CHRISTURENED TALE BY VICTOR VASNETSOV
Born into the family of a village parson, educated before entering the Academy of Arts, in the seminary, Victor Vasnetsov penned that ‘For a Russian artist there is in Russia no other holiest and most fruitful target as adorning the temple.’
The painting of the memorial temple’s interior, dedicated to 900 years of Russia’s Christening, had been offered to the artist by an arts historian, archeologist and professor Adrian Prakhov. It was not immediately that Vasnetsov gave his consent to carry out the work considering the mission by its grandness and importance being a matter of extreme seriousness’. Eventually, it took him 10 years to accomplish the painting.
In the temple of Vladimir, east of Moscow Province centre of the same name, joined by aids, Vasnetsov painted the entire Neff of the church, the middle of choirs and three sides of pillars separating the central Neff from the two sidelined ones. In all, 15 compositions and 30 separate full-size figures of the saints had been created. The artist admitted: ’The spirit of ancient Russian icon has proved to be much higher than I’d assumed’.
The sketches to the paintings of the Vladimirsky Cathedral in Kiev, 1885-1896
The sketches to the paintings of the Vladimirsky Cathedral in Kiev, 1885-1896
Christ-Vsederzhitel
The-only-begotten Son of God\’s word
Christening of Russia, Cardboard to painting above the entrance to choirs
Paintings fragments in Vladimirsky temple in Kiev
A painting fragment: Maria Magdalena
A painting fragment: Jesus Christ
A painting fragment: Saint Vladimir
