Andrei Rublev is a famous ancient Russian icon painter, famous for his paintings of the cathedrals of Moscow, Vladimir and the monastery in the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. His most famous icon, kept in the Tretyakov Gallery, is “Trinity”.

In the biography of Andrei Rublev, his creativity and first works as an artist are mentioned for the first time in 1405, when he moved to Moscow and together with Theophanes the Greek began painting the Annunciation Cathedral. The fate of the cathedral was tragic: after 9 years it was destroyed, and then rebuilt several times. But some works miraculously survived: these are 2 tiers of the iconostasis, which contain 7 icons made by Andrei Rublev, and 6 – by the elder Prokhor from Gorodets, a famous master of icon painting of those times.

These works already show the master’s hand, freer and lighter in comparison with the elder Prokhor, but already highly professional. This series of festive icons is the first in Rus’: “Annunciation”, “Nativity of Christ”, “Baptism”, “Transfiguration”, etc.

During these years, Rublev also painted an icon-copy “Vladimir Mother of God” from a famous Byzantine image, as well as a drawing from the book “Khitrovo Gospel”, which received its name from the boyar, in whose belongings it was found in the 17th century. According to art historians, this manuscript, which has no value, in those years could only have been created with money from either the Metropolitan of Rus’ or one of the Grand Dukes.

Murals of the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral

The following reliable facts of Andrei Rublev’s biography speak of his being mentioned as an artist and date back to May 1408, when the Moscow prince ordered new frescoes to be painted in place of the lost 12th-century frescoes in the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny came here at the prince’s invitation to paint wall paintings, and Rublev also worked on several icons, including with his students. These works are now exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

The frescoes on the western wall of the Vladimir Cathedral, which have survived to this day, are parts of a large composition, “The Last Judgment.” In it, the images belonging to the hand of A. Rublev are clearly defined, which have an unusual and strong emotional mood. In the figures of the angel with a trumpet, the Apostle Peter and the scenes of the trial themselves, there are no emotions of fear of heavenly punishment, but an enlightened mood and the idea of ​​forgiveness are exalted.

Icons in Zvenigorod

In 1918, in the city of Zvenigorod near Moscow, 3 icons dating back to 1410 were discovered in an old wooden barn. According to some sources, they were painted for the iconostasis of a local church, but according to modern researchers, none of the churches are suitable in size. They were conditionally called “Zvenigorod rank”, “Apostle Michael”, “Savior”, “Apostle Paul”, and, undoubtedly, they can belong exclusively to the hand of A. Rublev. These icons in the biography of Andrei Rublev became a new confirmation of his talent, capable of collecting into a single whole and subordinating lilac-pink-blue colors to complete harmony, which remained unique for several centuries. Light moods as the completion of Rublev’s creative searches were embodied in the diverse images of these works, in which the master of icon painting made a generalization of various reflections on the moral values ​​of each person belonging to his contemporaries.

Art critics consider the icon “Spas” to be the most interesting, although it has been preserved very poorly, but the face of Jesus Christ, endowed with Slavic features, is clearly visible. Christ looks attentively with a very calm, penetrating gaze. His whole appearance is filled with energy, attention and benevolence.

In the icon “Archangel Michael” the artist glorified the lyrical thoughts and thoughts of the poet. Although the angel is a heavenly, not a physical creature, Rublev embodied in him all the earthly beauty of man. The Apostle Paul is depicted by the iconographer as a philosopher-thinker, painted in a soft gray-lilac range with blue tones.

Paintings of the Holy Trinity Cathedral

At that time, the Tatar Khan Yedygey gathered an army and went to Moscow, which he was unable to take. However, along the way, the Tatars set fire to many settlements and cities, and were unable to save the Trinity Monastery, where Abbot Nikon served during those years. In the following years, Nikon made every effort to restore the monastery, and in 1424 he began building a white-stone church, to which D. Cherny and A. Rublev were invited to create the paintings. All the works in this church are dated 1425-1427.

At the same time, the most famous icon in the biography of Andrei Rublev, “Trinity”, was painted. It was part of the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral in Sergiev Posad and is considered the most artistically perfect among the iconographic works of that time. The artist reflected in it the concept of the Orthodox religion about the trinity of God.

The story of how this icon was found is very interesting: for several centuries it was on public display, but no one noticed it. It so happened that in 1575, Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered that it be covered with a gold frame, and only the faces, feet and hands were visible. Then in 1600, Boris Godunov changed the frame for a new, even more luxurious one. During the replacement, the icon was covered with drying oil to preserve it, which made the colors brighter. Over time, the outer layer began to darken, soot from candles settled on it, and smoke from incense fell on it. To make the icon look better, it was constantly renewed, applying layers of paint on top along the contours of the drawing, and then covering it with drying oil again. Most likely, the icon would have perished over time, if not for an accident. At the beginning of the 20th century, restorers scraped off the upper layers with a scalpel, and their eyes were opened to a beautiful creation of the great icon painter.

According to art historians, the frescoes of the Trinity Cathedral that have survived to this day include “Baptism”, “Archangel Michael” and “Apostle Paul”. In terms of color and depth of content, beauty and color scheme, they resemble “Trinity”.

The last work

In the late 1420s, having completed work in the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the icon painter’s long-time friend and comrade Daniil Cherny died and was buried here. After this, A. Rublev returned to Moscow to work on the paintings of the Spassky Cathedral in the Andronikov Monastery, which he managed to finish in 1428. According to some sources, he also took part in its construction. This work was the last in the biography of Andrei Rublev.

The famous painter died in 1428 in Moscow during the plague epidemic, and was buried near the bell tower of the Andronikov Monastery. In 1988, the year of the millennium of the baptism of Rus, he was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

The chronicles speak very sparingly about the life of St. Andrei Rublev. There is very little data, and it is often contradictory, which provides abundant ground for endless debates among historians and art historians. The same is true for the icons that are associated with Andrei Rublev. But the main thing is important: the Church honors the memory of St. Andrei Rublev precisely as a holy icon painter. And it honors the icons associated with his name. These icons speak better than any words.