Virgin and Child painting by Vasnetsov. Open lesson in Russian language. Essay-description of the icon by V.M. Vasnetsov "The Virgin and Child".

Madonna (from the Italian mia donna - “my lady”) is very common in paintings Masters of painting from different historical eras depicted the Madonna in paintings to pay tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus Christ.

The Madonna in the paintings always evokes awe in the viewer, since the image of the Mother of God is deeply revered by both Catholics and Orthodox Christians. And the best works of art on this topic adorn the exhibitions of the world's largest museums and unique private collections.

Essay-description of Vasnetsov’s painting “The Virgin and Child”

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, known to most for his paintings of fairy-tale themes, worked a lot on the painting of various temples. Until now, anyone can admire his works in the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (St. Petersburg), Vladimir Cathedral (Kiev), the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands (Abramtsevo) and many others located both in our country and abroad.

The image of the Virgin Mary occupies a special place in his work. It is also worth mentioning the painting “The Virgin and Child,” painted by the artist in 1889. It was this work by Vasnetsov that served as a sketch for the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral.

Almost the entire area of the painting is occupied by the figure of the Mother of God walking directly towards the viewer, carrying the Child Christ in her arms. The Child, wrapped in a shroud, is depicted with his arms raised up and reaching out to the audience. He seems to bless those who appear before him. As it should be in any iconography, the heads of both figures are shrouded in a golden glow, personifying their divine essence. The background on which the figures are depicted is original. It is impossible to say with certainty whether the Mother of God walks on earth or moves through heaven.

The faces of the Mother of God and the Child are unusually alive. These are not canonical faces looking from standard icons. On Vasnetsov’s canvas, viewers see ordinary people. The figure of the Baby and his position are also quite natural, and do not cause a feeling of the phantasmogorism of what is happening. Looking at the canvas, the viewer has an image of an ordinary woman carrying a child in her arms. Her eyes are sad, but they shine with incredible love for her son and for the whole world.

The idea to represent the Mother of God just like this was inspired by the artist’s image of his wife holding her son in her arms. Subsequently, a similar image of the Mother of God was actively used in Russian iconography and received the name Our Lady of Vasnetsov.

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Famous artists who depicted Madonna in paintings

Almost all famous Renaissance artists repeatedly depicted the Madonna in their paintings. Even a simple list of masters who addressed this topic will take several pages of printed text. And yet, it is worth highlighting several masters of painting who deserve special mention:

Giovanni Bellini painted Madonna several times throughout his life. One of his favorite themes was the Pieta with the image of the Mother of God mourning Christ.
Andrea Mantegna created his works in a characteristically harsh manner. His legacy includes not only a large number of paintings of the Virgin Mary, but also numerous engravings and altar paintings.
Pietro Perugino was the teacher of the great Raphael, who was one of the first in Italy to start working with oil paints. He skillfully created sentimental images of the Virgin Mary in his works.
Rafael Santi is the creator of the world's most famous Sistine Madonna. But the great genius did not limit himself to painting one masterpiece; he left to his descendants a whole cycle of almost 5 dozen paintings dedicated to the mother of Christ.
Leonardo da Vinci gave us the brilliant Madonna Litta, one of the most striking images of the Virgin Mary feeding Christ. He is also the author of about 10 more unique and impeccably written Madonnas.
Titian Vecellio (Tiziano Vecellio) was one of the first in the history of world painting to risk depicting the Virgin Mary in the form of a little girl in his painting “The Presentation of Mary into the Temple.” This work of the master, like many other masterpieces, received deserved recognition during the master’s lifetime.

On the Very Important Lot portal, every visitor has an excellent opportunity to take part in online art auctions to purchase antique masterpieces. On the site you can also buy paintings of Madonnas of different styles and genres from contemporary artists without intermediaries.

Decoration of the Cathedral. Painting. V.M. Vasnetsov. Virgin and Child and Jesus Christ

On the main iconostasis, the Mother of God is depicted as a young girl of the Hebrew type, of wonderful beauty. Her beautiful, dark face is shy, stern and sad; eyelashes are half-lowered. She sits on a low throne, richly decorated in Byzantine taste.

She is wearing a dark blue cloak and a greenish-blue tunic. In Her arms is Little Christ, pressing His head against Her cheek. In the pose of Christ there is a childish, trusting helplessness, which contrasts with the insightful and stern gaze of large, bottomlessly deep eyes.

There is also a traditional Byzantine image of the Savior sitting on the royal throne, with the traditional blessing gesture of his right hand and with an open Gospel in his left. His facial features are conventionally correct and his whole face is of an abstract nature, expressing rather the idea of the God-man than the living individuality of Christ. Only Byzantine severity and dryness of expression were replaced here in the eyes of Christ by wondrous meekness, compassionate and all-pervading love.

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Vasnetsov Viktor

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Mikhail Vasnetsov: “When I enter the Vladimir Cathedral, it’s as if I’m touching...

165 years ago, the famous Russian artist Viktor Vasnetsov was born, who painted the Kiev temple, erected for the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'

The only direct descendant of the author of the famous paintings “Bogatyrs”, “Alyonushka”, “Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf”, “Flying Carpet” lives and works in Kyiv. Mikhail Viktorovich Vasnetsov is a Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, a professor and is very similar in appearance to his famous great-grandfather, the artist Viktor Vasnetsov.

- Viktor Vasnetsov had five children - Tatyana, Boris, Alexey, Mikhail and Vladimir. “I am the grandson of Mikhail Vasnetsov, who became the prototype of the baby in the arms of the Virgin Mary, painted by his great-grandfather in the Vladimir Cathedral,” says Mikhail Viktorovich (pictured). — After professor of painting and historian of Kyiv antiquity Adrian Prakhov invited Viktor Vasnetsov to take part in painting the temple erected in honor of the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus, the artist lost peace. I was thinking about how to paint the Mother of God. And suddenly I remembered how one spring Alexander’s wife carried baby Misha into the air and he, seeing clouds floating across the sky and birds flying, joyfully clasped his little hands. No one has ever painted the Virgin and Child like this!

— Is it true that a miracle is connected with the Vasnetsov Mother of God?

— In 1885, Adrian Prakhov, who supervised the interior decoration of the temple, and Vice-Governor Baumgarten, who headed the commission for its construction, visited the cathedral together. And suddenly on the newly plastered wall they saw a miraculous face appear... of the Virgin Mary with a baby in her arms. Prahov even later made a sketch of the vision. And when Vasnetsov showed him his sketches of the image of the Mother of God, he let him look at his sketch. Viktor Mikhailovich was shocked by the similarity of the images. As Prakhov recalled, upon learning about the vision, the artist said: “This is God’s order!” Viktor Mikhailovich was a deeply religious man.

*Vasnetsovskaya Virgin and Child is a real masterpiece

— And your grandfather Mikhail, who served as the prototype of the baby, became a priest?

— Yes, he was ordained a priest in Prague. By profession, Mikhail Viktorovich was an astronomer and mathematician. Worked at the Southern Observatory in Odessa. And when the revolution and civil war began, he was drafted by the Whites into the artillery. Odessa, as you know, changed hands almost every day. To save his family, the grandfather sent his wife and child to Moscow, and he himself was forced to leave Russia. Boarding a ship, he headed to Yugoslavia, and from there he moved to Prague, where he first taught at the university, then became a priest and served in a small church until his death. He was buried in Prague, at the Russian cemetery in Olsany.

— I wonder if he saw the Vasnetsov Mother of God in the Vladimir Cathedral?

“Perhaps in childhood, when Viktor Vasnetsov took him to the cathedral. And the fact that my grandfather became a priest is not surprising - a family dynasty. Viktor Vasnetsov's father and grandfather were priests. But the great-grandfather and his brother decided to devote themselves to art. Viktor Mikhailovich first studied at a theological school, then at a seminary, but with the blessing of his father he left it, deciding to enter the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. It is interesting that, having passed the exams, out of timidity he did not dare to find out the results. Having not received notification of acceptance, I thought that I had not been accepted. However, he did not return to Vyatka. For a whole year I worked part-time in St. Petersburg as a book illustrator. And when he came to enroll at the Academy the next year, he was told that he had been enrolled as a student last year.

— Viktor Mikhailovich devoted more than ten years to painting the Vladimir Cathedral - from 1885 to 1896. How did he live in Kyiv?

— The family rented a fairly spacious apartment not far from St. Sophia Cathedral. In Kyiv, the Vasnetsovs gave birth to their fifth child, Vladimir. As they say, fate itself prepared this name for the boy. In the cathedral, the artist worked on the scaffolding from early morning until dark. It was not easy: while painting the ceiling, my back and neck got tired. Several times, according to his recollections, he fell from the scaffolding. One day he was picked up unconscious. It was only by a miracle that he did not fall to his death when he fell while working under the very dome of the temple. What saved me was that my canvas jacket caught on a metal hook. Remembering this episode, Viktor Mikhailovich said: “The Lord saved me.”

Nesterov, Vrubel, Kotarbinsky worked together with Vasnetsov... Viktor Mikhailovich created 15 compositions and 30 figures of saints. Among his works are “Christ the Pantocrator”, “The Virgin and Child”, “Saints”, “Prophets”, images of Princess Olga, Prince Vladimir, Alexander Nevsky, Nestor the Chronicler...

Tsar Nicholas I and his wife came to the consecration of the Vladimir Cathedral. Viktor Vasnetsov was warmly congratulated by artists Ilya Repin and Vasily Polenov, famous entrepreneur and philanthropist Savva Mamontov.

By the way, in Kyiv, my great-grandfather continued to work on the painting “Bogatyrs”. I was in a hurry to finish it before the traveling exhibition of 1887, at which the famous “Boyaryna Morozova” by Surikov was presented. But he didn’t make it on time - painting the Vladimir Cathedral left neither time nor energy.

*Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv was painted by Viktor Vasnetsov from 1885 to 1896

— What kind of person was your great-grandfather in everyday life?

— Very focused on work, did not like to be distracted. In his Moscow studio, on the wall in charcoal there was a drawing of a boy pressing his finger to his mouth. This is a sign of silence. If my great-grandfather was distracted from work, he could silently point to this picture. In his letters he complained that traveling by train is always a burden for him, since he inevitably has to engage in conversations with fellow travelers, and this does not allow him to concentrate on creative thoughts.

— I read that Vasnetsov was a good family man. He loved his wife and children very much.

- This is true. My father, Vasnetsov’s grandson, told how Viktor Mikhailovich played with him and marched around the table. Dad suddenly got hungry and said to grandfather: “You just march around here a little while I run to the kitchen.” For some reason this episode remained in my memory. Although I know that in the Vasnetsovs’ house it was customary to have dinner together - the whole family.

In Moscow, Viktor Mikhailovich had a nice tower house, built according to his own design. Now there is a museum there. But, of course, supporting a large family is always difficult. Patrons Savva Mamontov and Pavel Tretyakov supported the project. It is known that Tretyakov purchased his great-grandfather’s paintings directly from exhibitions and was very worried that he would not be ahead of him by the royal family, which also highly valued Vasnetsov’s work.

On the eve of the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral, Viktor Mikhailovich received a large state order - a monumental frieze “Stone Age” for the Historical Museum in Moscow. When the work was completed, opinions about it in the organizing committee were divided. Everyone was waiting for the king's assessment. And so the sovereign came, looked and expressed his admiration. Everyone rushed to applaud and tell the author that his work was magnificent and brilliant.

— What in your house today reminds you of your great-great-grandfather?

- There are no jobs left. Only a small author's lithograph. Grandfather Mikhail could not take anything with him into emigration.

— How did you end up in Kyiv? After all, almost the entire Vasnetsov family lived in Moscow during Soviet times.

— My father, living in Prague, in his youth joined a youth organization under the leadership of the emigrant NTS (National Labor Union), which did not recognize Soviet power. In 1945, he was convicted by a tribunal for membership in this organization and sent to a camp in Norilsk, where the metallurgical plant was located. Thanks to the good technical education that my father received in Prague, he ended up not in hard work, but in a design office.

He had a Nansen passport - a passport of a citizen of the world. There, in Norilsk, he met my Kiev mother Svetlana, the daughter of professor of medicine Sergei Arkadyevich Tomilin. She was exiled because she was also a member of the organization supervised by the NTS. In Norilsk, my mother worked at the port first aid station. Having been freed, the parents returned to Kyiv, although it was very difficult. My father received Soviet citizenship. In Kyiv he worked at a design institute. Died in 1991. His funeral service, by the way, took place in the Vladimir Cathedral.

— Most of Viktor Vasnetsov’s paintings are today in his house-museum and in the Tretyakov Gallery. But sometimes paintings appear at world auctions. They sell for a lot of money. If you had the works, you could become a millionaire!

“You know, if I still had the paintings, I wouldn’t sell them.” And I think it’s good that most of Viktor Vasnetsov’s works are concentrated in his house-museum and in the Tretyakov Gallery. Admirers of the artist's talent should see the masterpieces he created.

— What feelings do you experience when you look at the works of your great-grandfather in the Vladimir Cathedral?

— I’m not a religious person, I don’t go to churches very often. But when I enter the Vladimir Cathedral, it’s as if I’m touching something familiar.

— Do you draw yourself?

- No. Talent is such a thing that it is not always inherited. I have three children. The youngest, 13-year-old Andryusha, draws well. It is curious that in the class where he studied before entering the Kyiv Children's Academy of Arts, there was a poster on the wall with a quote from Viktor Vasnetsov about love for the homeland. This is such a coincidence.

— Why did Viktor Vasnetsov die?

- From a heart attack. This happened in 1926. My great-grandfather was 78 years old.

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the Virgin Mary

Description

Maria; Virgo ~ Maria´m < Greek. Μαρία or Mariam << transfer to Arama. marjam <<< heb. mirjam; Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miriam)[1] - a name of unclear etymology, possibly. < root MRH - “to be fat”, in reinterpretation - “strong”, “beautiful” [2] Theotokos, Mother of God, Mother of God - the name of the Virgin Mary in church tradition as the parent of the God-man Jesus Christ Madonna < Italian. madonna < abbr. from mia donna - “my lady” French. Notre Dame English Our Lady; Blessed Virgin; Mother of God —————————

In Christian religious and mythological ideas, the earthly mother of Jesus Christ, a Jewish virgin, miraculously gave birth without destroying her virginity. The Gospel information about the Virgin Mary is very scarce and concerns the period from the Annunciation to the Crucifixion or, with a broad interpretation of the text of Acts, until the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles [3] . Information about the origin and childhood of Mary, accepted by tradition (liturgical, iconographic and folklore), is contained in the apocryphal “Book of the Nativity of Mary” [4] and many hagiographic, homiletical (sermons) and hymnographic texts that go back to this primary source. The life of Mary and her last years are described only in apocrypha and hagiographical texts. Apocryphal texts also contain information about events that occurred during the period covered by the Gospel narrative, but were not mentioned in it, and additional details regarding the events mentioned in the Gospel canonical texts. So, for example, the Gospel narrative speaks of the presence of Mary only at Calvary, while both the Orthodox and especially the Catholic tradition assume the physical or spiritual presence of Mary at all the most important moments of the Lord's Passion[5]. Likewise, the appearance of Christ the Mother, recognized by the Orthodox and Catholic traditions, is not mentioned in the Gospels. The relationship between mother and son is described in terms of the son's stern, strict renunciation of the mother's natural love in the name of fulfilling his mission, and Mary appears as only one of the characters in episodes from the life of Christ.

Mary's head is always covered with a cloth (maforium), on which three stars shine (on the forehead and on the shoulders) as a sign of Mary's threefold virginity - before birth, at birth and after birth.

XII and even more so XIII centuries. - the time of religious upsurge caused by the Crusades, is distinguished by such widespread veneration of the Virgin Mary that this entire period is the era of the cult of the Virgin Mary. This cult received its highest and visible expression in the Gothic cathedrals of France dedicated to Our Lady - Notre Dame. The main inspirer of the cult of the Mother of God among medieval theologians was Bernard of Clairvaux. His interpretation of the biblical Song of Songs as an extended allegory in which the bride is identified with the Virgin Mary is the source of the rich imagery surrounding the Virgin Mary in subsequent centuries. the concept was already known in the Middle Ages / St. Bernard developed it significantly

The Orthodox and Catholic tradition accepts that after the resurrection, Christ first of all appeared to Mary (although the New Testament texts are silent about this), and from the presence of Mary among the apostolic community in the days after the ascension of Christ, noted in the canonical narrative[6], it deduces her presence both at the ascension itself and and at the “descent of the holy spirit” on the apostles (here the iconography gives it a central place).

According to established tradition/legend it says:

Mary comes from the messianic “tribe” of Judah (mixed, as it was sometimes added, with the priestly “tribe” of Levi), from the royal family of David;
her parents are the righteous Joachim and Anna, who lived to old age childless;
Mary's upbringing takes place in an atmosphere of special ritual purity;
the first steps of a baby in the seventh month is a theme of Byzantine iconography,
“introduction into the temple” / from the age of three, Mary was raised at the Jerusalem temple, serving its shrines, doing handicrafts and receiving food from the hands of angels;
by the age of 12 she takes a vow of eternal virginity;
search for a spouse - an adult virgin cannot stay at the temple, and they are looking for a spouse for her who would protect her without touching her and respecting her vow;
choice from several applicants according to the miraculous sign of the elderly Joseph the Betrothed - a dove flying out of a staff;
Mary’s work in Joseph’s house on purple yarn for the temple veil - a symbol of the upcoming “spinning” of the infant body of Jesus Christ from the “purple” of maternal blood in Mary’s womb;
Annunciation (at the moment of spinning) in Nazareth: the Archangel Gabriel tells Mary that she is about to give birth to a holy son from the spirit, endowed with the dignity of the Messiah, promising the miracle of virgin motherhood[7].
Expecting the baby, Mary goes to the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth, her relative, who at this time is already in her 6th month awaiting the birth of John the Baptist.

Mary stays with Elizabeth for about three months, after which she returns to Joseph’s house[8].

As soon as her pregnancy becomes obvious, the distressed Joseph, only out of pity, does not want to disgrace her with a public accusation, but the words of the angel who appeared to Joseph convince him of the innocence of his “betrothed”[9].

According to the apocryphal version, reflected in medieval (especially Byzantine) iconography, Mary was publicly subjected to the test of the mysterious “bitter water that brings a curse” on unfaithful wives, as recommended in the Bible[10] and described in the Talmudic treatise “Sotah”; the archaic ordeal confirmed her chastity.

The birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, the original homeland of the Davidic dynasty.

For the poor, travel-weary woman in labor there is no room in the inn[11], and a random shelter gives her someone else's barn, in the manger of which she places the newborn.

40 days after giving birth, Mary must perform a rite of ritual purification and bring the baby to the temple; there she is met by Simeon the God-Receiver, who prophesies, among other things, about the upcoming suffering of Mary: “and a weapon will pierce your soul”[12];
Then Maria; saving the baby from King Herod, he flees with him and Joseph to Egypt, and after Herod’s death he returns to Nazareth[13].
a festival pilgrimage to Jerusalem, during which twelve-year-old Jesus disappears, so Mary and Joseph have to look for him[14],
presence at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, where, at the request of Mary, Christ performed the miracle of turning water into wine[15];
presence, physical or spiritual, at the most important moments of the son’s suffering

- for example, meeting him while he was carrying the cross[16] plays an important role in Catholic practice and the iconography of the “way of the cross”; - the presence of Mary on Calvary: she stood “at the cross of Jesus”; dying, the son tells his mother to adopt his “favorite student”[17];

Orthodox and Catholic tradition accepts that after the resurrection Christ first appeared to Mary (although the New Testament texts are silent about this),
presence at the ascension of Christ[18]
presence at the “descent of the holy spirit” on the apostles[19] (here the iconography gives it a central place).
According to some Orthodox legends, Mary participated in the distribution of lands among the apostles by lot, where they were to go for preaching; She fell by lot to Iveria (Georgia), with which she later found herself mystically connected through her “Iveron” icon, but an angel instead showed her the path to Athos (which was to become the world center of Orthodox monasticism, a place of special dedication to Mary).
According to another, more widespread version, she lived quietly in the house of John the Evangelist, dividing her time between prayers and handicrafts, and visited places related to the history of the life of Christ.
The events associated with the death of Mary (dormition) symbolically seem to repeat the most important semantic moments of her life: the announcement from the Archangel Gabriel of her imminent death - a new annunciation, acceptance into “heavenly glory” (Latin assumptio) - a new “entry into the temple”.

Just as Mary once held the baby Christ in her arms, so Christ in the Byzantine-Russian and partly Western (Duccio) iconography of the Dormition takes into his arms the small and fragile soul of Mary - a baby born into a new life.

The Dormition, that is, the separation of Mary’s soul from her body, is followed by their miraculous reunion and the departure of the resurrected body into the other world: the apostles, having opened the tomb for the belated Thomas, found it empty.

This idea of Mary’s bodily ascension to heaven, dating back to the early Christian apocrypha, was dogmatically formulated only in Catholicism, and very late at that (1950).

The moment of the solemn crowning of Mary as the “Queen of Heaven” is characteristic only of the Western tradition; in 1964, the Catholic Church declared Mary “Mother of the Church.”

Although it seems that Mary’s life began, like that of all people, from her birth (the dogmatic doctrine of “pre-existence,” similar to the idea of the “pre-eternal” life of Jesus Christ in the hypostasis of the Logos, is inapplicable to Mary), the ideas of God’s “eternal plan” about the birth of Mary, the providential “preparing” of her purity “from the beginning of the world,” etc. play an important role in the symbolic imagery and iconography of Orthodoxy and Catholicism. These ideas are revealed, in particular, through the rethought symbolism of the Old Testament: such Old Testament images as the burning bush, Jacob's ladder[20], the miraculously watered fleece of Gideon[21] are understood as symbols of Mary (the miracle of virginity not destroyed by childbirth, and human nature , not destroyed by the presence of God, “a consuming fire” - Deut. 4, 24, etc.). The culmination of all the “signs” of the Old Testament about Mary are considered to be the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will conceive in her womb and give birth to a son, and they will call his name: “God is with us”[22], hence the iconography Mary, surrounded by Old Testament prophets pointing to her. The unexpected birth of Mary, as it were, repeats the miracle of the birth of her ancestor Isaac from the elderly Abraham and Sarah. Wed the blossoming rod of Aaron[23]; By a providential coincidence, Mary is destined to give birth to Jesus Christ in the messianic town of Bethlehem, the ancestral homeland of the Davidic dynasty. hence the late Catholic iconography of Mary, whose heart is pierced with a sword or seven swords).

Purity The idea of the special “preparedness” of Mary, her “purification” from her “mother’s womb”, already outlined by the Syrian church writer of the 4th century. Afrem (Ephrem the Syrian), in Catholicism it was transformed into a special dogma (finally accepted only in 1854) about the “immaculate conception” of Mary herself in the marriage of her parents (and not just the “virgin conception” of Jesus Christ by her, which is a general Christian dogma), that is, about her complete removal from universal human hereditary sinfulness, in this sense, Mary is, as it were, an innocent Eve who came to correct the work of the “fallen” Eve; it removes the curse that befell the natural world (“earth”[24]) for the guilt of man, and therefore the involvement of natural life and cosmic cycles in the sphere of Christian holiness is correlated with it (Orthodox chant calls it “the sanctification of all the elements of earth and heaven,” “ blessing of all seasons."

Mother Earth An unorthodox emphasis on this orthodox motif in fiction is the words of Dostoevsky’s character “the Mother of God is the great mother of the earth”; Wed also characteristic of Western European iconography of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance is the theme of the “Madonna of Humility” sitting on the ground among flowers, “Mary in the strawberry bed”, etc. In folklore, these aspects of the image of Mary were contaminated with remnants of naturalistic paganism, indicating Mary’s connection with mythological images of the goddess of the earth, nature, mother goddess; but their meaning in the context of Christian religious and doctrinal ideas is already different, since Mary here is not the personification of nature as such, but the “first fruits,” the prototype, the first manifestation of the transfigured, paradisiacal nature.

Intercessor presence at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, where, at the request of Mary, Christ performed the miracle of turning water into wine[25]; from the point of view of the Orthodox and Catholic tradition, this miracle revealed an endless series of mercies, from century to century, provided by Christ through the prayers of Mary, the “intercessor”, “prayer service” and “intercessor” for people in all their needs. In the legend of Theophilus, which dates back to the early Byzantine environment, but was especially popular in France in the 13th century. (high reliefs of the tympanum of Notre Dame in Paris, the dramatic “Act of Théophile” by the poet Ruetbeuf), the hero, in the service of the bishop, tired of the hardships of life, sells his soul to the devil and quickly makes a career, but repents and turns to Maya for help, who takes Theophilus' receipt from the devil. There are two characteristic motifs here: Mary as the “refuge of sinners” and the “seeker of the lost” (designations in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, respectively), that is, an all-forgiving mother to whom the most hopeless sinner can turn; Maia as a protector of a Christian, with her own hands driving away the devil from him (cf. the painting by G. da Monterubiano, 1506, in which Mary threatens a demon with a club, trying to snatch the youth entrusted to her from under her cover). In the Byzantine apocrypha “The Virgin Mary’s Walk through Torment,” which became widespread in Rus', Mary asks even for finally condemned sinners in hell some relief from their fate. A number of Western legends tell about lost people who are saved only by the habit of praying “Ave Maria” every day, faithfully observed in the midst of prodigal or thieves’ lives (a thief remains alive after hanging on the gallows for two days, and can go to a monastery to atone for his sins, even those who have been excommunicated church of a dissolute schoolboy after death, a rose blooms on his lips; in the Orthodox legend about the miraculous icon “Unexpected Joy,” Mary saves the soul of a sinner who prayed to her every day, turning him to repentance with reproach). The juggler, a representative of a profession condemned by the church, who tried to please Mary with tricks after his entry into the monastery, she mercifully wipes the sweat from his face. • Incarnations, symbols and attributes The Virgin Mary is traditionally dressed in red clothes and a blue (heavenly) cloak - a reminder of her significance as the Queen of Heaven. In scenes of the Passion, the color of clothing may change to purple or gray.

Virgin Mary of Mercy, covering the repentant sinner with her vast cloak, or kneeling before Christ at the Last Judgment, praying to him for the souls of the dead;
Mater Dolorosa [lat. - Mother of Sorrows), lamenting for her son - her chest is pierced by seven swords, symbolizing her seven sorrows - or sitting with his dead body lying on her lap;
The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception is a doctrine much debated by medieval theologians, but found its justification in the 17th century, defended by the Jesuits, and has since been widely depicted.

The iconography of the Virgin Mary is replete with a variety of attributes, many of which are associated with and mentioned in connection with specific narrative scenes. Many of the symbols are taken from the Song of Solomon, after Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) interpreted it as an allegory of the relationship between Christ and His virgin Mother. The most common attributes are:

lily or irises - purity, a sign of perfect love, which consists in the unity of man with God, often correlates with the image of the Immaculate Virgin / since ancient times, thanks to its white color, it is a symbol of purity / more often than any other flowers, it is the flower of the Virgin Mary / the bride with whom the Virgin Mary is identified is called “the lily of the valleys” and “the lily of the thorns” (Song of Solomon 2:1-2) / especially associated with the Annunciation
crescent, crescent moon - borrowed from Isis as the queen of heaven / an indication of the connection with ancient female deities / in Christian mysticism denotes the female principle that brings light into the darkness of the Night
sun and moon - often associated with the image of the Immaculate Virgin
star - usually depicted on the cloak of the Virgin Mary / its presence is explained by one of the names of Mary - “Star of the Sea” (Latin - Stella Maris), which corresponds to the meaning of the Hebrew form of her name Mariam
twelve stars / crown of twelve stars - often associated with the image of the Immaculate Virgin
rose (with thorns) - often associated with the image of the Immaculate Virgin
sealed book
belt
dove - the embodiment of the Holy Spirit
unicorn - chastity
crystal, windows, other objects emblematically representing transparency
lamp
bridge
stairs
seven swords - in the image of the Virgin of the Seven Sorrows
images and symbols of isolation (from the world), usually correlate with the image of the Immaculate Virgin / “A locked garden, my sister, bride, a closed well, a sealed source.” (Song of Songs 4, 12)

- closed gate, - walled/fenced garden, - sealed/closed fountain or spring.

Lebanese cedar - often associated with the image of the Immaculate Virgin
Tree of Life, flowering branch
Tree of Jesse - often associated with the image of the Immaculate Virgin / often takes the form of a branch with flowers / the family tree of Christ, growing from Jesse, the father of David (“A branch is from the root of Jesse, and a branch grows from his root” (Is., 7)
spotless mirror - often associated with the image of the Immaculate Virgin
Tower of David - often associated with the image of the Immaculate Virgin
olive, olive branch - the emblem of the world / sometimes replaces the lily in paintings of the Annunciation by artists of the Siena school, since the lily was also the emblem of Siena's rival city, Florence
fruit (apple, orange in Dutch painting[26]) - usually in the hand of the Baby / traditional fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, indicating the Baby as the future Savior of the human race from original sin
pomegranate - in paintings of the Virgin Mary and the Child / here used as an indication of the Resurrection / an ancient attribute of Proserpina, daughter of Ceres, who resurrects the earth to new life every spring, hence the association with the idea of immortality, resurrection and Resurrection
grapes - Eucharistic wine, the blood of the Savior / “Jesus is the grape of the Promised Land, the brush placed under the press.” Augustine (see Winepress, Mystical winepress) / clusters of black and white grapes probably allude to John's account of Christ's wound on the cross: “And immediately there came forth blood and water” (19:34) / in the paintings of the Virgin Mary and Child
ears of corn (in combination with grapes) - the bread of the Eucharist / in paintings of the Virgin Mary and Child
cherry - called the fruit of paradise, given as a reward for virtue / Heaven / in paintings of the Virgin Mary and Child
walnut (usually a split walnut is depicted) - in paintings of the Virgin Mary and the Child / symbolism developed by Augustine: the outer green shell is the flesh of Christ, the shell is the wood of the cross, the core is the divine nature
jug, vessel for wine, glass (wine is clearly visible or it is assumed if the vessel is opaque) - analogous to grapes / in the paintings of the Virgin Mary and the Child
bird (most often, the goldfinch) - goes back to the ancient image of the human soul flying away with his death / in paintings of the Virgin Mary and the Child / usually in the hands of the Child / the beautiful plumage of the goldfinch made it a favorite pet bird for children / the basis of the connection with the Christ Child - a fortion - a legend about the appearance of a red spot on a goldfinch at the moment when it flew onto the head of Christ going to Calvary and removed a thorn from Christ’s eyebrow, getting dirty in the blood of the Savior

Its extremely rich iconography owes only a small part to the Gospels and seems to have grown over the centuries due to the need for the Christian Church to have a mother figure - an object of worship that is the focus of many ancient religions. Doubts about her role - such as those expressed by the Nestorians in the 5th century or the ideologists of the Reformation in the 16th - only stimulated the creation of images of her by those who remained her adherents. Nestorius denied that the Virgin Mary could rightfully be called the “Mother of God” - she was the mother only of Christ as a person, but not of a divine person. This view was condemned as heresy by the Council of Ephesus in 431, a verdict that contributed to the spread of the image of the "Mother and Child" as an expression of official doctrine. (Such images had already existed for a long time in some pagan religions, in particular the Egyptian goddess Isis with her son Horus on her lap, which happily continued to exist into the Christian era in some Mediterranean countries. The Early Church adopted and used it, as well as many other pagan images .)

Majestic images of the Virgin Mary and Child enthroned, which adorned church architecture for many centuries, first began to spread in the West in the 7th century; they were copied from Byzantine models. From their early purpose as a refutation of Nestorianism, such images retained throughout the Middle Ages the pathos of an affirmation of faith, which becomes obvious from the inscriptions that sometimes accompany them:

"Maria Mater Dei" [lat. - “Mary Mother of God”] and “Sancta Dei Genitrix” [lat. - “Holy Mother of God”].

Another early stimulus to the veneration of the Virgin Mary was the discovery of what came to be believed to be a portrait of her, supposedly painted by St. Luke.

The growth of the cult of Mary was to some extent opposed by the Church itself, with its traditionally hostile attitude towards women - an attitude that was cultivated by some early theologians and monastic institutions, citing the figure of Eve (the temptress) to justify their views.

Depictions in Narrative Scenes Worship/prayer images of the Virgin Mary (as opposed to her depiction in narrative scenes based on her legendary biography) took somewhat different forms, mostly of rather late origin. Among the most important:

Virgin Mary of Mercy, covering the repentant sinner with her vast cloak, or kneeling before Christ at the Last Judgment, praying to him for the souls of the dead;
Mater Dolorosa [lat. - Mother of Sorrows), lamenting for her son - her chest is pierced by seven swords, symbolizing her seven sorrows - or sitting with his dead body lying on her lap;
The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception is a doctrine much debated by medieval theologians, but found its justification in the 17th century, defended by the Jesuits, and has since been widely depicted.

However, even now some aspects of her image, such as the Virgin Mary Rosary, were intended to arouse special worship.

The atmosphere of religious ecstasy generated by the Counter-Reformation was manifested in the visions experienced by mystics - the result of selfless prayer, and sometimes a consequence of the excitement of religious celebrations. These visions, which in many cases were recorded by them in their literary works, could take the form of the crucified Christ, but especially the Virgin Mary, usually with her Child. They were depicted in Italian and, less commonly, Spanish art from the end of the 16th century and throughout the 17th century.

Many of these symbols are taken from the Song of Solomon, after Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) interpreted it as an allegory of the relationship between Christ and His virgin Mother, especially in chapter 4, verse 12: “The closed garden is my sister, the bride, the closed well , sealed source."

Objects, especially fruits, birds and drinking vessels, which may seem to be nothing more than a collection of elements commonly found in a still life, actually contain a whole system of Christian symbolism. They can be seen especially often in paintings by Northern European artists of the 15th-16th centuries. An interesting development of this symbolic scheme is found in the painting of Northern Europe in the first half of the 17th century, when the same objects began to be used in still life, while retaining - both in choice and arrangement - their significance as a declaration of the Christian faith.

In addition to the image of Jesus Christ, during the Renaissance one of the most popular was the image of the Virgin Mary. Generally speaking, images of the Virgin Mary can be divided into two categories. On the one hand, there are many images whose main subjects are episodes from the life of Mary. They are mainly of a plot-thematic nature. Their sources are the records of the New Testament, as well as a rich tradition centered around Mary, the mother of the Savior, who was blessed among women. The second group of images of the Virgin Mary includes those that can be called religious. (See Chapter IX: Trinity, Madonna and Angels.) The icons belonging to the second group were created to emphasize the outstanding qualities of Mary as the Mother of God. The following events from the life of the Virgin Mary were most often depicted.

Images of the Virgin Mary dating back to the Renaissance are second in popularity after images of Jesus Christ. Generally speaking, Mary serves as the personification of mercy and purity. She is a compassionate mother, expressing with her nature all the beauty of femininity. Art uses many different symbols and attributes to highlight its outstanding qualities.

The symbolism of the Virgin Mary as the ideal of motherhood is unique both in its nature and in its high level.

Kyiv. Temples. Artists. 2. Vasnetsov and others: taanyabars

So, about Vladimir Cathedral. In the spring of 1885, the cathedral, plastered from the inside, was prepared for interior decoration. The main idea of the program developed by Adrian Prakhov for the interior decoration of the Vladimir Cathedral, a memorial church dedicated to the 900th anniversary of the baptism of Rus', was to comprehend the religious history of Russia. Since the general theme of the painting of the cathedral was the “history of the Russian faith,” the main attention was focused on the development of historical themes related to the baptism of Prince Vladimir and the people of Kiev, as well as Russian saints, canonized figures of Ancient Rus' and ascetics of Russian Orthodoxy. Prakhov decides to attract the most famous masters of his time: Viktor Vasnetsov, Vasily Surikov and Vladimir Polenov. But the last two had other orders at that time. For some unknown reason, the artist Ge also declined. Among the contenders, besides Vrubel, was Valentin Serov, but his sketches, like Vrubel’s, were not suitable. In total, 96 painters took part in the painting. Of these, in addition to Vasnetsov, a significant contribution to the design of the cathedral was made by the then young Mikhail Nesterov, academicians of painting living in Rome, brothers Alexander and Pavel Svedomsky and their Roman friend, a Pole by birth, academician of painting Wilhelm Katarbinsky. Instead of the planned two years, the work lasted for 11; The cathedral was opened in 1896.

A few words about the works of the then very young Mikhail Nesterov (born in 1862). They speak about his works like this: “In this magnificently magnificent cathedral, there were modest and secluded corners where Nesterov’s humble and sad creatures took refuge.” Nesterov also did not escape his passion for Emilia Prakhova’s daughter Elena, and the image of St. Barbara was copied from her.

One of his most significant works in the cathedral is considered to be the Epiphany.

And finally, to Vasnetsov/ From his biography, it is significant that he studied at a theological school and a theological seminary; left his penultimate course to become an artist. In atheistic times, we knew him as a singer of Alyonushki and Bogatyrs, but meanwhile, he considered the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral to be the main work of his life. In total, Vasnetsov performed 15 compositions and 30 individual figures, not counting medallions. This is 4 thousand square meters. It took 2 years to create the central figure alone, and a total of 11 years. There is a legend regarding his participation in this work.

In 1885, during a visit to the cathedral by Vice-Governor Baumgarten and Adrian Prakhov, both of them saw a vision of the Virgin Mary with a baby in her arms on the newly plastered altar wall. Rumors immediately began to spread about the miraculous appearance of the face of the Mother of God and reached the metropolitan. He asked Prahov to immediately write a note in the newspaper and explain to the public that there was no miracle at all, that the image was just damp stains on the plaster. Prahov did just that. But Vasnetsov at first refused to participate in the work in the Vladimir Cathedral, and soon after that, on a spring evening at the dacha, he was simply amazed by the image of his wife with her baby son in her arms. The child reached out to the wondrous spectacle of the spring garden that opened up to him and clasped his hands. The sight of a woman with a baby struck Vasnetsov so much that the thought suddenly occurred to him how nice it would be to paint the Virgin Mary and baby, just like the people dear to him who had just appeared before his eyes. He immediately decided to paint the Cathedral and the next day sent Prahov a telegram about his consent... Subsequently, when Vasnetsov presented Prahov with his sketches of the altar image of the Mother of God, he extracted and showed the artist a sketch of the image that had appeared on the plaster. Prakhov himself told how Vasnetsov was amazed at the exact coincidence of both images of the image of the Mother of God. Losing the power of speech for several minutes, he subsequently uttered a sacramental phrase: It was God’s order.

I quote the role of Vasnetsov’s work - it’s not mine, it’s those of knowledgeable people. “One of the important tasks for Vasnetsov was to overcome the peculiar “schism” that had formed since the end of the 18th century between the people and the clergy, on the one hand, and the intelligentsia, on the other, in their attitude to Russian icon painting. Over the course of two centuries, traditional icon painting was gradually replaced, as an “outdated Middle Ages,” by works of “Italian writing” on religious themes by students of the Academy of Arts, little different from secular paintings. Entire ancient iconostases were replaced at this time by works done in an academic spirit. The people shunned the paintings on the walls of the temple, respecting, according to Mikhail Solovyov, the icon and preferring to pray in front of small lectern images created by simple icon painters in the spirit of traditional icon painting. According to Vasnetsov, the temple was the place where the “reunification” of the intelligentsia and the people could take place. The uniting thing for both could be the revived church art, publicly accessible and understandable to everyone, expressing national beliefs and ideals.”

I can honestly say that not everything that Vasnetsov did in the Vladimir Cathedral resonates with me - in some things there seems to be excessive pretentiousness or a desire for decoration. The problem is that the cathedral is constantly in twilight, and in comparison with what remains in memory, the excellent quality copies of Vasnetsov’s paintings seem too bright. Therefore, along with illustrations from the cathedral website, I will also put Vasnetsov’s sketches for these paintings.

Last Judgment. I remember this picture well - it shocked me on my second visit to the cathedral almost as much as the Mother of God did on the first. She hangs above the entrance - and when you turn away from the Mother of God and think - that's it, I'm going out - that's where she hits you.

Old Testament prophets (fragment)

The threshold of heaven

Alipius the painter (sketch)

Nestor the Chronicler (sketch) Nestor the Chronicler

Princess Olga (sketch)

Duchess Olga

Andrey Bogolyubsky (sketch)

Seraphim (in the image of Seraphim - the daughter of Prahov)

Baptism of Rus' (sketch)

Angel with a candle (can be compared with Vrubelevsky)

Ornaments (also material for comparison). I will refrain from concluding the story (more like showing it). I think anything that can be said would be too subjective.

taanyabars.livejournal.com

History of the Madonna in painting

The history of the Madonna in painting dates back to ancient times. The earliest wall images of Our Lady date back to the second century AD, discovered by archaeologists in the Roman catacombs of Priscilla.

In the 4th century, Constantine the Great made Christianity the dominant official religion in the Byzantine Empire. From this time on, schools of icon painting were formed in Constantinople, and then throughout the rest of Europe. For many centuries, artists depicted the faces of the Virgin Mary only on icons and frescoes, and the church zealously monitored the observance of strict established painting traditions.

At the beginning of the 12th century, the cult of the Virgin Mary began to rapidly gain popularity in Western Europe. Images in the form of mosaics, figurines and icons of the Madonna are becoming in demand not only among church ministers, but also among senior government officials.

In the 14th century, the Renaissance began in Italy, which significantly changed the traditions of fine art. Italian artists began to gradually abandon Byzantine icon-painting dogmas and began to create picturesque paintings on religious themes. This trend was eventually picked up by their colleagues from other European countries: Holland, France, Germany.

The Catholic Church, unlike the Orthodox Church, did not interfere with the development of painting. On the contrary, representatives of the clergy became the main customers of paintings, wall paintings and sculptures. In the religious genre that was dominant at that time, the image of the Madonna became one of the most popular.

The humanistic philosophy of the Renaissance also had a huge influence on the work of painters. Artists have new opportunities to realize their ideas. The Renaissance masters began to boldly experiment with the canonical appearance of the Virgin Mary, creating paintings with different subjects based on the biography of the Mother of God.

Many famous painters created entire cycles of paintings dedicated to the Madonna. The great masters of the Renaissance used new techniques and materials in their works. Painters have achieved perfection in depicting perspective, the play of light and shadow, stunning depth of tones and a variety of color shades.

But the Renaissance also contributed to the emergence and development of new genres of art:

battle;
household;
still life;
landscape.

Gradually, the artistic needs of customers changed. The religious genre has lost its leading position, but has not disappeared completely. Madonna continued to be depicted in paintings by masters of subsequent eras, working in a variety of styles:

baroque;
rococo;
classicism;
romanticism;
realism;
modern;
surrealism;
symbolism.

And these days, Madonna in paintings is of great interest to art connoisseurs. And the masterpieces of ancient masters at exhibitions and museums are admired annually by millions of people in different parts of the Earth.