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Fresco painting was the last to succumb to
western influences, and did so to considerably smaller degree than did
literature, architecture or icon painting. During the second half of the 17
century some mural painters tried unsuccessfully to continue the traditions of
Rublev and Dionisii, but most of them were taken by the prevalent trend in the
other arts, and they too found in western illustrations fresh inspirations and
an opportunity to learn more, imitate and enlarge their activity. One more
Vissher's Bible as well as other books, became a sort of a manual for a good
number of Russian fresco painters. Murals, more than icons, received a new
Russian look in composition substituting western features for Russian faces,
dress, architecture, and decorative elements, and using their native bright
colors o paint them. The frescoes in the churches of the Yaroslavl area are of
particular interest. They exemplify the changes that took place in the second
half of the 17th century. At the sam time they show "Westernization"
of iconography could be limited to the introduction of new scenes and subjects
and did not necessarily mean poor imitation of west-European painters, as was
frequently the case in icon painting of the same period. The frescoes were
painted by teams (arteli) of artists headed by a master painter (znamenshchik),
who drew the entire composition and worked on central figures, his assistants
then worked under his direction and painted the rest. The chronicles left
several names of very gifted native masters, some of whom were invited to
Moscow to work in the Kremlin, thereby reaching the top in the artistic world
by becoming the tsar's painters (tsarshie izugrafi). What they produced was the
best that the Russia of that time could offer. They did not reach the heights
of monumental style and simplicity of the Dionisii school, but they were able
to cope with complicated compositions that entirely covered all the inside
walls of churches, including the chapels, porches and galleries, turning them
into art galleries inundated with vivid colors. Their mode of painting was
quite simple. After each fresco had been designed on a damp plastered wall, it
was filled in with lime colors, and the fresco was done. But this only came
after the laborious work of composition.
Not all of the fresco painters had that semi-monumental style. The closer we
come to the 18th century the more we see the tendency towards increased
ornamental function of the frescoes with florid waves and surly skies and
hundreds of details, with all meant to tell about some episode, not necessarily
religious. In some scenes saints were brought down from the skies to the earth,
and surrounded by people, trees, flowers, animals, birds, houses and household
items. Church galleries were the first to experience this novelty. For photos
please go to
Yaroslavl.
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