Theophanes the Greek (sometimes "Feofan Grek" from the russian: Феофан Грек,
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: Θεοφάνης; c. 1340 – c. 1410) was a
Byzantine Greek
Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Ottoman c ...
artist and one of the greatest
icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most c ...
painters of
Muscovite
Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula K Al2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage ...
Russia, who influenced the 15th-century painting style of the
Novgorod school and the subsequent Moscow school. He was noted as the teacher and mentor of the great
Andrei Rublev
Andrei Rublev ( rus, Андре́й Рублёв, p=ɐnˈdrʲej rʊˈblʲɵf , also transliterated as ''Andrey Rublyov'') was a Muscovite icon painter born in the 1360s who died between 1427 and 1430 in Moscow. He is considered to be one of the ...
.
Life and work
Theophanes was from the capital of the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
,
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
.
After studying art and philosophy at the University of Constantinople, he moved to
Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the o ...
in 1370, and in 1395 to
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
. His style is considered unsurpassed in expression achieved by almost mono-colored painting. Some of his contemporaries observed that he appeared to be "painting with a broom", in reference to the bold, broad execution in some of his finest
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of Mural, mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the ...
s (see
St. Makarios of Egypt), which are unique in the larger
Byzantine tradition. Theophanes was described by the Muscovites as "learned in philosophy", a reflection on his broad education and erudition. A hint of this might be gathered from his panel icon of the
Transfiguration of Jesus
In the New Testament, the Transfiguration of Jesus is an event where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (, , ) describe it, and the Second Epistle of Peter also refers to it ().
In these ...
, where the arresting geometry and brilliance of the figure of
Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
is balanced against the ordered disarray of the earthbound
Apostles, strewn about doll-like in the
uncreated Light of
Mount Tabor
Mount Tabor ( he, הר תבור) (Har Tavor) is located in Lower Galilee, Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee.
In the Hebrew Bible (Joshua, Judges), Mount Tabor is the site of the Battle of Mount Tabo ...
. The balance of mathematical harmony in line and shape, wed to a master's use of an earthtone palette and precious
gold leaf
Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into thin sheets (usually around 0.1 µm thick) by goldbeating and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. The most commonly used gold is 22-kara ...
, evokes a spirituality that is immensely powerful, and speaks to the genius of this relatively unknown painter. According to a contemporary source Theophanes was also famous as a
manuscript illuminator.
Gallery
Frescoes
File:Preobrazhenie.jpeg, Transfiguration of Jesus
In the New Testament, the Transfiguration of Jesus is an event where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (, , ) describe it, and the Second Epistle of Peter also refers to it ().
In these ...
1408
File:Spas na Ilyine - Christ Pantocrator 01.jpg, Christ Pantocrator
image:Spas na Ilyine - Trinity.jpg, Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...
Image:Spas na Ilyine - Patriarch Abel.jpg, Abel
Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd w ...
Image:Spas na Ilyine - Stylite Daniel.jpg, St. Daniel the Stylite
Image:Spas na Ilyine - Saint Macarius the Great.jpg, St. Macarius of Egypt
Icons
image:Theofanus uspenie.jpg, Dormition of the Theotokos
The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother of ...
(Uspenie Bogoroditsy)
Image:Deisusnaya_ikona_Bogoroditsy_Feofan.jpg, The Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
, Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Moscow Kremlin
image:Feofan predtecha.jpg, John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
pair with the Virgin
Notable works
Frescos
Theophanes decorated in fresco the walls and ceilings of many churches including:
*the
Church of the Transfiguration on Ilin Street in
Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the o ...
(1378)
*the church of Nativity of Mary (1395) of the
Moscow Kremlin together with Semen Chernij)
*Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (1399)
*
The Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Moscow Kremlin (1405)
Icons
Although he created panel icons, works attributed to Theophanes have become a topic of intense academic debate based on historical evidence. Prior to this debate, he was traditionally considered the author of famous panel icons, notably:
*Our Lady of the Don (1380?)
*Dormition of the Virgin Mary (1392)
*The Virgin Mary and John the Baptist from the
iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed ...
of the
Cathedral of the Annunciation in the
Moscow Kremlin (1405?)
*The Transfiguration (1408)
See also
*
List of Russian artists
This is a list of Russians artists. In this context, the term "Russian" covers the Russian Federation, Soviet Union, Russian Empire, Tsardom of Russia and Grand Duchy of Moscow, including ethnic Russians and people of other ethnicities living in ...
External links
The school of Theophanos the Greek in medieval Crimea
References
{{ACArt
1340 births
1410 deaths
Russian painters
Russian male painters
Byzantine painters
Eastern Orthodox icons
People from medieval Novgorod
Greek painters
Greek artists
14th-century Greek painters
15th-century Greek painters
14th-century Greek people
15th-century Greek people
Constantinopolitan Greeks
People from Constantinople