One of the finest Novgorodian icons is the Nativity, executed not later than
the first quarter of the fifteenth century.
The Nativity
The figures of the angels, the Magi, the shepherd, Joseph, the old man
standing in front of him, and the serving maids washing the child are
distributed about the surface of the panel in strict balance. The composition
has its central axis, intersected by the recumbent figure of the Virgin. But
all these elements of symmetry are handled freely, without any appearance of
studied deliberation. This is why the composition has such a flexible and
elastic rhythm. The artist makes skilful use of the rocks to unite episodes
occurring at different times. The figures are placed in three bands, arranged
in tiers, which do not upset the picture plane, but are fully subordinated to
it. The clefts of the ledges all lead the spectator's gaze to the figures
which are presented either amidst them, or against their background. In this
way, every character is set off by lines of the landscape background. The
upper field of the icon contains half - length figures of three saints who
were popular in Novgorod - Evdokiya, Sts. John Climacus and Ul'yana, obviously
namesakes of members of the donor's family. The colouring is refined,
especially in the bluish rocks shaded by pale lilac hues. Vermilion and
lilac - coloured garments and green shrubs with red berries stand out vividly
against this background.
In the fifteenth century St. George remained one of the most popular images in
Novgorod icon - painting.
St. George and the Dragon
Though the theme was traditional, Novgorodians each time managed to find a new
and unexpected solution. In the icon the horse trots on imperturbably,
disregarding the dragon visible under its hoofs. In his raised right hand
St. George holds a sword. It is a symbol of the coming battle, as it were,
rather than a weapon of revenge. The horse's neck is encircled with a red
kerchief with white spots, and there are red ribbons twined round its legs.
The harness, the saddle and the sweat - cloth are richly ornamented. The
overall impression is that the painter artlessly conveyed what he had seen in
the street of his native village on one of the twelve feast days when the
peasants led out their richly ornamented horses.
An entirely different rendering of St. George is offered in another icon from
the Tretyakov Gallery.
St. George and the Dragon
This work is full of turbulent motion. The white horse is galloping full tilt,
and the horseman is bent in the saddle plunging the spear into the dragon's
mouth. His bright red cloak, streaming in the wind, provides the background
for the figure, accenting and intensifying the curve of the torso. A shield is
visible behind the left shoulder. Together with the Divine Hand in the upper
right corner, this shield balances the floating cloak, making the entire
composition more stable. It is interesting that in the process of work the
artist departed from the original sketch, eliminating a background rock and
altering the curve of the horse's neck. This is yet another indication of how
sensitive the artist was to compositional rhythm, which he continued to
perfect even in carrying out the first sketch in colour.
It has already been noted that icons with groups of chosen saints are among
the most original of all Novgorodian works.
Sts. Nicholas, Blasius, Florus, Laurus, the Prophet Elijah and Paraskeva Pyatnitsa
A keen feeling for colour is particularly evident in them. One of these icons
is Sts. Nicholas, Blasius, Florus and Laurus at the Tretyakov Gallery. As
usual, the saints are shown in a frontal position. In a semicircle above them
is the Virgin of the Sign. Apparently to safeguard himself against all
possible evils, the donor asked the artist to add half - length figures of
Elijah and Paraskeva Pyatnitsa so that his house should be safe from fire and
his market days successful. The artist invested this simple composition with
such a wealth of shades of colour, from cinnabar, greenish - blue and green to
lilac and pink, that the icon scintillates like a gem, so glowing is its pure
colour.
In the icon, Sts. Florus and Laurus are represented as martyrs.
Sts. Florus, Laurus, Blasius and Modestus
The three - tier icon shows them in a different way - as benign intercessors
on behalf of the husbandman. The cult of Sts. Florus and Laurus as patrons of
horse - breeding was brought to Russia from the Balkans, and it was in
Novgorod that it struck the deepest roots. The two saints are usually
represented at the sides of an angel who holds a pair of horses by their
bridles. Below is depicted a herd of horses driven by the Cappadocian, grooms
Speusippus, Eleusippus, and Meleusippus. Sts. Florus and Laurus are shown not
as independent carriers of celestial power but as benign intercessors on
behalf of the husbandman who has lost or is afraid of losing his dearest
possession, the horse.
The composition of the icon, divided into three tiers, does not have the
centricity typical of later works on the subject. The upper tier is marked by
a precise, almost heraldic symmetry. On the rock in the middle stands an angel
holding the bridles of two horses, a white and a black, which are protected by
Sts. Florus and Laurus. All the figures stand out in sharp silhouette against
a light background. In the second tier the symmetry is upset, and the entire
movement is directed from left to right where the grooms Speusippus,
Eleusippus and Meleusippus are driving the herd of horses. To coordinate the
composition of the second tier with that of the upper, the artist places one
of the grooms in the center, on the same axis with the rock and the figure of
the Archangel on it. But the right side of the composition clearly
overbalances the left, even though the artist has introduced an additional
rock there to maintain the compositional balance. The lower tier too, fails to
achieve the ideal symmetry of the upper. It shows Blasius and Modestus seated
against an architectural background with a rock rising in the center. The
cattle approaching St. Blasius clearly upset the balance of the component
parts, and the artist introduces an additional small rock in an effort to
restore it. In all these devices there is still much that is naive and
laboured. It is felt that the artist has not yet found the classically clear
forms that distinguish the same composition on later icons of Sts. Florus and
Laurus.