EXPOSITION OF ICONS
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Nowadays the Church of the Twelve Apostles presents the exposition of the 17th-century icons, the most part of which was made in the Kremlin workshops or once adorned Kremlin’s cathedrals.
The development of Russian painting of the 17th century is divided into two stages. This exposition of icons allows tracing one of the directions of Russian icon painting development in the first half of the 17th century, the so-called Stroganov school, and get an insight into the work of court icon painters of the second half of the 17th century, whose creations show interest in life, nature, people, and reflect new artistic ideals, a new understanding of an artistic image.
The name Stroganov school is nominal. It is related to the eminent Stroganov family, the philanthropists, who owned workshops, including icon workshops, already in the 16th century. The formally-artistic basic principles of the school defined the tendencies in icon painting up to the mid-17th century. Those icons were to be both religious and aesthetic.
On display are icons similar to the Stroganov school, excluding the icon of Forefather Isaac, made for the Forefathers’ tier. The displayed icons God Rested on the Seventh Day and The Entombment are small-sized yet multi-figurative, bright, colourful, elaborately painted and lavishly gilded. Such small icons are called Menaion (hand span) icons; they were meant not for a large cathedral, but for a chamber, where they could be seen well. They were often presented as souvenirs or commissioned as gifts. The icons of Great Martyr Catherine, Metropolitan Peter, Alexander Oshevensky, and the icon in the shape of a cross are like that.
In the 17th century, there occurred the departure from the Old Russian tradition of painting in favour of a new “realistic” trend, which is often called “the court painters’ school”. It is marked by a superb technique, bright colours and sophisticated ornament. One of the key features of the new school was a desire to achieve a lifelike image, that is, to convey features of a natural and beautiful human face within the limits of traditional canons of Russian icon painting. Icon painters sought to represent a three-dimensional image by means of light and shade. They were interested in everyday details, clothes, interiors and landscapes. One of the leading representatives of this new trend and, in fact, its founder and theorist was Simon Ushakov. The Holy Gates made by S. Ushakov are presented at the exposition.
On the death of S. Ushakov, Feodor Zubov was invited to Moscow from Veliky Ustyug city and appointed head of court painters. His icon St Andrew the First-Called from Chudov Monastery in the Moscow Kremlin is amazing. Of special interest are architectural and landscape backgrounds, in the course of the 17th century, backgrounds had gradually changed from abstract-fantastic to almost realistic. Just take a look at a landscape background in the late 17th-century icon St John the Warrior, and architectural and landscape backdrops in Feodor Rozhnov’s icon The Crucifixion and Suffering of the Apostles.
Russian court painters’ art was much influenced by West European painting and popular engraved pictures that were widely spread in Russia then. By borrowing certain elements of design, Russian artists creatively remade them and combined with traditional canons of icon painting. Moreover, the Kremlin masters sought for mastering new materials and techniques, like oil painting on canvas, appliqué work etc. Thus, the Adoration of the Cross icon is painted on canvas instead of wood, in mixed technique (tempera, oil) with the use of coloured varnish.
The 17th-century painting is an important landmark in the history of Russian art. It is closely associated with the spiritual, social and political life of the country. While developing the traditions of the past, the 17th-century art bore traits of the then-nascent realistic art of the modern age.
