeii” was created at the intersection of classicism and romanticism. The composition is in the spirit of classicism in the way that all the episodes are enclosed in a triangle, but however the picture is devoted to the real tragedy of the people and not to an idealized image, which makes it a work in the style of romanticism.

“The Last Day of Pompeii” is an oiled painting by Karl Bryullov and is a monumental canvas of 456.5 by 651 cm which took almost 6 years from the first sketches to the appearance of the final version in 1833. This canvas is considered one of the most significant works of the artist and is now in the State Russian Museum

The Last Day of Pompeii by Karl Bryullov

In the summer of 1827, Karl Bryullov visited the excavations of Pompeii where he got the idea to paint a large canvas dedicated to the death of Pompeii, and even received permission from the Neapolitan King to take measurement and make sketches of any architectural structures discovered during the excavations that interested him.

Before starting the work on the canvas, Karl Bryullov carefully studied historical documents related to the eruption of Vesuvius reading eyewitness accounts of the events making his painting as accurate as possible.

He chose the Street of the Tombs (Strada dei Sepolcri or Via dei Sepolcri) which he visited in 1827 as the scene of action, which show people trying to escape the eruption of Vesuvius. The sky is covered with dark clouds, buildings are collapsing and long and sharp lightning cuts through the darkness. The tragedy exposes their feelings and show the essence of humain souls. Drapery plays an important role in the canvas and demonstrates the painter’s good acquaintance with the masterpieces of ancien art.

In the center of the picture is a noble lady fallen off a chariot with a young child who did not yet understand the death of his mother. Most likely, the model was Countess Yulia Samoilova, who was Bryullov’s mistress for many years and whom he depicted in several more images. This woman symbolizes the death of the ancient world, and at the same time the child reaching out to his mother is perceived as the beginning of a new world which should arise on the ruins of the former without breaking living ties with the past.

The Last Day of Pompeii (part mother and baby) by Karl Bryullov

The chariot from which the woman fell is still visible and is being pulled away by distraught horses.

On the right is another horse rearing up symbolizing the insane element.

The Last Day of Pompeii (part horse rearing) by Karl Bryullov

We can also see a young man trying to persuade his exhausted mother to run away with him, while she is pushing him away which gives us a vivid impression of maternal sacrifice.

The Last Day of Pompeii (part mother and son) by Karl Bryullov

Two sons carry their old father forgetting about themselves and living only in fear for his life. And here is another family where the husband tried to cover his family. We can see that both parents watch the Vesuvius with horror

The Last Day of Pompeii (part sons carrying their father) by Karl Bryullov

Karl Bryullov depicted Pagan priest trying to take his wealth with him. The pagan priest trying to escape can be seen as a symbol of the departure of the old world and paganism. At the same time he painted a Christian clergyman bravely looking at the furious Vesuvius, who can be identified by the cross on his chest. It is clear that Bryullov opposes Christianity to paganism and is not in favor of the latter. We also see a mother who has taken refuge close to the priest while enclosing her daughters with her arms in a protective gesture.

The Last Day of Pompeii (part pagan priest) by Karl Bryullov

At the right edge of the canvas is a couple of newly wedded and one of the saddest scenes, showing that there are moment in life when grief turns out to be stronger than the fear of death.

The Last Day of Pompeii (part newly wedded) by Karl Bryullov

The author also depicted himself and his beloved among people who are trying to hide in the tomb. We can see the artist trying to save his most valuable things

The Last Day of Pompeii (part himself
) by Karl Bryullov

The buildings in his painting are collapsing depicting what really happens during an earthquake of 8 points

The Last Day of Pompeii (part building collapsing) by Karl Bryullov

In ‘The Last Day of Pompeii’, the artist gives us the opportunity to meet different people and to sympathize with them. This is the story of a disaster very well painted with phenomenal lighting.

I hope you enjoyed this painting.

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Composition VII of Wassily Vasilyevich Kandinsky

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Wassily Vasilyevich Kandinsky is the founder and theorist of abstract art, and one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Even though he was not the first to paint a canvas of this kind, he was the first to give a theoretical justification to the new trend. In 1912, he wrote and published his seminal study On the Spiritual in Art, which became the theoretical basis of abstractionism.

Composition VII of Wassily Vasilyevich Kandinsky

Kandinsky was a synesthetic which means he heard colors and saw sounds and he was looking for an universal synthesis of music and painting. Through drawings he imitated the flow and depth of musical work and the coloring reflected the theme of deep contemplation.

“Composition VII” is called the pinnacle of his work. It is a huge canvas of 2 by 3 meters created in 1913. The process for writing Composition VII was very meticulously done and there were more than 30 sketches, watercolors and oils paintings of preparatory work. The raison of such an important preparative work was that the artist had set himself the task of combining several biblical themes in the final composition. These were “The Last Judgement”, “The Flood”, “The Resurrection from the Dead” and “The Garden of Eden”.

To understand Kandinsky is easy as he has already described everything with such fine explanations that there is a decoding of every spot, every point, and every turn of the line leaving you only to look at the canvas and feel.

And if you look at the picture from the position of Kandinsky’s attitude to form and color, you notice that the dominant colors of the canvas is red which is a symbol of strength, then blue which is the color of peace and white symbolizing eternity. There is also a yellow color which the author has always characterized as frivolous and rapidly scattered.

The color content is supported by a well-thought-out composition of the work which is a diagonally unfolding form, closed in the rectangular space of the canvas. The central motif was declared to be an oval shape by the artist, and is crossed by many irregular rectangles.

The idea of the human soul is displayed in the semantic center of the canvas as a circle marked with a purple spot and black lines and strokes next to it. It draws in itself, like a funnel, spewing out some rudiments of forms, spreading in countless metamorphoses

Art historians determined thanks to his notes and works that the VII composition is a combination of several themes (“The Resurrection from the Dead”, “Judgment Day”, “The Flood” and “The Garden of Eden”) expressed as a symbiosis of pure painting

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Sources: История одного шедевра: «Композиция VII» Кандинского

Композиция VII – Василий Васильевич Кандинский. 1913

Композиция VII

Popkov in Priluki

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The painting of “Popkov in Priluki” was painted by Andrey Tutunov, after the tragic death of his friend the artist Popkov in 1974.

ПОПКОВ В ПРИЛУКАХ – 1974 “From the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery”.

The interior of the house is filled with peace and comfort of a village house which is represented by the warm honey color of the old boards reflecting the color of the objects in the room and only slightly contrasting with the cold light coming out of the windows. This painting is a reproduction of his own house with old wild boards on the walls, ceiling and floor. The windows have lace curtains, there is a table covered with a tablecloth with a bouquet of willow and wooden benches standing along the walls. The sleeping dog under the bench close to his owner is depicted with the same warm wood colors as the inside of the house.

But even the special harmony of close color cannot dispel the feeling of anxiety and doom coming from the lonely figure of Viktor Popkov standing by the window.

His regard is tense as if looking out for some kind of danger, his arm is hanging in a sling, his shoulder rounded and he is very thin which gives the image a poignant premonition of impending disaster

Sources: ПОПКОВ В ПРИЛУКАХ – 1974

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Popkov à Priluki

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Le tableau de “Popkov à Priluki” a été peint par Andrey Tutunov, après la mort tragique de son ami l’artiste Popkov en 1974.

ПОПКОВ В ПРИЛУКАХ – 1974 « De la collection de la Galerie Tretiakov ».

L’intérieur de la maison est rempli de paix et du confort d’une maison de village, qui est représenté par la couleur miel chaude des vieilles planches reflétant la couleur des objets de la pièce et, ne contrastant que légèrement avec la lumière froide sortant des fenêtres. Ce tableau est une reproduction de sa propre maison avec de vieilles planches sauvages sur les murs, le plafond et le sol. Les fenêtres ont des rideaux de dentelle, il y a une table recouverte d’une nappe avec un bouquet de saules et des bancs en bois placés le long des murs. Le chien endormi sous le banc près de son propriétaire est représenté avec les mêmes couleurs de bois chaudes que l’intérieur de la maison.

Mais même l’harmonie particulière des couleurs proches ne peut dissiper le sentiment d’anxiété et de malheur émanant de la silhouette solitaire de Viktor Popkov debout près de la fenêtre.

Son regard est tendu comme s’il guettait une sorte de danger, son bras est suspendu en écharpe, ses épaules sont arrondies et il est très maigre ce qui donne à l’image une poignante prémonition d’une catastrophe imminente

Sources: ПОПКОВ В ПРИЛУКАХ – 1974

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