Saturday, January 29, 2011

Andrei Rublyov

Andrei Rublyov (Russian: Андре́й Рублёв, born in the 1360s, died January 29, 1430) is considered to be the greatest medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescoes.
The only work authenticated as entirely his is the icon of the Trinity, ca. 1410, currently in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. It is based upon an earlier icon known as the "Hospitality of Abraham". Rublyov removed the figures of Abraham and Sarah from the scene, and through a subtle use of composition and symbolism changed the subject to focus on the Mystery of the Trinity.

In Rublyov's art, two traditions are combined: the highest asceticism and the classic harmony of Byzantine mannerism. The characters of his paintings are always peaceful and calm. After some time his art came to be perceived as the ideal of Church painting and of Orthodox iconography.
Andrei Rublyov was canonized a saint in 1988 by the Russian Orthodox Church. The church celebrates his feast day on January 29.
In 1966, Andrei Tarkovsky made his celebrated film "Andrei Rublyov" loosely based on the artist's life, which shows him as "a world-historic figure" and "Christianity as an axiom of Russia's historical identity" during a turbulent period in the history of Russia.

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