Iconography of Ancient Russia

The iconography of Ancient Rus was sacred. The entire process of creativity was subject to strict canonical prescriptions. This, on the one hand, impoverished the iconography of Ancient Rus, as the master used already given iconography. However, at the same time, it allowed us to concentrate on the "essence of the spirituality", focusing on the deep penetration into the image and the process of recreating it with the help of refined artistic means.

Old Russian icon painting obeyed the laws not only in the technique itself, but also in the choice of material for it. Traditionally, the techniques used in the method of preparing the surface for the image, the composition of the soil, the technology of preparation of paints. The iconography of Ancient Rus assumed an obligatory sequence of writing.

Writing images was done with paints, the binding component of which was a temperature (water emulsion with egg yolk). As a rule, as a rule, wooden boards were used. Preparing the board for writing was quite lengthy and time consuming. They chose a log with a very strong inner layer. The production of boards for icons was handled by derevods (woodpeckers), the icon painters themselves did this very rarely.

Icons of small size were written on one board. For large images, several boards connected with each other were used.

On the front side of the board, a median groove was cut out (the ark). He created a kind of window. At the edges, a frame (field) was formed.

By the nature of fastening boards, the depth of the ark, the width of the fields, it is often possible to determine the place and time of manufacturing the board. On the ancient icons (11-12 centuries), the ark, as a rule, made a deep, and the fields are wide. Later, the boards were made with narrow margins. Since the 14th century one can meet icons without fields.

The ground was a gesso. It is a mixture of alabaster or chalk with fish (sturgeon) glue. The board was glued several times with glue (liquid and hot), then it was applied with a pallet (cloth), rubbing the palm. Leucas was applied after the drying of the wood. The primer was applied in several layers. Its surface was carefully leveled, sometimes polished. In some cases, the relief was applied.

The image was applied to the prepared surface of the soil. The icon painting of Ancient Rus assumed a gradual drawing of a drawing. At first light touches of soft coal from birch branches the first image was drawn. The second drawing, more detailed was carried out by a paint (brown or black).

Sometimes the masters used the "recipe", obtained from icons that served as samples. Thus, the image was reproduced.

Then they started the letter. At the first stage, the "gilding" of all the necessary details was carried out, then a "thick" letter was produced (buildings, clothes, landscape were written). The image of faces was performed at the final stage. Strict consistency was in the work with paints.

Icons were written according to the manuals ("originals"). They contained information about the technology of writing this or that image.

It should be noted that the internal and external organization of the icon is a very complex work of art. However, in the 19th century, the icon painters were treated as second-rate artists, considering the icon as a primitive. Ancient masters were accused of ignorance of the methods of creating a direct perspective and anatomy of a person. Together with this icon is the result of virtuosic technique and high image culture. The use of tempera painting required special skills, which were comprehended during many years of training.

Icon painters of Ancient Rus perceived the letter as an act of communication with another world. This required physical and spiritual purification.

About masters of antiquity to this day have reached meager information. However, the pages of historical evidence, fields and turns of icons, the walls of the churches store the names of ancient icon painters. Among them one should mention the monk Alimpia, his contemporaries Stefan, Gaga, Sezhira, Radko. One of the most famous icons of the "Trinity" is written by Andrei Rublev.