In the history of Russia, there are many cases when a visiting foreigner multiplies her fame and becomes a national pride. So Theophanes the Greek, the native of their Byzantium, a Greek by birth (hence the name) became one of the greatest Russian icon painters.
The choice in favor of Russia
Most likely, if Feofan had not decided to radically change his life, having arrived instead of Italy in Russia in the retinue (as assumed) of Metropolitan Cyprian, he would have lost himself among the numerous Byzantine artists. But in Moscow Rus he was the first of the brilliant galaxy of icon painters. Despite widespread recognition, the dates of birth and death of the artist are called approximately - 1340-1410.
Lack of information
It is known that Theophanes the Greek, whose biography sins with white spots, was born in Byzantium, worked both in Constantinople himself and in his suburb - Chalcedon. According to the frescoes preserved in Feodosia (then Kafa), it can be seen that for some time the artist worked in the Genoese colonies - Galata and the Cafe. None of his Byzantine works survived, and world fame came to him thanks to works done in Russia.
New surroundings
Here, through his life and work, he crossed with many great people of that time - Andrei Rublev, Sergius Radonezhsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Epiphany the Wise (whose letter to Archimandrite Kirill is the main source of biographical data of the great icon painter) and Metropolitan Alexei. This community of ascetics and enlighteners has done much for the glory of Russia.
The main source of information about Theophanes the Greek
Theophanes the Greek arrived in Novgorod in 1370, that is, a fully mature man and an established artist. He lived here more than 30 years, until his death. Working capacity it amazes. According to the testimony of the same Epiphany the Wise, Theophanes the Greek painted 40 churches in all. A letter to the archimandrite of the Tver Savior-Afanasyevsky Monastery was written in 1415, after the death of the master, and to this day has come not in the original, but in the list of the second half of the XVII century. There are some annalistic confirmations of facts and additions. One of them reports that in 1378, at the behest of the boyar Vasily Danilovich, the "Greek" Theophanes painted the Transfiguration Church on the Trading Side of Veliky Novgorod.
Beginning of the Novgorod period
The frescoes of Theophanes the Greek on the walls of this monastery became his first mentioned in the documents work in Russia. They, even preserved fragmentarily, being in very good condition, have reached our time, and belong to a number of the greatest masterpieces of medieval art. In the best condition is the painting of the dome and walls, where the choirs of the Troitsky side-chapel were located. In the depicted figures of the "Trinity" and Macarius of Egypt, the peculiar manner of writing, which the genius Theophanes the Greek possessed, is very clearly visible. In the dome preserved pogrudnoe image of the Savior of the Almighty (pantokrator), which is the most grandiose. In addition, the figure of Our Lady is partially preserved. And in the drum (the part supporting the dome) - images of the prophets Ilya and John the Baptist. And these are especially valuable frescoes, because, unfortunately, created over the next few years, the work is not documented and contested by some researchers. In general, all the frescoes of this monastery are executed in an absolutely new manner - easily and broad, free strokes, the color scale is restrained, even skimpy, the main attention is paid to the persons of the saints. In the manner of writing Theophanes the Greek his special philosophy is felt.
The ability of Russia to revive
There was still no great victory of Dmitry Donskoy, raids of the Golden Horde continued, Russian cities were burning, churches were being destroyed. But Russia is so strong, that it was reborn, rebuilt, and became even more beautiful. In the paintings of the restored monasteries, Feofan the Greek took part, and from 1380 he worked in Nizhny Novgorod, in the capital of the Suzdol-Nizhegorodsky principality, completely burned in 1378. Presumably, he could take part in the paintings of the Cathedral of the Savior and the Annunciation Monastery. And already in 1392 the artist works in the Assumption Cathedral of Kolomna at the request of Grand Duchess Evdokia, the wife of Prince Dmitry. Later, the cathedral was repeatedly rebuilt, and the frescoes were not preserved.
Moving to Moscow
Theophanes the Greek, whose biography, unfortunately, is often associated with the word "allegedly", after Kolomna moves to Moscow. Here, and this is confirmed by the Trinity Chronicles and the notorious letter, he paints the walls and decorates the three temples. At that time he already had his own school, pupils and followers, with whom, with the active participation of the famous Moscow icon painter Simeon the Black in 1395, Theophanes painted the walls of the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady and the chapel of St. Lazarus in the Kremlin. All works were carried out by order of the same Grand Duchess Evdokia. And again we must state that the church has not been preserved, the present Great Kremlin Palace stands in its place.
Evil fate, pursuing the work of the master
Recognized genius of the Middle Ages, the iconographer Theophanes the Greek together with his disciples proceeds in 1399 to decorate the Archangel Cathedral, which was completely burned by the khan of the Golden Horde and the Tyumen Principality - Tokhtamysh. From the letter of Epiphanius it is known that the master painted on the walls of the temple the Moscow Kremlin with all its churches. But in the second half of the 16th century, the Italian architect Aleviz Novy disassembles the church and builds a new one of the same name, which has survived to the present day.
The art of Theophanes the Greek is mostly represented by frescoes, as he painted the walls of churches until the end of his days. In 1405 his creative career intersects with the activities of Andrei Rublev and his teacher - "the elder from Gorodets", so call the Moscow icon painter Prokhor from Gorodets. These three famous masters of their time together created the cathedral church of Basil I, which is in the Annunciation Cathedral.
Frescos are not preserved - the court church was, naturally, rebuilt.
Unconditional evidence
What is preserved? What memory did the great Theophanes the Greek leave for his descendants? Icons. According to one of the existing versions, the iconostasis of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin , preserved to this day, was originally written for the Assumption Cathedral in Kolomna. And after the fire of 1547 was moved to the Kremlin. In the same cathedral was the "Our Lady of Don", an icon with her biography. Being one of many modifications of "Affection" (another name is "Joy of All Joys"), the image is fanned by the legend of its amazing help in the victory won by the army of Grand Duke Dmitry over the hordes of the Golden Horde in 1380. After the Battle of Kulikovo, both the prince and the patron saint received the prefix "Donskoy" and "Don". The image itself is bilateral - on the reverse side there is "Assumption of the Virgin." Priceless masterpiece is stored in the Tretyakov Gallery. Many analyzes have been carried out, and it can be argued that its author is certainly Theophanes the Greek. The icons "Four-digit" and "John the Baptist - Angel of the Desert with Life" belong to the icon-painter's workshop, but his personal authorship is disputed. To the works of the masters of his school can be attributed an icon of rather large sizes, written in 1403 - "Transfiguration".
Scant biographical data
Indeed, there are very few documented works of the great master. But Epiphany the Wise, who knew him personally, was friends with him, so sincerely admires the talent, versatility of the gift, the breadth of knowledge that it is impossible not to believe his testimonies. Savior Feofan the Greek is often cited as an example of the work of the Greek school with a pronounced Byzantine style of writing. This fresco, as already noted above, is the most grandiose of all the fragments of wall paintings of the Novgorod Cathedral, discovered in 1910. It is one of the world famous great monuments of architecture of medieval Rus. Another image of the Savior, which belongs to the works of the master, is in the Kremlin on the Annunciation iconostasis.
One of the great "Trinity"
Among the frescoes of this cathedral is another masterpiece of world significance, author of Theophanes the Greek. "Trinity" is perfectly preserved and is on the choirs. The canonical story "The Hospitality of Abraham" is at the heart of this work, although its figure on the fresco is not preserved, the "Trinity" deserves a still unfulfilled detailed study. In his letter, Epiphanius admires the many talents of Theophanes the Greek - the gift of the narrator, the talent of an intelligent interlocutor, the unusual manner of writing. According to the testimony of this man, the Greek, among other things, had the talent of a miniaturist. He is described as an icon painter, a master of monumental fresco paintings and a miniaturist. "He was an imaginative book" - this is how this praise in the original sounds. The authorship of miniatures from the Psalter, owned by Ivan the Terrible and kept in the Troitsko-Sergius Lavra, is attributed to Theophanes the Greek. He, on the assumption, is a miniaturist of the "Gospel of Fedor Cats". The fifth son of Andrei Kobyly, the direct ancestor of the Romanovs, was the patron of Theophanes the Greek. The book is beautifully decorated. Amaze her skilful screensavers and initials, made with gold.
The identity of Theophanes the Greek
Before Feofan, many icon painters, and his contemporaries, in the construction of their work relied primarily on the prorisi (a thin contour, made in advance from the original). And the free manner of writing the Greek surprised and conquered many - "he, it seemed, with his hands painted" - admires Epiphanius, calling him "a wonderful husband." He certainly had a pronounced creative individuality. The exact date of death of a genius is not known, in some places it is even said that he died after 1405. In 1415 the author of the famous letter mentions the Greek in the past tense. So, he was no longer alive. And Feofan is buried, again, presumably, somewhere in Moscow. All this is very sad and says only that Russia has always experienced a lot of troubled times, during which the enemies themselves destroyed the memory of the people who made up its glory.