Dionysius painter. Dionysius

Decor elements 25.09.2019

Decor elements

Years of life: c.1440-1502(?)

Dionysius is one of the best icon painters of the Moscow school of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, a successor to the traditions of Andrei Rublev. His activities coincided with the wonderful era of the reign of Ivan 3, when Russia was freed from Mongolian yoke, expanded its territories, became one of the most powerful countries. This is the period of activity of the Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti, whose cathedrals were painted by Dionysius. He created works that reflected the cultural upsurge of Russia during the formation of a centralized state. Dionysius worked during a period of spiritual upsurge, when active urban planning was going on, magnificent temples were erected, wonderful works of art were created that glorified the power of the country.

The main activities of Dionysius and their results.

One of the directions The activities of Dionysius were the murals of temples - frescoes. He showed himself to be a talented artist, subtly feeling color, color scheme. Not everything has been preserved, it has come down to us. But even a small part of what Dionysius created is evidence of his individual, unique manner. The images of his works reflect spiritual harmony, ideas about the Kingdom of Heaven.

This activity steel mural:

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Pafnutiev Borovsky Monastery (1467-1477)
Assumption Cathedral in Moscow (1481)
Work in the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery: painting of the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God

(the frescoes have not been preserved since the cathedral was completely rebuilt in the 17th century)

Frescoes and iconostasis of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos at the Ferapontov Monastery (together with his sons Theodosius and Vladimir)

another direction activity of Dionysius was icon painting. He created both individual icons and entire iconostases. And here his features of the icon-painting traits appeared: the works were of a festive nature, even splendor, reflecting the heyday of Russia. The colors are bright, the figures are graceful, and the faces are beautiful. The images are pure, humble, calling for spiritual purification.

The result of this activity- a lot of icons created by the master. True, only a small number of them have come down to us. Here are some of the icons.

Descent into Hell, 1495-1504 Russian Museum.
Crucifixion, 1500
Metropolitan Alexy with Life (Tretyakov Gallery)
Metropolitan Peter with Life (Moscow Kremlin Museums)
Icon of the Apocalypse from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, 1492 (“Apocalypse or revelation of John the Theologian, vision of the end of the world and the Last Judgment”.
"The Mother of God Hodegetria" from the Ascension Monastery in the Moscow Kremlin, 1482

In this way, Dionysius is one of the talented icon painters, artists of the heyday of the centralized state. His murals, icons are evidence of a unique, individual manner, which became a model for his followers. His creations are a song in colors, glorifying goodness and beauty. The idea of the greatness of Russia, the praise of her, the glorification of her history - all this made the works of Dionysius a real treasure of Russia and the whole world. It is no coincidence that the year 2002, when the 500th anniversary of the painting of the Nativity Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery, was celebrated, was declared the year of Dionysius by the SEESCO.

Material prepared: Melnikova Vera Alexandrovna

Details Category: Art of Ancient Russia Posted on 18.01.2018 14:07 Views: 1253

The painting of Dionysius is “the last great flapping of the wings of ancient Russian pictorial creativity” (L. Lyubimov “The Art of Ancient Russia”).

P.P. Muratov, a Russian writer and art critic, translator and publisher, believed that “after Dionysius, ancient Russian painting created many beautiful works, but the Dionysian dimension and harmony were never returned to it.”

About the artist (c. 1440-c. 1502)

There is almost no information about the life of Dionisy, as well as about the life of Andrei Rublev, but it is known that he achieved fame during his lifetime. He was a leading Moscow icon painter and master of frescoes of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is considered the successor of the traditions of Andrei Rublev.
Dionysius was assisted by his sons: Theodosius and Vladimir. They were both gifted artists. In addition, Dionysius created an icon-painting artel, in which talented painters also worked. In this regard, it is sometimes difficult to establish authorship, but in this case they rely on the artistic individuality of the master, and in Dionysius it appears so clearly that his hand is easily recognized. Experts know about ten cathedrals, in the painting of which Dionysius participated. Some of the artist's works have been irretrievably lost, some have been preserved thanks to restorers.

Creation

The earliest known work of Dionysius is considered to be the painting of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Pafnutiev Borovsky Monastery (1467-1477).

Pafnutyevo-Borovsky Monastery. Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Pafnutiev Borovsky Monastery
Dionisy completed the painting under the supervision of the elder Simonov Monastery - the icon painter Mitrofan. After 117 years, in 1586, the cathedral was almost completely dismantled, and a new, five-domed one was put in its place; but in the laying of its foundation, blocks with paintings of the 15th century were used. So fragments of the painting of Mitrofan and Dionysius have survived to our time and are now in the Museum ancient Russian culture and art named after Andrey Rublev in Moscow and the Borovsky branch of the Kaluga Regional Museum of Local Lore. During the restoration work of the 1960s, 194 white stone blocks were removed. Of these, 29 have preserved fragments of plot and decorative painting belonging to Dionysius. But after the rebuilding of the cathedral, Dionisy's wall-paintings in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin of the Pafnutyevo-Borovsky Monastery were not preserved.

Dionysius. Head of an unknown saint ((1467-1477). Borovsk Museum
Then Dionisy, with members of his artel, paints the Assumption Church in Moscow (most likely, the Assumption Cathedral).

Moscow Kremlin. Assumption Cathedral

The stone Moscow Assumption Cathedral was erected by the Italian master Aristotle Fioravanti in 1475-1479. It was conceived as the main cathedral church, the cathedral church of the independent autocrat of "All Russia" - the first Moscow sovereign Ivan III.
Russian sovereigns and tsars began to get married in this temple. The icons that were in the Assumption Cathedral became not only common Russian shrines, but also role models when painting new icons.
Dionysius (according to records in the chronicles) worked in the Assumption Cathedral in 1481. He was entrusted with the creation of a new iconostasis for the temple. Dionysius worked with an artel of craftsmen. Neither the iconostasis nor the altar deesis have been preserved.
In the 1480s, Dionysius painted two paired hagiographic icons of the Moscow metropolitans Peter and Alexy for the Assumption Cathedral.

Dionysius and workshop. Saint Metropolitan Peter with Life (1481). Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin

Dionysius and workshop. Saint Metropolitan Alexy with his life. State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow)
Dionysius created compositions in the lower tier of the walls of the altar rooms of the cathedral: the Peter and Paul and Pokhvalsky aisles. In the Pokhvalsky side-altar preserved top part compositions Cathedral of Our Lady "Adoration of the Magi". This is a multi-figured composition in a semicircle of an arch on the wall, painted in a fine and festive style. colors. On the southern wall, the upper part of the fresco of the Nativity of John the Baptist has been preserved.
On the southern wall of the Peter and Paul chapel, two scenes have also been preserved: “Apostle Peter heal the sick” and “Forty Martyrs of Sebaste” (only 24 figures survived).

Spaso-Stone Monastery. Transfiguration Cathedral

Spaso-Stone Monastery - a monastery in Vologda region. It is located on a small island Kamenny on the Kubensky lake. One of the oldest monasteries in the Russian North, founded around 1260. The icons by Dionysius have not been preserved. But we provide a photo of this monastery to admire the ability of ancient architects to place architectural structures in the natural landscape.

Joseph-Volokolamsky Monastery. Assumption Cathedral

View of the Joseph-Volokalamsky Monastery
The monastery was founded in 1479 by the Monk Joseph Volotsky, who was tonsured a monk by the Monk Pafnuty of Borovsky and became his successor. After the death of Paphnutius, he tried to introduce a cenobitic charter in his monastery, but met with opposition from the brethren. Then Joseph went to wander around the monasteries, and in 1479 he returned and set up another male monastery.
First, a wooden church in honor of the Assumption of the Mother of God was laid here, and in 1484 a stone one. In 1486, a stone cathedral was built in the new monastery, in the painting of which Dionysius and his sons took part. The murals of Dionysius in the monastery were not preserved - in the 17th century. the cathedral was completely rebuilt.
Of the numerous works of Dionysius created for the monastery, one icon has been preserved - “Odegetria the Mother of God”. Currently, the icon is stored in the Andrei Rublev Central Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art in Moscow.

Dionysius "Our Lady Hodegetria" (after 1485)

Pavlo-Obnorsky Monastery. Trinity Cathedral

Pavlo-Obnorsky Monastery (photo from the beginning of the 20th century)
Founded in 1414 on the banks of the Nurma River (Vologda Region) by St. Paul of Obnorsky, a disciple of Sergius of Radonezh. One of the most ancient and in the past large monasteries of the Russian North. Most of the buildings of the XVI-XVIII centuries. were destroyed by the Soviet authorities, the surviving buildings were used as an orphanage, a pioneer camp. In 1994 it was returned to the church.
Several icons originate from the Trinity Cathedral, including the work of Dionysius, at present they are in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, and the Vologda Museum-Reserve.
For the wooden Trinity Cathedral Dionysius in 1500 painted an iconostasis. Only 4 icons have been preserved: "The Savior in Strength", "Crucifixion", "Assurance of Thomas", "Assumption of the Mother of God".

Dionysius "The Savior in Strength" (1500). State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow)

Dionysius "Crucifixion" (1500). State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow)

Dionysius and the workshop "Assurance of Thomas" (1500). State Russian Museum (Petersburg)

Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. Assumption Cathedral

The monastery was founded by St. Cyril of Belozersky, who came here together with St. Ferapont from the Moscow Simonov Monastery at the beginning of the 15th century. Kirill Belozersky was a widely educated person. The monastery founded by him became the most important cultural and religious center of Russia.
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery is the largest monastery in Europe (an area of about 12 hectares). It accumulated and stored works of artistic culture created here or brought here from all over Russia.
The main temple of the monastery is the Assumption Cathedral (1497). The iconostasis of the temple is completed the best craftsmen Russia. Most of the icons have been preserved (about 60).

Dionysius and the workshop "Kirill Belozersky with his life" (beginning of the 16th century)
Dionisy and the artists of his workshop are credited with the surviving icons: "St. Cyril of Belozersky" and "St. Cyril of Belozersky with life." Both icons are in the Russian Museum.

Moscow Kremlin. Ascension Monastery. Ascension Cathedral

Ascension Monastery. Photo from the album N.A. Naidenov "Moscow. Cathedrals, monasteries and churches" (1882)
In 1482, a miraculous Byzantine icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria of the 14th century, brought from Constantinople, was burnt in the cathedral during a fire. The icon was restored by Dionysius. This restored icon survived the terrible fire of 1547. The Mother of God Hodegetria is in the State Tretyakov Gallery.

Dionysius "Our Lady Hodegetria" (1482)

Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery. Transfiguration Cathedral

The Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery was founded in 1371 not far from Vologda by Abbot Demetrius from Pereslavl-Zalessky, who was a disciple and associate of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Dmitry Prilutsky built here the first wooden church and near it wooden cells for monks. Until the sixteenth century all buildings in the monastery were wooden. Over time, the Spaso-Prilutsky monastery became a large, influential and rich monastery. northern Russia and stone construction began here.

Dionysius and the workshop "St. Dmitry Prilutsky with his life"

Ferapontov Belozersky Monastery. Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin

The most famous (and last) works of Dionysius are the wall paintings and the iconostasis of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin of the Ferapontov Monastery, made by the artist together with his sons.

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin
Known icons of Dionysius: Metropolitans Peter and Alexei (1462-1472), Our Lady Hodegetria (1482), Baptism of the Lord (1500), Savior in Strength and Crucifixion (1500), Descent into Hell.

Ceiling painting of Dionysius in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Ferapontovo, Vologda region)

Dionysius. Frescoes of the Ferapontov Monastery

Fresco of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Ferapontov Monastery
The ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery is unique in its beauty, harmony of architectural details of different centuries, uniting it into a single whole. The idea of the ensemble is to reveal the theme of the Incarnation in architectural and pictorial images.

Ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery
Of particular importance for Russian and world culture is the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. The chronicle states that on the slope of the northern door the cathedral was painted by Dionysius and his sons in 1502.
The mural area of the cathedral is 600 m². And this is the only documented painting of the master. It vividly characterizes the individuality of Dionysius's work: soft colors, harmony of plots with architecture. It is very important for us that the murals of the cathedral have been completely preserved and have never been updated.
The monastery was founded in 1398 by St. Ferapont, who came from a boyar family. Ferapont took monastic vows in the Moscow Simonov Monastery, came to the North together with his friend and associate Saint Cyril of Belozersky, but did not stay with him, but founded his monastery 15 km from the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.
Here worked scribes, icon painters - in particular, Dionysius.

Dionysius. Father Abel. Fresco from the Nativity Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery
The frescoes and icons of the Ferapontov Monastery are considered the last major work of Dionysius.

Dionysius and the workshop "Apostle Paul"

The painting of Dionysius is the work of the leading master of the era. His iconic images are distinguished by their inner unity and sublimity, they help the spiritual mood. He embodied in his creations the experience of his predecessors, but also expressed the spiritual upsurge that manifested itself in public life at the end of the 15th century. Thus, Dionysius largely determined the worldview of his contemporaries.

Dionisy is a Russian icon painter, a follower of the school of Andrei Rublev and his most talented student, who lived in the 15th century.

The grand ducal artist and icon painter Dionysius was born in the family of a noble layman in 1430-1440. In the synodics of the Kirilo-Belozersky Monastery, the “family of Dionysius the Iconnik” is listed, these are the princes and the Horde prince - Peter, for whom Dionysius prayed. The recipients of the icon-painting craft of Dionysius were his sons, the painters Vladimir and Theodosius. Dionysius painted temple murals - "frescoes" and the faces of saints traditional for Russian art for temple iconostases - "icons". According to ancient Russian chronicles, it is known that Dionysius worked a lot, received orders from monasteries, princes of ancient Russian principalities from Vladimir, Rostov, Uglich and Moscow Tsar Ivan III Vasilyevich.

Moscow princes sought to establish their supremacy among other Russian principalities, to prove the right of succession to power after the Russian city of Vladimir. In 1326, Metropolitan Peter transferred the metropolitan court from Vladimir to Moscow. At the same time, in the Moscow Kremlin, a temple was laid in the name of the Assumption of the Mother of God, in the altar of which was placed the tomb of Metropolitan Peter, who did not live to see the completion of the construction of the Assumption Cathedral. The Assumption Cathedral, which was built in the Kremlin since 1472 by the Pskov masters Krivtsov and Myshkin and brought “already almost to the vaults”, collapsed due to bad lime: “And there was great sadness for Grand Duke John Vasilyevich ...” Ivan III instructed the Russian ambassador to In Italy, Semyon Tolbuzin should be invited to build an Italian architect. A famous engineer and architect from Bologna, Aristotle Fiorovanti, agreed to come to Moscow.

In 1475, in the Moscow Kremlin, the foundation was laid for the “new instead of the former” Assumption Cathedral, designed by an invited Italian architect. “It was wonderful to see how they did it for three years, in one week and less they destroyed the hedgehog ...”, the chronicler was surprised. “That church was wonderful in its majesty and height, and lordship, and ringing, and space, it had never been like this before in Russia.”

The cathedral, which played an important role in the life of the Moscow state, was decorated with special magnificence. Ivan Vasilyevich saw the work of “monks Dionysius and Mitrofan” in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin of the Pafnutiev Borovsky Monastery in Borovsk (near Kaluga) and invited the talented icon painter Dionysius to Moscow to paint the Assumption Cathedral. Dionysius with his assistants "priest Timofey, Yarts and Koney" painted frescoes (water-based paints on wet plaster) on the vaults of the altar part of the cathedral. When for the first time after the painting, the tsar, the boyars and the clergy entered the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, “seeing the great church and the miraculous painting, they imagined themselves as standing in heaven ...”

At present, the frescoes of Dionysius of the 15th century have been preserved in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin: “Adoration of the Magi”, “Praise to the Mother of God”, “Seven Sleeping Youths of Ephesus”, “Forty Martyrs of Sebaste”, several scenes from the life of St. » on the front of the altar wall of the cathedral. One of the twenty surviving frescoes - "Alexey the Man of God" depicts the holy reverend Alexy with a golden halo over his head, in a belted shirt with his arms crossed on his chest. The image of the man of God Alexy allows us to see Dionysius himself in the author. The fresco painting of Dionysius is characterized by the elongation of the proportions of the depicted saints, the softness of their movements. Spectators are captivated by the color harmony of the image of saints, the transparency and tenderness of the halftones of the colors of the frescoes, reminiscent of watercolor.

Of the icons made by Dionysius in the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, two large icons of metropolitans have been preserved: “Metropolitan Alexy with his life” (kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery) and “Metropolitan Peter with his life” (Museums of the Moscow Kremlin). On St. Metropolitan Peter, was the metropolitan of 1308-1326. the ceremonial brocade robe "sakkos" is depicted, decorated with pearls and precious stones. The icon "Metropolitan Peter of Moscow" by Dionisy has stamps around the perimeter of the icon, with scenes from the life of the Russian primate Orthodox Church: about his studies, life in the monastery and dedication to the degree of church hierarchy to the rank of metropolitan and participation in the construction of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. A feature of the coloristic innovation of Dionysius in painting the icons of Metropolitans Alexei and Peter is “enhancement with color”, of one shade, i.e. overlaying one shade of red layer on top of another. Thus, the form is built by planes, reinforcing in this way the impression of the created image of Metropolitan Peter and Metropolitan Alexei in their large hagiographic icons from the Assumption Cathedral.

In addition to the hagiographic icons of Metropolitans Peter and Alexy, one of the best icons of Dionysius is the icon of the Apocalypse from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. The creation of the icon was associated with the end of the world expected in 1492. The full name of the icon: "Apocalypse or revelation of John the Theologian, vision of the end of the world and the Last Judgment." Multi-tiered compositions are depicted: crowds of believers in beautiful clothes, embraced by the single power of prayer, bowed before the lamb. Majestic pictures of the Apocalypse unfold around the worshipers: behind the walls of white-stone cities, translucent figures of angels contrast with the black figures of demons. Despite the complexity, multi-figure, crowded and multi-tiered composition, the icon of Dionysius "Apocalypse" is graceful, light and very beautiful in color, like the traditional icon painting of the Moscow school from the time of Andrei Rublev.

After Moscow, in the 1480s-1490s, Dionisy's creative biography was connected with the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery, where he worked on icons for the cathedral church of the Assumption of the Mother of God, heading an icon-painting artel with his sons, painters Vladimir and Theodosius. The three of us worked together, 90 icons were created. In the annals, these works are called "very beautiful." The remnants of the painting of the altar barrier with compositions of the Ecumenical Councils have been preserved in the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery.

By the same time, the icon of Dionysius "The Mother of God Hodegetria" from the Ascension Monastery in the Moscow Kremlin belongs. The icon was painted by Dionysius on an old board from a Greek icon “brought from Constantinople by Archbishop Dionysius of Suzdal in 1381. Judging by the chronicle report, the image of the Hodegetria, which suffered in the fire of 1482, was an exact copy of the miraculous Hodegetria of Constantinople.

Dionysius repeated the damaged image, apparently retaining its iconography and composition. The half-length image of the Mother of God with a baby on her left hand is executed on a large board, in proportion approaching a square, with wide margins intended for a salary. The image of the mother and baby is frontal, the face of Mary is slightly turned to the right. In the upper corners of the icon are half-figures of the archangels Michael (left) and Gabriel (right). Near the images of the archangels there are inscriptions with their names. On the left above the shoulder of the Mother of God there is an inscription with the name of the image "Hodegetria". With his left hand, the Christ Child holds a scroll resting on his knee. It was these iconographic features that distinguished the miraculous Hodegetria of Constantinople, which died in 1453, from other revered images of the Theotokos.
Currently, the icon of Our Lady Hodegetria of 1482, painted by Dionysius according to the old model, is in the museums of the Moscow Kremlin.

For Joseph-Volkolamsky Monastery in 1484-1485. Dionysius painted an icon similar to the Byzantine model " Mother of God Hodegetria" (guides). The grandiosity of the size of the icon and the monumentality of the image made the image its intercessor with its strict majesty and severe representativeness.

Dionysius was personally acquainted with Joseph Volotsky and maintained relations with him. Wise with life experience, following the icon painter Andrei Rublev, Dionysius reflected on icon-painting and worldview problems, trying to comprehend the purpose of a person, his path to perfection. Joseph Volotsky was a supporter of festive and decorative art with magnificent ceremonial church rites, characteristic of the grand ducal court. But “with the penetrating lyricism of his work, the spiritual nobility of his heroes, Dionysius is close to Joseph’s opponent in the ideological struggle - the wise old man Nilus of Sorsky, who taught that God “shows the perfect man like an angel”.

Such are all the saints on the icons of Dionysius. All researchers of the work of Dionysius note the special luminosity and radiant purity of the colors of this icon painter. Dionysius is rightfully considered an unsurpassed master of color. Purity and special transparency, the so-called. the luminosity of colors is inherent in the paintings of Dionysius. This is especially evident in the frescoes of the Ferapontov Monastery in northern Russia. Dionisy entered the history of ancient Russian art as an unsurpassed master who created the famous murals of the Ferapontov Monastery on Beloozero, the Vologda Territory, where people from all over the world come to see the miracle.

So, already at the end of his life, around 1500, Dionysius, a Moscow master, firmly connected with the traditions of the followers of the Moscow icon-painting school of Andrei Rublev, leaves with his sons to the north, to Belozerye in the remote Ferapontov Monastery, in order to create “for the glory of the Lord” one of the best their creations.

At the 24th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at the end of 2000, the ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery with the paintings of Dionysius was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The murals of this cathedral are grandiose - 600 sq. meters, which were painted for short term. According to the text of the chronicle, preserved on the slope of the northern door of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, in Ferapontovo, it was painted: “the icon painter Dionysius with his children” from August 6 to September 8, 1502 of the next summer. In the murals of the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Ferapontov Monastery, the icon painter Dionysius, as it were, slightly muffles the color, brightening the palette, which makes it acquire a special softness, radiant purity. The smoothness of the lines gives the painting a musicality.

In addition to the majestic wall paintings from the Ferapontov Monastery, 17 icons, deesis and prophetic ranks of the iconostasis of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, have been preserved. The icons of this iconostasis, made by the master Dionisy and his sons, are kept in various museums: the Russian Museum-GRM, the Tretyakov Gallery-GTG and the Belozersky Museum. In addition to the icon of the Lord Jesus Christ, the iconostasis of the Church of the Nativity included icons of the Mother of God, John the Baptist, Saints Demetrius of Thessalonica and George the Victorious, archangels, apostles, saints, martyrs and pillars.

Despite the internal unity of images for one iconostasis of the Nativity Church of the Ferapontov Monastery, the icons have individual characteristics. This is due to the great originality and loftiness of the images of saints created by Dionysius. After his death, for many years his followers and students decorated the temples in the "style of the master Dionysius." All these geographically scattered holy images of the work of the “iconic icon Dionysius” and his school are recognizable by outward signs. This is a special lyricism of images, their refinement, rhythm and musicality.

Works for the Ferapontov Monastery completed creative way icon painter Dionysius. It is assumed that the great painter died between 1502-1508, since already in 1508 his eldest son Vladimir headed the painting artel. It is known about the second son that “the painter Theodosius, the son of Dionysius”, decorated the “Book of the Prophets” of 1497 and the famous “Gospel of 1507”: “the scribe Nikon, the gold painter Mikhail Medovartsev, the painter Theodosius, the son of Dionysius”. The painter Theodosius, son of Dionysius, copied several hundred miniatures from the Radzivilov Chronicle. These refined illustrations of Theodosius are distinguished by a special elegance of drawing and refined elegance of color.

The work of the icon painter Dionisy - a jubilant light song in the colors of a brilliant Russian artist, glorifying goodness and beauty - was a vivid expression of the creation of Holy Russia, the flowering of Orthodox culture and art of the XV-XVI centuries. when the Muscovite state asserted its power.

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Creativity of Dionysius

Dionysius the Wise(born about 1450 - died about 1520). With this definition, the name of the famous Russian artist is written on the pages of the Patericon of the Joseph-Volokolamsky Monastery. Dionisy is an outstanding icon painter, the most revered artist of Russia in the late XV - early XVI centuries, a contemporary of Raphael, Leonardo, Botticelli, Durer.

Dionisy is a Russian icon painter, a follower of the school of Andrei Rublev and his most talented student, who lived in the 15th century. The grand-ducal artist and icon painter Dionysius was born in the family of a noble layman, between 1430-1440. In the synodics of the Kirilo-Belozersky monastery, the “family of Dionysius the Iconnik” is listed, these are the princes and the Horde prince - Peter.

Who taught Dionysius the basics of craftsmanship, introduced him to the techniques developed by the then painting, is unknown. But by the middle of the 15th century, Russian painting had ceased to be exclusively monastic, and the lay artist was replacing the monk artist. Perhaps one of the first teachers of Dionysius was the same "old master Mitrofan", with whom Dionysius worked for Joseph Volotsky.

Continuing and developing the legacy of Andrei Rublev, Dionysius created works that reflected the rise of Russian culture in the era of the formation of a centralized Russian state. By the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries, the annexation of Novgorod, Pskov and Tver to Moscow completed the process of unification of Russian lands into a single state. In the autumn of 1480, a bloodless victory was won on the Ugra River, which marked the final fall of the Horde yoke.

The new position of Moscow as the capital of a single, vast European state gave rise to the need to rebuild the Moscow Kremlin. At the end of the 15th century, under Ivan III, the Assumption Cathedral (1475-1479), the Annunciation Cathedral (1484-1489) were rebuilt, the Church of the Deposition of the Robe (1484-1486) was built.

This period is associated with the work of the largest after Andrei Rublev artist of Ancient Russia - Dionysius. He worked in an atmosphere of spiritual upsurge, grandiose construction in Moscow, and at the same time tense eschatological moods associated with the expectation of the end of the world after the seventh thousand years (according to the old Russian chronology).

The theme of Dionysius's work is determined by the religious and philosophical ideas of public service and duty, a special understanding of the role of Russia in the course of history. The works of Dionysius are characterized by a confident, graceful drawing, a light, transparent color, a special consistency and plasticity of the compositions. The images created by Dionysius are filled with perfect spiritual harmony, an idea of the coming world of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Dionysius became famous for his paintings in the Pafnutyevo-Borovsky Monastery. The most famous icons were painted by the artist in Moscow. "Metropolitan Peter with his life", "Metropolitan Alexy with his life" (1481) - for the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral, the icon "The Mother of God Hodegetria" (1482) - for the Ascension Monastery.

The icons of Dionysius, painted by him for the Trans-Volga monasteries, have been preserved: Pavlo-Obnorsky, Spaso-Prilutsky, Kirillo-Belozersky. It is also known that Dionysius painted the iconostasis for the Spaso-Kamenny Monastery, located near Vologda. Russian chronicles mention the murals of Dionysius, which adorned the cathedrals of the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery near Moscow, the Chigasov monastery in Moscow.

The flourishing activity of the famous icon painter falls on the time of work at the beginning of the 16th century in the northern monasteries of the Trans-Volga region - in the Belozersk and Vologda regions. During this period, in 1502, Dionysius, together with his sons, created a unique ensemble of frescoes and icons of the Nativity Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery - the only surviving murals of Dionysius.

An extremely limited number of icons, undoubtedly belonging to the brush of Dionysius, gives a concrete idea of the nature of his painting. Thanks to being lost in the Vologda forests, the frescoes of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Ferapontov Monastery have survived to this day in full and without distortion.

They were created by Dionysius together with the artel and represent him as a virtuoso muralist. Many works are attributed to the icon painter on the basis of stylistic analysis.

Dionysius, like his brilliant predecessor Andrei Rublev, was wholly connected with the culture of Moscow. He managed to give his art a national character to an even greater extent, thereby strengthening the authority of the Moscow principality as a single center of Russia.

The honor of "discovering" Dionysius belongs to the inquisitive scientist, connoisseur of Russian antiquity Vasily Timofeevich Georgievsky, who published in 1911 a book about the frescoes of the Ferapontov Monastery.

And although what was written about this wonderful monument by its first researcher is debatable, interest in Dionysius and his work was awakened.

The icon of the Mother of God "Hodegetria", painted by Dionysius, was found, a number of other works by the master were installed: the icons "Apocalypse" (Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin) and "Shestodnev" - the hagiographic icon of Sergei Radonezhsky (Trinity Monastery), some icons of the Volgorod Museum, miniatures of various manuscripts, frescoes.

Now there is no doubt that Dionysius spent his whole life in hard and fruitful work. According to the inventory of Elder Izosima, compiled in the 16th century for the book keeper of the Volokamsk Monastery, in 1486 Dionysius, together with his sons and students, created a huge iconostasis in the Volokamsk Monastery and, in addition, painted eighty-seven more icons.

However, at present, only about forty monuments of painting are associated with the name of Dionysius. In 1477, reporting on the death of Elder Pafnuty, hegumen of the Borovsky Monastery, the chronicler considered it necessary to record that the elder built a stone church in his monastery and signed it “wonderful velmy”, decorated it with icons and all church utensils.

In the life of Pafnuty Borovsky, written later, it is said that it was Dionysius who painted this church together with his assistants. The author of the life makes the reservation that this master was "not only an icon painter, but rather a painter," and tells something about Dionysius that draws the artist in the light of a very unfavorable from the point of view of church morality.

Dionysius was one of the few who managed to find a finely balanced harmony between a smooth flowing line and exquisite color combinations. In the faces of saints, he almost excludes the possibility of three-dimensional modeling. Barely outlined by graphic lines, the eyes, nose, lips are devoid of individual features. Dionysius masterfully owns the rhythmic structure of the composition. The saints in his works are presented outside of dynamic development. On a golden background, they seem to be out of time and space.

The art of Dionysius embodies a completely new stage of Russian art, which has nothing to do with the pictorial illusionism and inner richness of the art of the era of Andrei Rublev. For the first time, the icon began to turn from an object of worship into an object of admiration and collection.

The work of Dionysius found its admirers primarily in the person of such major hierarchs as the Archbishop of Rostov, Ivan III's confidant Vassian Rylo, and the brilliant theologian and publicist Iosif Volotsky. They greatly contributed to the flourishing of the talent of a remarkable icon painter. For the first time we learn about Dionysius from the life of Paphnutius of Borovsky, compiled by Vassian.

In it, the artist and his senior comrade Mitrofan, after completing the murals in the Pafnutiev Monastery around 1477, were named in superlatives: “... then notorious more than anyone else in such a business.”

The years 1481-82 are the most crucial period in the life of an icon painter. “Icons Dionysius, yes priest Timothy, yes Yarets, yes Horse” were called by Vassian for a lot of money to decorate the grand-princely Assumption Cathedral, recently completed by Aristotle Fioravanti. The iconostasis created by them was the example that finally completed the search for a multi-tiered form of the altar barrier. For their work, dedicated to the victory over the hordes of Khan Akhmat, the icon painters received a huge reward for those times - one hundred rubles.

In 1482, by order of the Prince of Uglich Andrey, Dionysius created another iconostasis. In the same years, the icon painter received a new honorary order. During a fire in the Kremlin’s Resurrection Monastery, “the wonderful Mother of God in Greek writing was burned in the same way, as if it were wonderful in Tsaregrad.”

The painter was instructed to restore a particularly revered image on the same board. The Greek icon was a relic of the royal family, and the fact that it was Dionysius who was instructed to "restore" it suggests that the artist was respected. In this first surviving work, one can notice the formed artistic style, which will soon become characteristic of Russian national culture.

The images of Mary and the baby Christ are devoid of everything concrete, individual and emotional. Easily “readable” silhouettes of the figures turn the icon into a heraldic sign, a symbol. In two huge hagiographic icons dedicated to the Metropolitans of Moscow Peter and Alexei, a large place is given to the role of light.

Attention, initially riveted to the monumental figures of saints, then focuses on the hallmarks, where for the first time scenes of almost modern life: the laying of the Assumption Cathedral by Peter or the trip of Alexei on behalf of the tsar to Golden Horde and his conversations with Sergius of Radonezh.

Of course, before Dionysius, it never occurred to anyone to depict both metropolitans side by side, “on the same board”: these “saints” were not connected either biographically or chronologically. If Peter had long been revered as the first metropolitan of Moscow, then Alexei was canonized only in 1448 and was considered a "new" miracle worker. In the eyes of an ordinary icon painter, he could not be equal to Metropolitan Peter.

Dionysius was the first to deviate from the rule of depicting both metropolitans separately. True, he wrote them on different boards, but both icons were conceived as one.

Each of these icons consists of a centerpiece with the figure of a metropolitan and a series of hallmarks, which tells "about the life of the saint." The sizes of the middles are the same. The figure of Metropolitan Alexei, as it were, repeats the figure of Metropolitan Peter. The whole difference is that Peter's left half of the robe is turned away and his right leg is put forward, while Alexei's right half of the robe is turned away, and his left leg is put forward. The board in Peter's hand falls to the left, and in Alexei's hand it falls to the right. The figures of the metropolitans are devoid of individual features.

Embodying in two images the ideal type of the canonical "saint", Dionysius shows Alexei as the successor of Peter's work, affirms the idea of continuity of spiritual power.

The approach of Dionysius to the choice of scenes for the hallmarks of both icons is also peculiar. These hallmarks surround the centerpiece and tell about the life of the metropolitans. It would seem that the easiest way for the master was to follow the text of the "lives" of Peter and Alexei, especially since the "biography" of Alexei (his life was formed by 1459) differs from the "biography" of Peter only by campaigns in the Horde, and the rest of the events in it, as it were are repeated. But Dionysius pursued a certain goal and just here, in the hallmarks, he did not follow the text of the "lives". Avoiding repetition, he chose in one case those scenes that he released in another.

In the hallmarks of the icon of Peter, the element of the supernatural, the miraculous is emphasized. It is told about the vision of Peter's mother, about how the icon painted by Peter predicted his victory in Constantinople over his rival - Gerontius. An angel is depicted warning Peter of his imminent death, a "terrible miracle" is sung, which took place when Peter's body was transferred to the church.

There are few such "miracles" in the hallmarks of the icon of Alexei. Even the "miracle with a candle" is presented as an ordinary picture of a prayer service in the Assumption Cathedral. But Dionysius depicts here a whole cycle of miracles allegedly created by Alexei himself. Thus, the master's intention is revealed: to prove the "holiness" of Alexei, canonized relatively recently, to emphasize once again that Alexei is a worthy successor to Peter.

It is usually believed that in the icons of Metropolitans Peter and Alexei, Dionysius follows the established tradition, emphasizing the superiority of spiritual power over secular. This is true, but the content of both icons cannot be explained by "tradition" alone.

The artist clearly carries out here the ideas that many church leaders live at that time, in particular Joseph Volotsky. Dionysius not only expresses the idea of the superiority of the “priesthood” over the tsar, but also speaks in defense of the institution of monasticism, in defense of the Russian Orthodox Church, the immediate successor of the Greek Church, whose precepts were “changed” by Byzantium. Moreover, Dionysius expresses these views and thoughts in an unusual language for the painting of that era, refusing a number of techniques developed by his predecessors.

Having saved the usual scheme, obligatory for "full-length" hagiographic icons, Dionysius did not, however, make the hallmarks sharply different in color from the centerpiece, did not mark them with a dark line - a kind of frame for the central part, which would make the figure of the metropolitan look constrained. The icons painted by Dionysius are light and "spacious": the pale green background of the centerpiece, the architectural and landscape backgrounds of the marks - light green, pink, golden - merge into one bright field. Usually, at the bottom of the hagiographic icons, a dark stripe of "pozemi" was let in. Dionysius used a light green color for the manure, decorated it with slides and "herbs". This enhances the impression of lightness and spaciousness. In addition, the white pauldron and white border, as it were, dismember, crush the red spot of the Metropolitan's outer garment (sakkos). The bottom of the sakkos is trimmed with wide golden, shimmering embroidery, softened by a white stripe of underwear, drawn with green contours and almost merges with the general background. The figures of the "saints" that do not have a clear silhouette seem to float in the air.

It is curious that the figure of Metropolitan Alexei is drawn very strictly in the hallmarks, the harmony of the tones of the clothes and the background again soften the contour, as if dissolving it in the surrounding space.

“In terms of its pictorial skill,” says M.V. Alpatov, “this icon is one of the pinnacles of ancient Russian art. Limiting itself to generalized silhouettes, Dionysius avoids sharp chiaroscuro and clear contour lines. Everything is built on the finest ratios of color spots ... In the last hallmarks, which tells about the events after the death of Alexei, the colors acquire watercolor transparency.In general, the coloring of Alexei's "life" creates a bright and harmonious mood.

The whole icon looks like a panegyric in honor of the Moscow Metropolitan. Both the colors and the ratio of tones - everything in both icons of Dionysius is put at the service of the main task: to show the viewer the two great Russian metropolitans.

Unfortunately, the work of Dionysius in the Moscow period can be judged only by two works: by the icon "Hodegetria" and by the icon "Apocalypse". Dionysius worked in Moscow at the height of the controversy between heretics and the official church, at the time of the prosperity of Fyodor Kuritsyn's circle, at the time of the Grand Duke's triumph over his enemies.

The icon "Apocalypse" was poorly preserved, the colors faded and cracked, but it is clear that, solving the theme of "The Last Judgment", the author is still close to its Rublev interpretation. "The Last Judgment" Dionysius (or a master close to him) portrays as the triumph of the righteous. The icon does not have a gloomy character - the artist seeks to encourage the viewer, and not to intimidate or suppress him.

The Mother of God was painted in Russia both before and after Rublev, and the famous Vladimir icon "Tenderness", which expressed the deep feelings of a young mother, her tender, thoughtful sadness, was usually taken as a model. All Russian icons of the Theotokos of the late 14th and early 15th centuries retained the features of sadness and tenderness, deep humanity, and depicted feelings that connect a mother with a baby. But since the middle of the 15th century, the image of the Virgin is increasingly interpreted by Russian painters as a solemn image of the "Queen of Heaven".

And it is no accident that it was in Moscow in the second half of the 15th century that the image of the Mother of God, called "Hodegetria" (Guidebook), became a favorite topic. And even if the icon painter painted "Tenderness" and not "Hodegetria" at that time, he retains only the pose of this image. It was this new image of the "Queen of Heaven" that received the most complete and clear embodiment in the works of Dionysius.

In the Theotokos Dionysius there is nothing like the image of a captivating young mother rejoicing at the baby and caressing him. The features of the beautiful face of the Mother of God are cold and strict, large dark eyes are not turned to the child, but look, as it were, over the heads of the audience.

The solemnity of the image is enhanced by the pattern and color combinations clothes: the golden border of the cape lies in strict folds, almost completely hiding the dark blue headband. The break in these folds above the forehead of the Mother of God flashes like a golden star of embroidery and it looks like Mary's forehead is crowned with a crown. Her hand, supporting the baby, does not seem to be a caring hand of a mother, but a kind of royal throne...

The lower border of the cape, falling from the left hand of Mary, seems to form the foot of this throne. Right hand Maria points to the audience at her son, called to "save the human race." However, in the Dionysian icon, this gesture also acquires a second meaning: a prayer addressed to the Son.

Therefore, Christ himself (blessing the audience on other icons) in Dionysius does not address the audience, but the Mother of God, who receives a blessing from him.

With this technique, the artist somewhat removed the image from the viewer, approved the "distance" between them. Christ is inaccessible to him and can become accessible only through an intermediary - the Virgin Mary ("the ladder of heaven"). It is important to note that in that era Dionysius wrote his "Hodegetria", there was a change in ideas about holiness.

"Saints" begin to be elevated to the pedestal of royalty, the ancient "lives" are transposed into new ones, distinguished by the "intricacies of words." The relics of the saints are transferred from simple coffins to magnificent, magnificent shrines. Dionysius sensitively captures the trends of the times. Dionysius is interested not so much in the inner world of a person as in his relationship with the surrounding worlds, his place in the world. The artist seems to feel that a person, as an individual, is isolated from the worldview, opposed to it, has value only as part of some huge whole ...

And if Rublev, according to the expression of the ancients, "prayed with a brush", then Dionysius philosophized with a brush. The fact that Dionysius felt the need expressed his understanding by the methods of painting, creating completely new, vivid images.

In 1484, Dionysius was already working in the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery with a new artel, which included the sons of the artist, Vladimir and Theodosius. From the monastery inventory of 1545, it is known that 87 icons here were painted by the famous painter. A contemporary admired by them called the masters “elegant and cunning in the Russian land icon painters, moreover painters”. Of the cycle created for the Pavlo-Obnorsky Monastery in 1500, the Crucifixion is the most famous.

The whimsically curved body of Christ is devoid of weighty weight. It floats in the ghostly shimmer of a golden background. A group of bright halftone spots of their robes coming together creates a feeling of upbeat festivity. The refined elongation of their proportions makes the style of Dionysius easily recognizable. The composition of the icon is supplemented with a rare detail: under the wings of the cross, there are personalized images of the Synagogue driven out by an angel and the true Church led by an angel to the cross.

In the "Crucifixion" icon, the figures of saints acquire an accentuated elegance of silhouettes, the proportions are lengthened, which, in combination with light coloring, creates the impression of great lightness. The tragic scene gets a calm, enlightened sound. "Crucifixion" in style approaches the frescoes of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Ferapontov Monastery - one of the most remarkable monuments of ancient Russia and the greatest creation of Dionysius.

In 1500-1502, Dionysius and his retinue worked in the Ferapontov Monastery. The ensemble of murals impresses with its thematic integrity, clarity of intention, and amazing coloristic solution. In it, the dominant role is assigned to the blue color, synonymous with heavenly light.

The program of frescoes is based on the glorification of Mary - the most complete cycle of illustrations of the poetic hymn Akathist, admirable for its classical simplicity, nobility of images.

It can be assumed that Dionysius aspired to the Ferapont Monastery at sunset, in order to create independently, without restrictions, wanting to leave his artistic testament to his descendants. The monastery was founded in the XIV century in the North of Russia by a native of Moscow, a monk Ferapont. Fortunately, the frescoes have come down to us in good condition. Moreover, an ancient inscription remained in the temple, from which it becomes known that the authors are "the icon painter Dionysius with his children", that is, the sons Theodosius and Vladimir, and the painting was started in the summer of 1500 and completed by 1502.

It is no coincidence that Dionysius brought an inscription above one of the entrances to the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, indicating that this work belongs to him and his assistants. And it is no coincidence that Dionysius immortalized himself, his wife and two sons in one of the fresco motifs.

The originality of the Dionysian paintings in the Ferapontov Monastery is so obvious that there can be no question of imitating any earlier examples. Mother of God themes, as established by art historians, are not found in Russian churches of the early period. They were popular in the South Slavic - Bulgarian and Serbian churches, where scenes from the gospel stories were reproduced, the history of the church was illustrated, countless hosts of martyrs, prophets, saints and the separation of the church were shown.

Dionysius chose for painting only the most necessary subjects, determined by the task of glorifying Mary and mandatory for any church painting. In the lower zone of the frescoes, he, as required, depicted martyrs, great martyrs, church fathers. In the altar - "the service of the holy fathers." Christ the Almighty is written in the dome, in the drum, between the windows - the archangels, in the so-called sails (transition from walls to the dome) - the evangelists, and on the western wall of the temple - "The Last Judgment". Dionysius here followed the canon, which he had no right to transgress.

But, creating the rest of the frescoes, he could choose what exactly and how to write. And the master makes the selection very carefully, comprehending church dogmas in his own way. The artist is completely independent in frescoes dedicated to the Virgin Mary herself. In South Slavic churches, the whole life of Mary was usually depicted, starting with the "Nativity of the Virgin" and ending with the "Assumption", which was placed on the western wall.

Akathist to the Mother of God, if included in the painting, then occupied an insignificant place somewhere in the side aisles.

Dionysius creates a painting glorifying Mary, the painting is similar to the hymns composed in her honor. On the northern side of the Ferapontov temple, the Virgin is enthroned, surrounded by archangels, and crowds of mortals are crowding at the foot, singing the "Queen of the World."

On the southern wall, a host of singers glorify Mary, as "in her womb she carried a deliverer to captives." On the western wall, in the composition of the "Last Judgment" (which replaced the more usual "Assumption" for the South Slavic Mother of God churches). Mary is glorified as the intercessor of the human race.

The image of Mary in the eastern lunette of the temple is extremely curious. Here she is depicted, in a purely Russian, national spirit, as the patroness and protector of the Russian state. She stands with a "veil" in her hands against the backdrop of the walls of ancient Vladimir, which at that time served as a symbol of the religious and political unity of Russia. Maria is surrounded not by singers and not by saints, but by crowds of people in Russian costumes.

So in four compositions, Dionysius expresses his attitude to the interpretation of the image of the Virgin, close to what he did in Hodegetria. In the middle tier, the artist did not place scenes from the life of Mary, as was customary in South Slavic churches, but illustrations for twenty-four songs of the Akathist to the Mother of God. Here the master was the least constrained by the canons, and all the images are original.

Dionysius again refuses the opportunity to show the turbulent movement of the human soul, human passions - he is attracted to reflections, to the original interpretation of traditional themes. Here, for example, Mary and the elderly Joseph, who learned that his wife was expecting a baby. Usually the masters portrayed this scene full of drama. Joseph rushed to Mary, gesticulating violently, and the maiden answered him with no less expressive gestures.

In Dionysius, Joseph, already knowing about the "immaculate conception", reverently bows before Mary, stretching out his hand to her, repeating the gesture usual for "anticipation", and Mary humbly lowers her head, as if accepting worship. Shepherds are depicted in the same pose of "standing up" to the deity, bowing before Mary and the baby. The riders rushing to the manger are not depicted in a furious gallop - they are calmly sitting on horseback and seem to be listening to something.

There is an opinion that only the general idea of the painting belonged to Dionysius, and most of the frescoes in the temple itself were painted by the master's assistants. It is believed that, being in old age, the artist could not rise under the dome of the temple and paint the huge face of Christ; that compositions in the lunettes were beyond his power, and he chose the western portal for painting, where he could create without being connected with the general pace of work, and inside the church he painted only the arches holding the vault of the dome.

It has been noticed that in almost all the fresco works of Dionysius there are "errors" and there is some incompleteness. This was due to the fact that the sons working with their father or apprentices could not withstand the pace of Dionysius's work, which was necessary for writing on drying plaster. Be that as it may, the idea of painting the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin is expressed with the greatest completeness and artistry in the frescoes of the western portal and arches.

The western portal is divided into three tiers. In the lower one - on the sides to the entrance - angels are depicted with scrolls in their hands, in the middle - the scene of the Nativity of the Virgin and the scene of the so-called "caressing the baby by Joachim and Anna". The deesis is placed in the upper tier.

The fresco of the middle level is the only "hagiographic" fresco in the whole temple. The fact that it was placed on the portal, in the most "visible place", is explained by the purpose of the church, dedicated to the feast of the "nativity of the virgin". Prior to Dionysius, the plot of "The Nativity of the Virgin" was usually interpreted by artists as a family scene in the house of Joachim and Anna, Mary's parents.

Dionysius could not avoid genre details dictated by the very content of the painting, and yet he differs sharply from his predecessors. icon painter Dionysius fresco monastery

Anna on the frescoes of Dionysius does not make an attempt to get up, does not reach for food - she sits on the bed, full of dignity and humility, and the woman standing behind the bed not only does not help Anna to get up, but does not even dare to touch the cover of the one who gave birth to the future mother Christ.

The woman to the right of the bed does not just hand Anna a bowl of food, but solemnly brings it. And this golden bowl becomes the center of the composition, acquires a special semantic meaning. Dionysius seems to inspire the audience that before them is not the usual worldly fuss that accompanies the birth of a child, but the performance of the sacrament. In such a "context" the usually secondary scene of Mary's bathing becomes significant. The compositional center of this fresco is a golden font.

Women bathing a newborn do not dare to touch her, and the one who brought Anna a gift holds it carefully, like a vessel with incense.

Dionysius makes the viewer remember the gifts of the Magi, brought to another baby - Christ. In the Caressing the Baby scene, the wide marble steps on which Mary's father and mother sit are like a throne. Anna hugs her daughter to her with a gesture, which is usually the way the Mother of God - on icons and frescoes - hugs the baby - Christ, and Joachim tremblingly touches Mary's outstretched hand.

In all Greek and South Slavic paintings that tell about the prehistory of the Mother of God, the main person has always been her mother - Anna. In Dionysius, the main character is Mary herself. All scenes of the fresco are therefore perceived as variations on the theme of worship of the Virgin and sound like a colorful introduction to the painting of the temple.

They note a very curious phenomenon. Usually in the center of the fresco, a place was reserved for the deity. For Dionysius, this central place is occupied either by an empty font, or the corner of an empty table near Anna's bed, or a bowl for collecting money, or other objects. And sometimes the artist generally leaves the space of the center empty.

In Ferapontov's frescoes, filled with a mass of characters - the "crowd", this pause is especially noticeable. It evokes in the audience a feeling of expectation of something that should happen or is happening invisibly to the eye. Dionysius does not try to "depict the invisible", although at the same time he tries to recall the invisible presence " higher power" in any event.

The desire of Dionysius to fill the frescoes with a "crowd" is explained by the concern to trace the actions of the characters.

Dionysius loved complex multi-figure scenes, where the figures are constructed in such a way that they seem especially light, graceful, their movements are natural, varied, even servants and beggars acquire a regal posture from him. The master emphasizes the dignity of man, the idea of the unity of the human race; he strives to convey various experiences, but never depicts strong passions - the feelings of his characters are always restrained, full of nobility.

The compositions of the scenes, for all their complexity, are strictly balanced, have a clear completeness, and the masterful drawing, the smoothness of the lines give the painting musicality. All scenes are subject to a clear rhythm, like polyphonic tunes in which a single majestic and tender melody sounds. However, the greatest power emotional impact color is different. Dionysius does not like bright colors, he seems to slightly muffle the color, brightening the palette, which is why it acquires a special tenderness, softness, some kind of radiant purity. Pale green, golden yellow, pinkish, white, cherry, silver-gray tones are harmoniously intertwined in a rich range, and as the leitmotif of everything color solution sky blue sounds.

The image of human figures and the landscape, completely subordinated to the plane of the wall, the transparency of colors emphasize the lightness of architectural forms, as if pushing the walls of the temple apart, making it more spacious and bright, and the harsh northern nature surrounding the temple enhances the joyful, festive sound of painting.

Developing the ideas expressed in Hodegetria, the master tries to reveal the image in his communication with other heroes of the work, in his deeds and actions. Here Dionysius differs sharply from Rublev, who organizes painting around the main actors, emphasizing the individual even in the characters of the second plan.

The hero of Dionysius, pouring into the crowd, seems to lose a particle of his own "I". But only at such a price, according to Dionysius, can a person remain inextricably linked with the outside world. With that huge world that ceases to be "derived from man" (as in Rublev), but arises as something completely independent.

It is no coincidence that the artist so carefully reproduces the images of Russian culture, sings them. It is no coincidence that the scenes of the construction of the Moscow Assumption Cathedral breathe in his frescoes with realism, it is no coincidence that the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is lovingly depicted.

It is no coincidence that the master diligently writes out the clothes of the characters. Dionysius is so accurate that thanks to him one can get a completely clear idea of \u200b\u200bRussian national clothes of the 15th century. In addition, in crowds of worshipers, one can easily distinguish a prince from a boyar by the attire, and a war from a commoner. The artist's attention to the social affiliation of each character is all the more remarkable because the faces of the characters themselves are written in a manner not designed for perception from afar, they are overly detailed, as if "shredded". According to Dionysius, everything is equivalent, everything is valuable: both the thoughts of a person and his place on earth.

The world is revealed to the master in a harmonious system of relations, where arbitrariness and chance are impossible, and the person himself is primarily responsible for his actions.

Dionysius thought long and hard about necessity and freedom, still solving this problem in the spirit of his acquaintances in Moscow heretics. A new attitude to the world, different from Rublev's, is also reflected in the composition of Ferapontov's frescoes, in their coloring.

Rublev, painting the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, used the architectural forms of the temple to open one part of the painting after another to the viewer. He tried to ensure that what was depicted was revealed as a "mental" unity long awaited by the viewer.

Dionysius is not at all interested in the gradual disclosure of the main idea - the glorification of the Mother of God. Each fresco of his is independent, united with others only by a common feeling and contributes its share of thought and color harmonies to the general chorus of painting.

Arranged in rings or half rings, the frescoes of the Ferapontov Monastery look like lush garlands designed to decorate the temple. Dionysius strikes our imagination with the festivity of colors. He finds an amazingly clear azure-greenish background, makes medallions from three circles of different shades, inscribes cinnabar with an admixture of white into the darker "circle of hook with white", and this circle into the "circle of hook".

Admire the painting in the lunettes (arched openings in the vaults) of the temple. The juicy dark cherry clothes of the Mother of God, the pinkish, green, golden clothes of the people around her merge with the multi-colored spots of the medallions located above and shine like a rainbow.

Against the light background of the wall, the light figures seem to dissolve into space. Lilac, blue, pink, brownish, green, golden spots of architectural details and clothes, crushing the silhouette, further enhance the impression of weightlessness, immateriality of the depicted.

The nature of the work of Dionysius - artel collectivity - as if initially makes it impossible to talk about the personal participation of the master himself. The individual parts of the cycle attributed to him ultimately do little to determine creative personality artist.

Rather, the individuality of the outstanding master was expressed by a large group of performers. Many students, imitators and followers spread the lessons of the icon painter to all corners of Russia, thereby laying the foundation for the establishment of a single state style of the era.

As a result of the restoration discoveries of recent years, the range of works related to the unified style of the time of Dionysius has grown immeasurably. Icons of the Mother of God Hodegetria and the Descent into Hell, originating from the local row of the iconostasis of the Ferapontov Cathedral, entered the scientific circulation. It is possible that, due to the responsibility of their location, both of them were made by the hand of the great master.

In recent years, experts have again closely reviewed old attributions, put forward new exciting hypotheses. All this as a whole testifies to the extraordinary vitality of the art of the medieval painter.

Works for the Ferapontov Monastery completed the creative path of Dionysius, the great painter died between 1502-1508.

Dionisy's icon-painting craft was adopted by his sons, the painters Vladimir and Theodosius.

The work of Dionysius - a jubilant bright song in colors, glorifying goodness and beauty - was an expression of the brilliant flowering of culture and art of the era when the young Russian state asserted its power.

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5. Museum of frescoes of Dionysius. M., 1998

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Artist and era

To fully understand the work of Dionysius, you need to study at least a little the era in which he lived. The universal aspiration and at the same time the horror of the Orthodox world of that time was the expectation of the Apocalypse. The end of the world was supposed to come, according to the assurances of the clergy, in 1492. AT political life Russia also underwent great changes. In 1480, a victory was won on the Ugra, which marked the fall of the Mongol yoke. The Moscow prince seized the lands of Pskov, Novgorod and Tver. Ivan III decided to create Court scribes began to deduce genealogy royal family through the Byzantine Basileus Palaiologos from the Roman Emperor Augustus. Therefore, the modest size and decoration of Moscow churches no longer suited Ivan III. He started a large-scale construction to turn Moscow into the "Third Rome". And in this situation, architects and painters were in great demand.

Dionysius the icon painter: biography

Unlike his great predecessors, and Andrei Rublev, this master has been well studied. The life of Dionysius is more or less known to researchers. Of course, the dates of birth and death of the master are rather vague. It is believed that he was born around 1440, and died no earlier than 1502 and no later than 1525. He was born in the family of a layman, but rich enough to send his son to study the picographic craft. The first work of the master known to his contemporaries was a painting in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. However, a young artist worked there in 1467-1477 under the supervision of his teacher, a certain master Mitrofan, about whom nothing more is known. Probably, when painting, the student's independent talent manifested itself, so in 1481 he was invited to Moscow to work in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. After completing this order, the artist received the official title of "exquisite master". Dionysius also worked in a number of northern monasteries. He had three sons - Andrei, Vladimir and Theodosius, the last two followed in the footsteps of their father and became icon painters.

Carier start

As already mentioned, Dionysius, as part of the creative cartel of Mitrofan, took part in the murals of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Mother of God in the Pafnutyevo-Borovsky Monastery near Kaluga. Art historians see in these works the continuation and development of the legacy of Andrei Rublev. The same floating figures, clean, harmonious composition, joyful mood and bright saturated colors. The Moscow Prince Ivan Vasilievich, having seen the frescoes of the "monks Dionysius and Mitrofan", invited the young painter to Moscow to work on the murals of the Assumption Cathedral. So, on the move, the talent was noticed and rewarded by the highest authorities.

Moscow period

After the annexation of foreign lands, Prince Ivan III begins the construction of cathedrals in order to give his Kremlin the size of a capital. But the Church of the Assumption did not work out: it was erected by Pskov architects Myshkin and Krivtsov, but, as is often the case with us, high-quality building materials were stolen, which is why the almost finished structure collapsed. The king decided to invite foreign architects, and ordered a famous Bolognese architect from Italy. He began work in 1475. The cartels of Dionysius, which included, in addition to the master himself, some “Horse, Yarets and priest Timothy”, allocated 100 rubles in advance. When the frescoes were painted and the tsar and the boyars came to accept the work, then, as the chronicler, who is stingy with poetic comparisons, writes, they, “seeing the many-wonderful paintings, imagined themselves, as if they were standing in heaven ...”.

Iconostasis of the Dormition Monastery in the Kremlin

The cooperation of the art cartel led by Dionysius with the Moscow authorities did not end there. In 1481, at the invitation of Metropolitan Vassian, the artists began work on the iconostasis in the same cathedral. Like the frescoes of Dionysius, his works on wooden board oils surprise the viewer with color harmony. But if in painting on damp plaster the palette of colors looks amazingly delicate, translucent, reminiscent of watercolor, then in icons the artist resorts to the innovative technique of “color enhancement”, which is his own “know-how”. He puts a stroke of one tone on top of another, which is why the image acquires volume, bulge. In the altar gates, Dionysius the icon painter performed the most important part - the Deesis rite. Two works - lives and Alexis - are vivid examples of his work. In 1482, the artist also “restored” the “Hodegetria” damaged during the fire of Our Lady for the Ascension Monastery in Moscow.

Surviving works of Dionysius in the capital

If the icons of the master were mainly transferred from the Assumption Cathedral to the expositions of museums, then the frescoes can still be seen on the walls of this Kremlin temple. More than twenty wall images of the master have been preserved. Among the above-mentioned "Adoration of the Magi", "Praise to the Mother of God" and other works, one should pay attention to the fresco "Alexey, a man of God." Researchers believe that this image is a self-portrait of the artist. You can not pass by the icon of Dionysius, depicting Last Judgment. Written in the atmosphere of eschatological expectations of 1492, this picture is full of inner tension. But the multi-tiered composition, despite the complexity and congestion with inscriptions, looks light and elegant. Horror gives way to jubilation: translucent images of angels trample on the black figures of demons.

Work in northern monasteries

After his success in Moscow, Dionysius the icon painter received the nickname "the most elegant master." And in the Patericon of the Volokolamsk Monastery, he is mentioned under the title "Wise". Yes, and other written sources are full of laudatory references to his talent and mind. Apparently, it is to him that the prominent public figure of that time, the writer Iosif Volotsky. After 1486, the master, perhaps with the same comrades in the artel, painted the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God in the Joseph-Volokolamsky Monastery near Moscow. But the creativity of Dionysius manifested itself most clearly after 1500, when he worked in the northern and trans-Volga monasteries. Towards the end of his life, the master worked with his two sons and, possibly, with his other students. Unfortunately, only chronicles tell us about many of the works of Dionysius. He painted the Pavlo-Obnorsky, Spaso-Prilutsky, Kirillo-Belozersky monasteries. It is also known that the master painted the iconostasis of the Spaso-Stone Monastery near Vologda.

Ferapontov monastery

This modest monastery, located in the Vologda region (Kirillovsky district), should be specially mentioned. Here, in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, Dionysius the icon painter worked together with his sons in 1502. The master created an ensemble of icons and frescoes, unique in beauty and technique. This is a real hymn to the Mother of God in colors - solemn, but at the same time joyful and bright. Dominated by white, golden and greenish colors, delicate undertones. In general, the images give rise to a festive mood, bring hope for God's forgiveness and the coming Kingdom of Heaven. Why are the murals so remarkable? Subsequently, the monastery never had enough funds to repaint the frescoes to suit the new fashion. Therefore, only here we can see the work of the master in its original, unaltered form.

The Significance of Dionysius for Russian Iconography

UNESCO dedicated the year 2002 to Dionysius the icon painter. The value of the work of this master is difficult to overestimate. He developed the ideas of his famous predecessor, Andrei Rublev, and at the same time brought in many features that were characteristic only of him. For example, color enhancement and the abundant use of white after Dionysius began to be used by other masters. Also noteworthy is his manner of depicting figures with deliberately elongated limbs, which among art historians brought him the fame of a mannerist. The frescoes and icons of Dionysius surprise with their confident pattern, translucent color, plasticity and perfection of compositions.