Novgorod School (painting)

The Novgorod school is one of the fundamental schools of the medieval Russian art of icon and mural painting. After the uprising of 1136, Novgorod principality became a strong state with a high level of culture. Having escaped the burden of Tatar Mongol occupation and being the cultural center of the country, Novgorod experienced a blossoming of the arts in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. This is reflected in church architecture, icons, mural paintings, and book miniatures that have been carefully preserved. In Russian iconography the Novgorod school occupies a prominent place together with those of the Pskov school and the Moscow school. The masterpieces of early Novgorod painting are the interiors of the Annunciation church in Akrazhi (1189) and the Church of Saint George in Staraia Ladoga (1160–80s). The churches themselves are characterized by simple, heavy architecture, which is in harmony with the northern landscape. Their interiors are richly decorated with mural paintings.

Brief History

The earliest example of Novgorod painting is a mural in the Cathedral of Saint Sofia in Novgorod. The cathedral was built between 1045 and 1050 and was initially without decoration, which began, according to the Novgorod chronicles, in 1108. Two other significant examples of Novgorod art of the early twelfth century are the paintings of the Saint Nicholas cathedral and the cathedral of Saint Antony’s monastery. These three monuments demonstrate that artistic styles in Novgorod were very different, since many of the painters who worked in the city were invited to come from other places. The mural paintings of Saint Nicholas cathedral are similar to those of the Kiev school of painting while several paintings of light areas in Saint Sofia cathedral remind the observer of more ancient traditions.

Gradually, the Novgorod school of painting started to develop its own style, which began to play a significant role beginning in the second half of the twelfth century. The earliest mural paintings of this school are those of the Annunciation church in Akrazhi (three kilometers from Novgorod). All of them are painted in a liberal and informal manner characteristic of the Novgorod school.

Starting from the middle of the eleventh century, icons produced in Novgorod acquire traits that would later become characteristic of the icon painting school. Among these are the lighter shades that were unlikely to be used in the icon painting of the previous centuries. In the thirteenth century the Novgorod school of painting was completely formed. It was distinguished by brighter contrasting colors and flatter forms, faces of the saints were softened, and their clothes were defined by a few broken lines.

Novgorod painting of the fourteenth century was divided into two main trends. One was that of the local tradition reflected mostly in the icon painting. The other was the Byzantine model, reflected in the paintings of Theophanes the Greek, one of the most influential immigrant mural painters.

At the end of the fifteenth century, as a result of the opposition between the Novgorod and Moscow schools of painting most pieces of art were dedicated to the local saints and local history in general. In the first half of the sixteenth century, Novgorod school of painting merged with that of Moscow.

Overview

During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries several new monumental churches were built in Novgorod. Among them are the Church of Saint Nicholas in Lipnia (1292), Volotovo Assumption Church (1352), the Church of Theodore Stratelates (1361).

At the same time, Novgorod painting also developed its particular style. Novgorod painters were especially influenced by the work of Theophanes the Greek who painted the Transfiguration Cathedral (1378) in Novgorod. His prominent style of painting with sharp shapes of figures and contrasting patches of light and his ability to convey the inner state of the depicted figures greatly impressed the Russian painters. The mural paintings of Volotovo Assumption Church were performed in a manner similar to that of Theophanes the Greek. These mural paintings were destroyed during the World War II but were partially restored in 2008–2010. The paintings of the Church of Theodore Stratelates were performed in the same style but the use of reds and browns differentiates them from those of the traditional Novgorodian style. The mural paintings of other churches, for example, Transfiguration Church in Kovalyovo (1380) or the Nativity church (1390s), are evidence for the influence of Georgian and Serbian traditions.

The introduction of iconostasis (a screen before the sanctuary on which the icons are hung in a specific order) in the early fourteenth century made the Novgorod artists move from mural painting to icon painting, creating a specific Novgorodian style that soon became a standard in Russian art. In the traditions of icon painting of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries one can clearly see the presence of popular art. This is manifested by bright colors, dominated by yellow and emerald green. The style of the icon itself demonstrates closeness to the popular culture where the images of Christian saints became transformed under the influence of popular belief. A bright example of this is the image of Saint George , a most popular Novgorodian saint, that is depicted as a fairly tale character.

The peculiarity of Novgorod icons is the introduction of everyday details into the images of the Holy Scriptures, and the portrayal of real persons or real historical facts, for example, the family in the icon Praying Novgorodians (1467) and Florus and Laurus and Battle of the Novgorodians with the Suzdalians (both painted at the end of the fifteenth century). These last two icons are kept in the Tretiakov Gallery in Moscow. Masterpieces of the twelfth through eighteenth centuries of the Novgorod school of icon painting can also be seen in the Novgorod museum and the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg.

Bibliography

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