Russian painter, master of fresco and icon painting Guriy Nikitin: biography, creativity and interesting facts

Russia has always been famous for its rich culture and a huge number of talents. Guriy Nikitin is one of the most famous and significant figures in Russian painting and icon painting. His life and work fell on the 17th century and left a bright mark in the cultural history of Russia. And although the actual data on the artist, which have survived to the present day, are very fragmented, his works, individual handwriting will forever remain monuments of high spirituality of the past.

Biography

The exact date of birth of Guriy Nikitin is unknown. Approximately this was the beginning of 1620/1625. The native city of the future artist was Kostroma. Nikitin is a pseudonym of the artist, or rather, a patronymic (Nikitich-Nikitin). His real name is Kineshemtsev. Prior to his erection in art, he kept several trade outlets in the salt and fish ranks.

A family

Father Guria Nikitin (Nikita Kineshemtsev) died in 1653 during the cold morass, so the mother was the head of the family Solomonida. Guria had Luke's brother, or as his family called him, Auchka. He was engaged in shoemaking.

In addition to his mother and sibling, Guria had cousins Mikhail and Fedor. They were relatively prosperous people. After their death, Guriy Nikitin inherited several city shops in a fur coat, cloth and fish ranks.

About the personal life of the icon painter is known for sure that he was never married, had no children. This is evidenced by the entry in the Landrath Book, made much later than his death. It indicates exactly the year of the death of the icon painter (1691) and the absence of heirs.

Creation

Guriy Nikitin from an early age showed creative talent. Where he was educated, it is unknown. The main researcher of his work is V.G. Bryusov suggests that Vasily Il'in, a famous Kostroma artist and icon painter of the time, could be Nikitin's teacher.

But in many respects to the creative progress the mother of the future icon painter contributed. Immersed in his world, the young Guri had a cozy house, food and a friendly family. And at that difficult time to create a similar Russian woman who was left without support, it was quite difficult. Later, the image of a woman mother will receive a special place in the work of Nikitin.

His path to art was not easy. After all, Gurii came from a simple working family, far from icon painting. The artist received considerable experience when painting the Moscow churches (the Trinity Church, the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin) as part of the Kostroma artel. In addition to the masters from Kostroma, talented icon painters from Yaroslavl, Novgorod, and Moscow worked there.

This colossal creative movement of that era was for Nikitin the first confident step in the history of art. Showing himself as a gifted artist, Guriy received many invitations from Orthodox churches in Russia and the Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich himself for painting walls and writing / restoring icons.

Individual handwriting

Speaking of the splendor and symbolism of Russian icon painting, art historians always point to the unique genius that Gury Nikitin was. His paintings are a unique combination of decorativism and monumentality in one work. It is no coincidence that the flowering of his work coincided with the rise of decorative and monumental art in Russia (second half of the 17th century).

All the works of an outstanding artist and icon painter have a unique style, individual handwriting. He built compositions of paintings on the principle of non-mirror symmetry, applied contrasts of light and shade. Art critics note the internal dynamics, the sense of rhythm in prescribing images. In addition, the murals of Guria Nikitin cover a wide range of colors, which undoubtedly enhances the decorative effect of the compositions.

Known works

The reference to Nikitin's first works of art dates back to 1650. It is connected with the painting of the church porch of the Resurrection and Trinity Cathedral in Kostroma. The frescoes of Guriy Nikitin in the Cross Exaltation Cathedral in Romanov (now Tutaev) (early 1650's), at the Danilov Monastery in Pereslavl-Zalessky (1662-68), at the Assumption Cathedral (Rostov Kremlin, 1670) and in the The temple of Elijah the Prophet (Yaroslavl, 1680). For the latter, Nikitin also painted holiday icons.

1666 was a difficult, crucial time for the Russian church. Nikitin took an active part in the restoration paintings of the Archangel Cathedral. His hands belong to the images of warriors-martyrs and several fragments of the monumental composition "The Last Judgment".

Iconography

The house of the artist and the icon-painter was not far from the Epiphany Cathedral. Of course, this fact means Guria's direct involvement in the painting of the church. The most vivid paintings, icons of Guriy Nikitin for the cathedral date back to 1667-1672.

In the same years he wrote cypress folds commissioned by Queen Maria Ilinichna. Their composition was presented in such a way that in the center was depicted the image of the Virgin of Kazan, on the right - Nicholas the Wonderworker, and to the left - the Great Martyr Agrippina and Evdokia. And also, seven icons were created for the patriarch Macarius of Antioch.

A lot of icons are written by Nikitin for the Assumption Cathedral. Among them: "The Last Judgment", "The Sign", "The Descent of St. Spirit "," Kazan in Miracles ".

The last work is the icon "The Old Testament Trinity" by Guria Nikitin for the Trinity-Sypanovskiy Cathedral in Kostroma, written in 1690.

Attributed works

There are several art works, the authorship of which is attributed to Guria Nikitin. However, they did not receive sufficient attribution. These include "Feodorovskaya icon of the Virgin with a legend" (1680), "Martyrs Kirik and Iulita" (1680s), "Exaltation of the Cross" and a fresco of the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma. According to historical data, some of them (for example, "Feodorovskaya icon ...") are not actually the works of the artist, but the skilful restoration of the works of predecessors.

Interesting Facts

Gury Nikitin lived in virginity and celibacy, but his family did not have confreres in the family. Yes, and the icon-painter did not take tonsure. Such a decision remained a mystery of the artist for his contemporaries. However, in the memorial record of the Nikitin family, after the date of the death of the family's father, the name of Helen the Scheme was given. The researchers suggest that this is the church name of the mother of Guria (Solomonides), who already in old age went to the monastery.

In 1659, when talented icon painters were required to paint the Archangel Cathedral in Moscow, Emelyan Pushkarev drove from Kostroma. However, he had painful legs, and soon he was sent back. On his replacement, he recommended several masters-fellow countrymen, among whom was Guriy Nikitin. The artist successfully passed the attestation and in 1660 received the status of the icon painter of the first article.

Gury Nikitin was the headman (or foreman) of the artel of the Kostroma icon painters. Despite a number of privileges for the position, the artist was very responsible for his work and did not allow himself to relax, working on a par with colleagues in the shop and even more. When decorating the Ipatievsky Monastery and the Church of Elijah the Prophet, he independently plotted the outlines of future frescoes, and left the painting for the pupils.

The name "Guri" means literally "patient hard worker". That's exactly what Guriy Nikitin was. His biography is sketchy, but the memoirs of contemporaries indicate that the icon painter was a pious and God-fearing person. To the writing of icons has always been responsibly with the artistic and the spiritual side. There is a well-known case when he began to paint the image of Theodore's Mother of God in Lent, having previously confessed and received communion. Later, during the religious procession in Yaroslavl, this image showed miracles of healing.

Gury Nikitin often had to restore old icons and paintings. He took care of the cultural and historical heritage, so he retained the stylistic features of the works of his predecessors, like large figures and restraint of movements. Because some of the artist's brush works remained unknown.

Art critics consider the name of Guriy Nikitin to be a list of the great Russian icon painters. Along with Theophanes the Greek, Andrei Rublev and Simon Ushakov, he exerted a tremendous influence on Russian iconography and rightfully earned an honorable place among the masters of his craft.

Today

Many of Guria Nikitin's masterpieces have survived to this day. The most large-scale and significant are in the homeland of the artist in Kostroma. So, now in Troitsk and Ipatievsky cathedrals you can get on an excursion and get acquainted with the unique monuments of Russian architecture and painting. The central place, of course, is given to the review of the frescoes of Guria Nikitin.