Abstract
Theophanes the Greek was one of the well-known artists of exceptional personality who lived in the second half of the 14th century. His talent stood out on account of the expressionist manner in which he portrayed his art creations and their impact on the school of Russian religious painting. His artistic talent, “swift brush” painting manner and life adventure can be compared with those of Doménikos Theotokópoulos (El Greco), another famous Greek painter, who brought the Cretan dramatic and expressionistic style to the West, influencing the Spanish Renaissance two hundred years after Theophanes. The artistic heritage of Theophanes stands between the short vibrant period of the Palaeologan Renaissance when the Byzantine Empire went through a terminal crisis, and the European Proto-Italian Renaissance. The artist seized the opportunity to unleash his creative work in the ancient Russian cities, unfolding his talent in the creation of large mural paintings. Characterized by his contemporaries as “Theophanes the Greek, icon painter and philosopher”, he enjoyed a high reputation in medieval Russian society. Present article questions Theophanes’ belonging to the hesychast movement and the attribution of the Muscovite icons and manuscripts to the painter. Considering the impact of Theophanes on Russian visual art, D. Talbot Rice stated: “It was thanks to the teaching of Greek immigrants like Theophanes that a sound foundation was established Russian painting, and it was on this basis that local styles were founded.” And it was in the Russian principalities that Theophanes developed his very distinctive style, enjoying carte blanche from the princes and boyars (aristocracy) to apply his creativity in various domains.
Highlights
Theophanes the Greek was one of the well-known artists of exceptional personality who lived in the second half of the 14th century
The artistic heritage of Theophanes stands between the short vibrant period of the Palaeologan Renaissance when the Byzantine Empire went through a terminal crisis, and the European Proto-Italian Renaissance
Characterized by his contemporaries as “Theophanes the Greek, icon painter and philosopher”, he enjoyed a high reputation in medieval Russian society
Summary
From the letter of Epiphanius the Wise, we learn that, prior to his arrival in Novgorod, Theophanes was already a famous painter, who had completed the painting of “about forty churches”. Since Kaffa had developed trade routes with the Russian principalities, it seems most likely that merchants from Novgorod, after seeing Theophanes’ works, invited the artist to paint the churches in their city, and as the result the Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour on Ilyina Street was painted by the master in 1378. In Moscow Theophanes was overloaded with orders He painted most of the churches of Moscow’s Kremlin: the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in 1395, the Archangel Cathedral in 1399 where he “depicted the city”, and the Cathedral of the Annunciation in 1405 where he worked on the theme of “the Tree of Jesse” and scenes from the Apocalypse. Both of these masters received abroad the surname “Greek”, and were estimated as philosophers and painters and as people of exceptional intelligence and wisdom
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