Dormition with clouds

Успение облачное {3613}
Dormition with clouds

перемещение:

Новгород ( - 1933)

Novgorod

место:

монастырь Десятинов Богородицкий ( - )

Tithe monastery of the Virgin

место:

церковь Рождества БР

church of the Birth of the Virgin

М.: ГТГ (1933 )

Moscow: Tretyakov gallery

композиция:

С обеих сторон ложа Богородица изображены оплакивающие Её 12 апостолов. Иоанн Богослов приник к изголовью. Павел склонился к Её ногам, Пётр взмахивает кадильницей.

Среди апостолов стоят три святителя: слева - Иерофей и Дионисий Ареопагит, справа - Иаков.

В центре стоит Христос, принимающий Душу, в виде небольшой, запеленутой в белое фигурки; по бокам от Него - две свечи.

С обеих сторон ко Христу летят два ангела, держащие пелены для принятия души.

Вверху воспроизведена сцена перенесения ангелами 12 апостолов на облаках к ложу.

Около фигур апостолов на облаках частично сохранившиеся греческие и славянские надписи: "о а[гиос] Фома", "о а[гиос] Варфоломей", "о а[гиос] Иоан{н}", "о а[гиос] Андреа", "о а[гиос] Матфеос".

На фоне тёмно-синего со звёздами сегмента, символизирующего небеса, два ангела возносят маленькую фигурку, обозначающую душу БР.

Внизу на позёме В.О.Кириковым в период подготовки иконы к выставке открыты следы изображений разноцветных трав.

Икона отличается исключительной красотой силуэтов, причем не только в главной зоне композиции, с фигурами Христа и апостолов у ложа Богоматери, но и в верхней, с изображениями апостолов, которые на облаках летят со всех концов света, а ангелы указывают им путь.

The icon is attributed either to Kiev or to Novgorod School.

Those scholars who maintain that this painting comes from Novgorod, point out the brightness of the colors.

However, if we compare this icon with other Novgorodian works, we can see that the typical Novgorodian red (cinnabar) differs considerably from the red used in this icon.

The first aspect that I would like to comment on is the combination of colors: the contrast between the yellow background and the opaque red in the Virgin's bed.

These two colors, with different tonalities, are also prominent in the Apostles' clothes. The colors seem to divide the painting in two.

It appears that the painter has marked a path to heaven for Maria's soul, coloring the right part of the composition with yellow tones and the left one with red tones.

This is a rare example of a complex composition in the Kievan School, usually characterized by a limited number of figures and simple compositions.

Although there are about thirty figures, there are no unnecessary details, only the ones that the subject of the Assumption requires. The icon is monumental, full of harmony and grace; in other words, it has a great impact on the viewer.

At the same time, the artist economizes space by painting a complete story in only one panel. Another aspect of the icon is the absence of shadows, which increases the sensation of flatness.

I can see inverted perspective in the way the artist painted the bed and the body of the Virgin.

At the lower level we see the twelve apostles surrounding the Virgin's bier, attending to her body. Two of them are bending over.

The one at the right side shows a universally accepted gesture of respect and submission, bowing at her feet. The other one, at the left, appears inclined towards the Virgin's face, as if he was carefully listening to her last words.

The Fathers of the Church are located behind the apostles, wearing the typical Orthodox white liturgical robes with crosses.

Behind this scene, the spirit of Christ stands in the center, holding in his arms a child in white -- a symbol of Mary's soul. The artist makes sure that the viewer realizes the importance of these central figures.

These are the only two figures that look to the outside of the painting, straight into the viewers' eyes.

Maria's soul, dressed in pure white, is depicted in a sitting position, with her hands put together in a sign of prayer. Christ is holding the soul not in a mother-like fashion, but as if he was showing it to everyone.

He is showing the viewer the path to sanctity through purity and prayer. All the primary figures form the main subject and their faces are shown frontally.

This approach has been used to show the spirituality of the face as much as possible; profiles were usually reserved for evil figures such as demons.

The upper figures are less relevant, and for this reason they are considerably smaller than the lower group.

We can see again the same twelve apostles; they wear the same robes, with the same color tones - red at the left, yellow at the right.

While the earthly apostles in the lower register are remarkably rigid, their heavenly counterparts are presented with halos and in various dynamic positions, transmitting a sense of celestial joy.

The artist surrounds these twelve figures with white clouds of Heaven. All of these Angels-Apostles have a pair of extremely asymmetric and strangely shaped wings.

Four bigger angels, with stylized and large wings are flanking the figures of Christ and the Virgin's soul, indicating their ascending path. Two of them are looking back at the Angels-Apostles, pointing to the path with their hands.

The larger angels are recognizing with this gesture the importance of the twelve Apostles in the eternal life of the Virgin. The two other larger angels are placed horizontally and they hold the Holy Scriptures, the guide to eternal life.

Finally, the semicircle at the top of the painting represents a "window", through which the archangel Michael soars towards heaven with the Virgin's soul in his hands. The ascending process is now completed. [M. P-T.]

оформление: