Icons are like open books that speak better than words - you just need to learn to read them. And then any, even inconspicuous detail of the icon - a fringe, a cloak clasp or a strip sewn onto clothing - will reveal to us deep theological secrets, strengthen us in faith and teach us the truths of Orthodoxy.Sister icon painters of the Novo-Tikhvin Monastery talk about what the clothing details on the icons mean.

Icons of the Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ, as the King of kings and Lord of lords, is traditionally depicted in the clothes worn by noble dignitaries of the Roman Empire: chiton , resembling a long shirt, and himation , outerwear (essentially this is rectangular segment fabric thrown over a chiton as a cloak). Many saints of the Old Testament and Gospel times are dressed in tunics and himations in icons, but the Savior’s attire has some peculiarities.

The Lord is Almighty

On the right side of the tunic the Lord Jesus Christ is depicted clave - a sewn-on vertical stripe, a symbol of the royal power of the Byzantine emperors. In the iconography of the Savior, the clave is a sign of the royalty, purity and perfection of Christ’s human nature.

On icons, the tunic of the Savior is usually painted in red tones, and the himation in blue. These two colors symbolize the human and divine natures of Christ. Blue color, a symbol of purity and innocence, reminds us of Heaven. Red is about the blood shed by the Lord for our salvation. A robe of this color is also an indication of the royal dignity of the Savior. In ancient times, purple, reddish-violet clothes, porphyry, could only be worn by royalty. This robe was dyed with an extremely rare dye - purple, which was extracted from the purple glands of sea mollusks. Purple was so expensive that even the most noble Roman citizens could only afford purple stripes on their clothes. And when the royal porphyry, painted purple, wore out, it was not destroyed, but cut into small shreds, which were distributed as a reward to distinguished statesmen.

Sometimes the Savior is depicted in clothes of a different color to emphasize His Divine properties. Thus, on the icon “Savior in Power” the Lord is depicted in golden-colored robes, reminding us of the radiance of His heavenly glory.

Transfiguration

On the icon of the Transfiguration, the Savior is dressed in white clothes, in accordance with the Gospel description: “His clothes became shining, very white, like snow, as a whitener on earth cannot bleach” (Mark 9:3). The white color, like the golden rays, symbolizes the uncreated Divine light.

Icon Holy Mother of God from the Deisis rank.

Icons of the Mother of God. It is customary to depict the Blessed Virgin Mary in maforia - a quadrangular cloth or cape, which was worn by the Mother of God according to the custom of married Jewish women of that time. This shawl was worn over other clothes and was so large that it covered not only the head, but almost the entire body. The original maphorium of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been kept in the Blachernae Church in Constantinople since 474. In the iconography, the tones of the Mother of God's dress are dark red - a reminder of the royal origin of the Most Pure One and the suffering She endured. In addition, the crimson “royal” color of maforia signifies that the Mother of God is the Mother of King Christ.

Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign.

The edges of the maforia are trimmed with a gold border (ribbon with gold threads) and fringe. This color was not chosen by chance: the golden border - a sign of the glorification of the Queen of Heaven - symbolizes Her presence in the Divine light and Her participation in the glory of the Lord. Covered with maforium blue or blue color tunics , lower clothing, and cap symbolizes the virginity of the Mother of God, Her heavenly, perfect purity.

The maphorium of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the icons is decorated with three symbolic stars - on the forehead (symbol of virginity at the time of the Savior’s birth), on the right shoulder (symbol of virginity before Christmas), on the left shoulder (symbol of virginity after Christmas). At the same time, three stars are also a symbol of the Holy Trinity. On some icons, the figure of the Infant God covers one of these stars, signifying the incarnation of the Son of God - the Second Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity.

There is one more detail in the robe of the Mother of God, invisible at first glance, but also important. This instruct , which symbolize the concelebration of the Mother of God - and in Her person and the entire Church - the Head of the Church, the High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sschmch. Hilarion, Archbishop of Verei

Saints, that is, bishops glorified by the Church, for example, saints, and others, are depicted in liturgical episcopal vestments. On the head of the saints there may be miter - a special headdress decorated with small icons and precious stones. The bishop's miter symbolizes the Savior's crown of thorns.

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk

A distinctive detail of the vestments of the saints is sakkos , which signifies the purple robe of the Lord. On the shoulders of bishops omophorion - a wide ribbon-shaped cloth decorated with crosses is an obligatory part of the bishop’s vestments: without it he has no right to perform divine services. For example, Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk is depicted on the icon in traditional holy vestments: sakkos, omophorion and miter. The omophorion is a symbol of a lost sheep, that is, every person, and the bishop dressed in an omophorion represents Christ, the Good Shepherd, who took the lost sheep on his shoulders and carried it to the house of the Heavenly Father.

Sometimes on icons saints, for example Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, are depicted not in sakkos, but in felony - a long and wide robe without sleeves, which in our time priests wear when performing divine services. The peculiarity of these felonies is that they are decorated with many crosses, which is why they are called polystauria (from Greek “many crosses”). The fact is that in ancient times it was the polystaurium that was the vestment of bishops, and the sakkos began to gradually replace it only in the 15th century, and therefore bishops who spent their lives before that time are often depicted in ancient attire.

Fragment of the “Teachers of Smart Doing” icon. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

Often there are images of saints in bishop's mantle . At the shoulders and in front below the mantle is sewn tablets – boards on which crosses, cherubs, icons of the Savior and the Mother of God, symbolic images of evangelists, and a bishop’s monogram can be depicted. For example, on the icon “Teachers of Smart Work” on the bishop’s mantle of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), tablets with the monogram “E” - bishop and “I” - Ignatius are depicted below.

Sschmch. Peter, Metropolitan of Krutitsky.

By tradition, bishops and archbishops are depicted in purple robes, metropolitans in blue robes, and patriarchs in green. The mantle, which itself symbolizes special Divine protection, has another symbol on itself - the so-called sources , or jets . Three rows of red and white stripes, in the name of the Holy Trinity, symbolize the streams of Divine wisdom, falling to which the church hierarch draws the wisdom and grace of God to transmit them to his flock.

Vmchch. Demetrius of Thessalonica and St. George the Victorious. Fragment of an icon.

Martyrs and noble princes are often depicted on icons wearing warriors, similar to those worn in Byzantium and Ancient Rus'. The warriors wore a short chiton, it was called vest , he was wearing armor that protected the warrior from enemy weapons. On the icons of the saints of God, the armor reminds us that grace protects the warriors of the Heavenly King from invisible enemies. There are several types of armor, but most often they are depicted on icons chain mail – ringed “shirts” with short sleeves and an embossed shield on the chest. The attire of the warriors on the icons completely coincides with ancient clothes. For example, if martyrs are depicted full-length, then they usually have leggings – they correspond to modern trousers, and campags - shoes of Byzantine warriors, reminiscent of boots.

In the center of the icon is the blessed prince Alexander Nevsky.

In addition, warriors wear a cloak - in the Roman Empire it was called chlamys or lacerna, and it is fixed fibula (it is also called a zapona or agraf) - a clasp decorated with ornaments and precious stones. Seeing a fibula on a warrior’s cloak, everyone understood that its owner served the king - and on the icons this small detail symbolizes that martyrs and other saints of God, depicted in military clothes, belong to the heavenly army and serve their King - the Lord Jesus Christ. Like victorious warriors defeating invisible enemies, these saints on icons have weapons: a sword, sometimes a bow and a quiver with arrows and a spear.

VMC. Irina Makedonskaya

On the icons you can always recognize Equal-to-the-Apostles, martyrs, passion-bearers, noble princes and princesses who had royal dignity. At their head they have crown or a crown, to which queens and martyrs attach lower decorations made of pearls and stones - clear .

Royal Passion-Bearers

Dalmatica - long outerwear, worn over a tunic, with wide sleeves, is richly decorated among royal saints mantle, apron And podolnik . Dalmatics are clearly visible, for example, on the icon of Princess Olga and Tsarevich Alexy.

Equal to the Apostles Princess Olga

The royal cloak resembles the imperial scarlet. All these details emphasize the high dignity of the kings - the anointed of God, who, thanks to their virtues, became imitators of the Lord Almighty.

Venerable Sergius of Radonezh

Reverends have special attire - chiton , mantle, hood . This monastic robe, unlike the worldly one, symbolizes the new robe of truth and joy, incorruption and purity - a robe woven from virtues, in which a person who has renounced the world and everything in the world is clothed. Each of the monastic robes has a special meaning: the tunic recalls the patience of voluntary poverty, cramped conditions and sorrows, followed by unearthly joy. The mantle, a long sleeveless cape fastened at the collar, was a symbol of renunciation of idolatry among the first Christians, and then became the vestment of exclusively monastics.

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov

The mantle marks the monk's acquisition of God's protection and reminds of the rigor and asceticism of monastic life, reverence and humility. Just as a mantle has no sleeves, so a monk “has no hands” for worldly vanity and sinful acts; his hands and other members are as if dead to vice. According to the interpretation of Saint Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, the monastic robe symbolizes the wings of angels - a monk, like an angel, must be ready for every divine work. The words of the modern ascetic of piety, prayer book and confessor of Archbishop Anthony (Golynsky-Mikhailovsky) agree with this interpretation: “I love that everyone runs, quickly. Monasticism is angels. They must fly!” The Holy Fathers also compare the mantle to a military cloak. Just as one could easily determine from a cloak that a warrior serves the emperor, so the mantle shows that the monk serves and tries in everything to be like his great King-Christ.

If the mantle resembles a cloak, then the hood is a helmet, the same one about which the Apostle Paul says, “And take the helmet of salvation” (Eph. 6:11). The hood testifies to the humility of the monks, their unhypocritical obedience and the guarding of their eyes from everything sinful and vain.

Icon “Teachers of Smart Doing”

The Venerables Nil of Sorsky, Vasily of Polyanomerulsky, Zosima of Verkhovsky are depicted in kukule And analava otherwise called schema . These robes of monks tonsured into the great schema are also deeply symbolic. The kukul - a pointed headdress - resembles the clothing of infants, because monastics should be like children in humility. In addition, the kukul reminds us that grace covers and warms the saints of God, protecting their purity and simplicity from demons, just as hats warm the heads of babies. Kukul is lined with crosses around it in order to drive away with this royal sign the enemies of salvation who attack us from everywhere. Analav, a quadrangular shawl that is worn on the shoulders, is decorated with crosses and means bearing the cross, following the Savior, complete slaying of the world.

VMC. Anastasia Pattern Maker

Holy women: martyrs, righteous women, myrrh-bearing women on the icons they are depicted with their heads covered - in accordance with the words of the Apostle Paul that a woman praying should cover her head, for she should have “a sign of authority over her, for the Angels” (1 Cor. 11:10). Thus, a covered head testifies to their presence in prayer and their spiritual disposition towards humility.

St. Mary of Egypt

But sometimes holy women are depicted with their heads uncovered. For example, they write this way as a reminder that she lost her clothes during her long stay in the desert - they decayed. The uncovered head is a sign of Saint Mary’s complete renunciation not only of worldly pleasures, but even of what is necessary for life, a sign of the exceptional ascetic-repentant life of this saint, who ascended from the depths of sin to the incomprehensible heights of holiness.

Mts. Faith

In addition, women and young virgins are depicted with their heads uncovered - for example, the martyr Vera and the younger Grand Duchesses on the icon of the Royal Passion-Bearers - Mary and Anastasia.

In the following materials you will learn about the features of the iconography of the prophetic face, as well as the angelic ranks.

The illustrations use photographs of icons made in the icon-painting workshop of the Novo-Tikhvin Monastery.

The Byzantines believed that the meaning of any art is beauty. They painted icons, shining with gilding and bright colors. Each color had its own place and meaning. The colors were never mixed, they were light and dark, but always pure. In Byzantium, color was considered as important as a word, because each of them had its own meaning. One or more colors created a speaking image. Studying from the Byzantines, Russian masters accepted and preserved the symbolism of color.

Golden color:

The golden shine of mosaics and icons made it possible to feel the radiance of God and the splendor of the Heavenly Kingdom, where there is never night. The golden color signified God himself.

Purple color:

Purple, or crimson, was a very important color in Byzantine culture. This is the color of the king, the ruler - God in heaven, emperor on earth. Only the emperor could sign decrees in purple ink and sit on a purple throne, and only he wore purple robes and boots (all this was strictly prohibited). Leather or wooden bindings of the Gospels in churches were covered with purple cloth. This color was present in the icons on the clothes of the Mother of God - the Queen of Heaven.

Red color:

Red is one of the most prominent colors in the icon. This is the color of warmth, love, life, life-giving energy. That is why the color red has become a symbol of the Resurrection - the victory of life over death. But at the same time, it is the color of blood and torment, the color of Christ’s sacrifice. Martyrs were depicted in red clothing on icons. The wings of the archangels, the seraphim, who are close to the throne of God, shine with red heavenly fire. Sometimes they painted red backgrounds - as a sign of the triumph of eternal life.

White color:

White color is a symbol of Divine light. It is the color of purity, holiness and simplicity. On icons and frescoes, saints and righteous people were usually depicted in white. The righteous are people who are kind and honest, living “in truth.” The shrouds of babies, the souls of dead people and angels shone in the same white color. But only righteous souls were depicted in white.

Blue and light blue color:

Blue and cyan colors meant the infinity of the sky, a symbol of another, eternal world. The blue color was considered the color of the Mother of God, combining the earthly and heavenly. The paintings in many churches dedicated to the Mother of God are filled with heavenly blue.

Green color:

Green is a natural, living color. It is the color of grass and leaves, youth, flowering, hope, eternal renewal. The earth was painted with green; it was present where life began - in Christmas scenes.

Brown color:

Brown is the color of bare earth, the dust of everything temporary and perishable. Mixed with the royal and purple in the clothes of the Mother of God, this color recalls human nature, subject to death.

Black color:

Black is the color of evil and death. In icon painting, caves—symbols of the grave—and the yawning abyss of hell were painted black. In some stories it could be the color of mystery. For example, on a black background, signifying the incomprehensible depth of the Universe, the Cosmos was depicted - the Elder in the crown. Black robes of monks who left ordinary life- This is a symbol of abandonment of previous pleasures and habits, a kind of death during life.

Traditionally, icons shine with gold and bright colors. Each color has its own place, its own special meaning:

GOLD occupies a special place in the system of Christian symbolism. The Magi brought gold to the born Savior, the Ark of the Covenant of ancient Israel was decorated with gold, the salvation and transformation of the human soul is also compared with it. As the most precious material on earth, gold serves as an expression of the world's most precious spirit. They decorate the background, the halos of saints, the radiance around the figure of Christ, the clothes of the Savior, the Virgin Mary and angels - all this serves as an expression of holiness and belonging to the world of eternal values. Gold has always been an expensive material, so it was often replaced by other, semantically similar colors: red, green, yellow, ocher.

Why gold? Because it is a symbol of undying radiance, moreover, a praying Christian should not have any unnecessary or distracting associations, such as when looking at black, green, orange or purple.

GREEN symbolizes eternal life and flowering, considered the color of the Holy Spirit. It is natural and alive. This is the color of grass and leaves, youth, blossoming, hope, eternal renewal. The earth was written with green; it was present where life began - in the scenes of the Nativity.

YELLOW the background closest in spectrum to gold is often a replacement or reminder of it.

BROWN- the color of bare earth, dust, everything temporary and perishable. Mixed with the royal purple in the robes of the Mother of God, it reminded of human nature, subject to death.

WHITE color and light at the same time. It symbolizes purity, holiness, innocence, and participation in the divine world. The clothes of Christ are written in white, for example, in the composition “Transfiguration”. “His clothes became shining, very white, like snow, as on earth a whitener cannot bleach.” (Mark 9:3).

BLACK— White is opposed to black, which has no light and absorbs all colors. Black, like white, is rarely used in icon painting, because it symbolizes hell, the maximum distance from God - the source of light. Hell in the icon is usually depicted in the form of a black gaping abyss, an abyss that opens up under the feet of the Risen Christ, standing on the broken gates. This is clearly visible in the “Resurrection”/”Descent into Hell” icon.

In the composition “Crucifixion”, under the cross of Calvary, the black hole, here you can see the head of Adam - the first person to sin. Christ took upon Himself all the sins of the human race, “trampling down death by death”, sinless, resurrected “... in order to proclaim the perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9).

RED- makes the icons very expressive, symbolizes the fire of the Spirit with which the Lord baptizes His chosen ones. In Russian, the word “red” means “beautiful,” so the red background was also associated with the imperishable beauty of the Heavenly Jerusalem. This is the color of warmth, love, life, life-giving energy. That is why it became a symbol of the Resurrection - the victory of life over death. But at the same time, it is the color of blood and torment, the color of Christ’s sacrifice. Martyrs were depicted in red robes on icons; the wings of the seraphim archangels, close to the throne of God, shine for them. Sometimes a background was painted as a sign of the triumph of eternal life.

BLUE and CYAN - the colors mean the infinity of the sky, a symbol of another, eternal world. Blue was considered the color of the Blessed Virgin Mary - pure, heavenly, immaculate. The paintings in many churches dedicated to the Mother of God are filled with heavenly blue.

Red and blue often appear together, their combination represents the nature of the Savior, earthly, human, heavenly and Divine. Here is the mystery of the Incarnation, the mystery of the union of two worlds: created and uncreated, for He is a perfect God and a perfect Man. The colors of the Mother of God’s clothes are the same - red and blue, but are arranged in a different order: Heavenly and earthly things are considered differently in Her. If Christ is the Primary God who became man, then she is an earthly woman who gave birth to God.

It is worth noting that it has never been used in icon painting GREY color. Mixing black and white, good and evil, it became the color of obscurity, emptiness, and nothingness.

Color in an icon is inextricably linked with light. When painting a face, go from dark to light. First, sankir (dark olive color) is placed, swirling is done (overlaying ocher from dark to light), then browning is done, and lastly, spaces are written (whitening sliders). The gradual brightening of the face shows the action of divine light, transforming a person’s personality. Especially light flows from the eyes, illuminating the entire face of the saint. The light in the icon is expressed both through the halos and through the golden background. They say that an icon “dies” when its inner light disappears.

Icons are theology and revelation of God in the language of lines and colors. They tell people about the existence and direct presence of Heavenly forces. By the power of their unearthly beauty, they lead to the knowledge of God, are a source of grace and direct pious, prayerful thoughts to the depicted faces. Through icons, people are able to communicate with the Lord, His Most Pure Mother, angels, saints, ask for grace, pray for loved ones and relatives, be healed of illnesses, get rid of sins and temptations.

Pilgrim of Volgograd

orthograf Artemy wrote
Color and its meanings in iconography
This topic has always been interesting. And as always, when it comes to the “theology of the icon,” the topic is interesting precisely for its obvious contradictions and questions that arise in attempts (still) to comprehend the meaning of the proposed theories.

Actually, to begin with, I offer the text itself:

Color in the icon

The Byzantines believed that the meaning of any art was beauty. They painted icons, shining with gilding and bright colors. Each color had its own place, its own meaning. The colors were never mixed, they were light or dark, but always pure. In Byzantium, color was considered as important as a word, because each of them had its own meaning. One or more colors created a speaking image. Studying from the Byzantines, Russian master icon painters accepted and preserved the symbolism of color. But in Rus' the icon was not as magnificent and austere as in imperial Byzantium. The colors on Russian icons have become more vibrant, bright and sonorous. The icon painters of Ancient Rus' learned to create works that were close to local conditions, tastes and ideals.

Golden color

The golden shine of mosaics and icons made it possible to feel the radiance of God and the splendor of the Heavenly Kingdom, where there is never night. The golden color signified God himself. This color shines in various shades on the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God.

Purple color

Purple, or crimson, was a very important color in Byzantine culture. This is the color of the king, the ruler - God in heaven, emperor on earth. Only the emperor could sign decrees in purple ink and sit on a purple throne, only he wore purple clothes and boots (this was strictly forbidden to everyone). Leather or wooden bindings of the Gospels in churches were covered with purple cloth. This color was present in the icons on the clothes of the Mother of God - the Queen of Heaven.

Red color

Red is one of the most prominent colors in the icon. This is the color of warmth, love, life, life-giving energy. That is why red has become a symbol of the Resurrection - the victory of life over death. But at the same time, it is the color of blood and torment, the color of Christ’s sacrifice. Martyrs were depicted in red robes on icons. The wings of the seraphim archangels close to the throne of God shine with red heavenly fire. Sometimes they painted red backgrounds - as a sign of the triumph of eternal life.

White color

White color is a symbol of Divine light. It is the color of purity, holiness and simplicity. On icons and frescoes, saints and righteous people were usually depicted in white as the Righteous - people who are kind and honest, living “in truth.” The same white color shone with the shrouds of babies, the souls of dead people and angels. But only righteous souls were depicted in white.

Blue and cyan colors

Blue and cyan colors meant the infinity of the sky, a symbol of another, eternal world. Blue color was considered the color of the Mother of God, who united both earthly and heavenly. The paintings in many churches dedicated to the Mother of God are filled with heavenly blue.

Green color

Green color is natural, living. This is the color of grass and leaves, youth, blossoming, hope, eternal renewal. The earth was painted in green; it was present where life began - in Christmas scenes.

Brown color

Brown is the color of bare earth, dust, everything temporary and perishable. Mixed with the royal purple in the robes of the Mother of God, this color recalled human nature, subject to death.

Black color

Black is the color of evil and death. In icon painting, caves - symbols of the grave - and the yawning abyss of hell were painted black. In some stories it could be the color of mystery. For example, on a black background, signifying the incomprehensible depth of the Universe, the Cosmos was depicted - an old man in a crown in the icon of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. The black robes of monks who have retired from ordinary life are a symbol of the renunciation of former pleasures and habits, a kind of death during life.

A color that has never been used in icon painting is grey. Having mixed black and white, evil and good, it became the color of obscurity, emptiness, and nothingness. This color had no place in the radiant world of the icon.

Source: disk “Holy Faces”.

What are my questions?

1. The first of them - where do such uncompromising statements come from (however, I do not dispute this - I would just like to know the source) that “the Byzantines (in this particular case, Byzantine icon painters) believed that the meaning of any art was beauty”? Well, let's assume that this is really the case. Somehow we managed to figure out how they thought... But then the first contradiction arises. Beauty, as far as I understand it, does not tolerate frames and restrictions. Beauty, and especially the embodiment of beauty, in its very nature is a compromise, subjective and independent of anything creative process. And if we are talking about the specific meaning of color, then it’s impossible to talk about the priorities of beauty. Either beauty or rules.

“Every artist is first a spectator and is imbued with an irresistible thirst for knowledge of God with a brush in hand precisely under the impression of the icons painted by his predecessors. We remain spectators - the most subtle and sensitive ones - all our lives, improving simultaneously and interdependently in our skill and in our perception of the skill of others. What do we see in other people’s icons when we say to ourselves: “yes, this is truly Christ, the living God,” or “this is She, our Lady Theotokos”? We see - or rather, we feel, because physical vision serves only as the basis for what we feel - the subtlest, inexplicable in art history terms, correspondence between the image of God, imprinted in our soul, and His image, imprinted in paints. What is this correspondence? In the inscription and gilding? In pose and gesture? In the color of the clothes? In writing technique? It’s ridiculous to even mention all this in relation to spiritual images, which miraculously recognize themselves in one another. No formal observance of the canon and certain stylistic features in itself can correspond to the spiritual image. Only the harmony and life that a truly artistic icon breathes constitutes the “sympathetic magic” required for contact with the living and harmonious image of God that resides in every soul.

This harmony and life can be expressed in a thousand ways: in fresco and mosaic, in egg tempera and encaustic, in body and glaze writing, in elongated or squat proportions, in muted or saturated colors, in a stylized or almost naturalistic manner - the two-thousand-year history of Christian art is fabulously rich both stylistically and technically. In any material and in any historical style, the image of God can be embodied through harmony and life, and by these signs it will be recognized by every human soul.” (“Icon - truth and fiction.” Irina Gorbunova-Lomax).

I emphasize that “the Byzantines saw the meaning of any art in beauty,” I personally have no doubt. Well, did anyone previously think, think, act and act differently now? Remember what the ambassadors of Prince Vladimir said to Byzantium: “they did not know where we were - in heaven or on earth” (such was the impact of this visual beauty born of Orthodoxy on people not familiar with any theological rules and canons explaining this beauty).

Today, we can just as successfully write any arbitrary (the most elementary) text, such as “the Byzantines believed that it was necessary to paint icons with paints” and further along the text, in the best traditions of lyrical sighs, begin to promote any “convenient” theory and expose it to as "canon". Yes, “the Byzantines believed that the meaning of any art is beauty” and precisely for this reason, Byzantine icons are different, both in their own color scheme embodied in this or that sample, and in the specific color schemes of certain individual details in different samples or in a specific icon.

And finally, speaking about the specific meaning of color in an icon, we unconsciously relegate the meaning of the Image itself to the background. We place the compositional, purely technical definition of an icon ahead of its liturgical meaning both in the life of a Christian and in the life of the entire Church. Perhaps this is said loudly, but it is not at all exaggerated by me. By calling an icon “Theology in Colors” (without quotation marks, of course), we forget about those for whom this theology was created and what historical and practical task this theology faces.

“The iconographic canon (which some naive icon theologians bravoly confuse with the “Byzantine style”), the canon, i.e., the theological scheme of the plot, being perceived by sight, appeals to the intellect - and only to it. It does not reach the subtle realm of the spirit, and it is accessible only to those who know how to read it and have sufficient theological training. Neither small children, nor the mentally retarded, nor pagans, nor those who have departed from the Christian cultural tradition, nor even simple Christians who have not been instructed in dogmatic subtleties, care at all whether an icon is canonical or not. But, however, the spiritual content of the icon can be fully accessible to all these categories of people! When the ambassadors of Saint Prince Vladimir first saw the icons in the temple of a faith alien to them, they knew absolutely nothing about the meaning of the baptized halo or the color symbolism of Christ’s clothes. They did not know a single saint by sight; the gospel or holiday compositions did not tell them anything. Not in the conventional language of a canon-scheme, but in the living language of harmony and beauty, the icons spoke about the truth to the souls of these pagans who chose Orthodoxy as the state religion of Rus'.” (ibid.).

If the Icon does not fulfill its primary task (mission), no discussion about the meaning of color makes any sense. And if these reasonings also contain contradictions at their core (and real examples of Byzantine icon painting precisely contradict the theory of “a certain meaning of this or that color”), then such reasoning is completely dangerous, as it misleads a person or, at least, does not give him an unambiguous answer to the questions that arise, which, inevitably, these very arguments and statements give rise to.

2. “The colors never mixed...” Here, it is necessary to make an amendment in order to distinguish the term “color” itself into two groups: firstly, “color, as a property of a certain pigment” and, secondly, “color, as a result of combining several pigments into a certain color, or more simply - color".

Any icon painter, of any school and style, or restorer, will understand that if by “color” we mean simply the property of the pigment (its color), then, of course, the statement that “the colors have never been mixed” ( keyword"never") - will not be true. Anyone who is at least briefly familiar with Byzantine icon painting (and icon painting in general) understands that it is impossible to paint an image with “pure” colors (there is no talk of profane experiments). Personal letter colors are composite (mixed). The colors of the clothes are composite. It is not even possible to write the background color using one pigment (either extinguishing or increasing its intensity will be required due to the purely mechanical, chemical, biochemical, physical, etc. properties of the material).

Even if glazing is used when writing (layer-by-layer application of more or less “pure” layers of paint in order to optically achieve the desired result), then such colors can no longer be called pure.

“Layer-by-layer application of paints changes [“changes”, but does not exclude - A.] the principle of mixing colors. In general, color is no longer the result of their merging and transformation into an indistinguishable alloy, as in encaustic, but an ordered colorful structure, the essence of which is the unity and separateness of colors - properties that correspond to the main principle of Byzantine aesthetics of “unmerged connection”. Medieval artists knew several ways to mix paints to create complex colors. The first is mechanical, when to create a certain color the required set of pigments is mixed with a binder. The structural expressiveness of Byzantine painting can be traced at the level of the pigment composition of the mixture, that is, it is practically not perceived by the eye as a complete whole. As a rule, small pigments, sometimes dust-like, lie in the lower layers, and larger ones in the upper layers. The Byzantine artist mastered the art of “controlling” the distribution of pigments on the surface of the paint layer, using intermediate glazes that helped him “fix” especially large particles, on which the color of the color depended...” (A. I. Yakovleva).

“The beginning of the artist’s work on the face was the choice of the color and texture of the lining layer - “sankir”: dark or light, translucent or dense. The lining layer on a white primer served as the basis for subsequent modeling. Depending on its coloristic and tonal properties, the artist chose the further course of work For example, on top of green, olive, brown or even dark purple tones, which absorb light to a large extent, the master could build up warm and light layers, often mixing them with a large amount of white, helping to visually lift and highlight the image with contrast. This method required a long time and detailed study and, judging by the abundance of monuments, was loved by Byzantine masters. It went back to the techniques of ancient painting from the era of its greatest flowering from the 3rd to the 2nd centuries BC (II and III Pompeian style)" (aka).

“Let's take a closer look at the text of Erminia. The first part of the manual (§§ 16-22) contains a description of the method of finishing a human face on an icon. From the analysis of the text, we can conclude that the painting of the face is multi-layered, it consists of seven multi-colored layers, some of them were applied with repeated movements of the brush. These are padding (proplasmos), melting (glikasmos), flesh color (sarka), blush, whitened flesh color, bleaching lights and shadow glaze. About each of them it is said that the color is prepared in advance according to a certain recipe. Thus, the spacer consists of a mixture of equal amounts of green earth, yellow ocher and white with the addition of 1/4 measure of black paint, i.e. the result is a green mixture with a grayish tint (§ 16). Flesh color is a bright pink mixture consisting of equal amounts of white, ocher and cinnabar or white and yellow-red ocher (§§ 18, 19). Melting is a mixture of equal parts of a gasket and a flesh color, i.e. yellowish-beige paint or more pinkish if you take smaller gaskets (§ 20). The blush is reddish-orange, as it is a mixture of cinnabar and flesh color, and the shadow glaze is reddish-brown, from the bolus (§ 22). The pattern of features and contours is dark brown or greenish-brown from umber, in some places refined with black (§ 17)....”, etc. (aka: “Erminia” by Dionysius from Fourna and the technique of icons of Theophanes the Greek).

In general, in in this case I don’t understand both the idea of ​​“pure color” and where it was snatched from, since there is no practical or research confirmation of this idea. Naturally, there are pure colors in icon painting and, probably, one can even talk about the advantage of “optical” mixing of colors (glazes) among Byzantine masters - but the phrase “the colors were never mixed” needs to be crossed out of the context and forgotten, like a terrible misunderstanding.

The only thing I unconditionally agree with is that “The icon painters of Ancient Rus' learned to create works close to local conditions, tastes and ideals” and I will add that individual schools and masters achieved very high results in this regard, which makes their merits invaluable in the formation and development of all icon painting as a whole - so diverse and at the same time understandable and united in the main thing.

P.S.: I did not set myself the task of presenting this topic in detail (although this question is very exciting for me personally) and used in the article only what had been spinning in my head for a long time and what was at hand. But perhaps it makes sense to make a selection for each color separately. Those. show with examples that there is not and could not be any specificity in the use of color in the icon. There are traditions, but tradition is not at all a rule that claims to be a “canon” with a special theological explanation, which the icon painter must follow when creating an Image.

One of the important features of icon painting in general and Russian icon painting in particular is the deep symbolic load of almost all components of the image. The richness of the symbolic language of the icon is not an end in itself, but a consequence of its nature, which lies not in “pure art”, but in a historical spiritual, educational and, in a sense, social function. Therefore, an icon is not so much an image as a “text”, extremely rich in images and meanings. Like any other text, it has its own syntax and punctuation, its own “words” and rules for their use. “Reading” an icon can be very difficult, however, hidden meanings sometimes carry much more information than the artistic image itself.

The light and color scheme of icon painting also carry a deep semantic load. This was noted in their works by such researchers as Father Pavel Florensky, A. Bely, M. Voloshin, S. S. Averintsev and many others. However, just as the deep meanings of an icon are inexhaustible, the final point cannot be made in discussing its symbolic load, including the symbolism of color and light.

THE MEANING OF THE SYMBOLIC SERIES IN ICONS

The tradition of Russian iconography originates in Byzantine iconography (just as the Russian Christian tradition at one time emerged from Byzantine tradition and culture). From there came the understanding of the icon as an image, although significantly different from the prototype, but carrying within itself its real embodiment. That is why great importance is attached to the symbolic row of the icon. In essence, an icon is a kind of window into the spiritual world, therefore it is characterized by a special language, where each sign is a symbol. With the help of a sign-symbolic system, an icon conveys information like a written text, the language of which must be known in order to perceive and experience the underlying meaning.

The mystery of a symbol simultaneously represents both silence and the revelation of its deep meaning, which remains invisible to the uninitiated and is revealed to believers. Understanding the depth of the symbols embedded in iconography is a great revelation for believers, an awareness of a reality greater than the one in which a person usually finds himself.

Many researchers have spoken about the importance of the symbol as such in their works. So, for example, M. Voloshin writes: “A symbol is nothing more than a seed in which a whole cycle of human history is closed, an entire era that has already passed, a whole system of ideas that have already been experienced, a whole system of knowledge that has already passed into the unconscious. These seeds of dead cultures, scattered throughout the world in the form of signs and symbols, conceal within themselves the complete imprints of vast eras. Hence the power that symbols have over the human spirit. True knowledge lies in the ability to read symbols."

The symbols of Orthodox icons have a deep meaning and background. Thus, even Father Pavel Florensky noted that symbols can be considered at three levels, understood in a system of three “languages”:

At the first level in the “divine” language, the symbol represents, as it were, “being in itself,” it is extremely ontological, it is merged with what it signifies;

At the second level, in the “sacred” language, the symbol “reveals” itself outside, the first “incarnation” (from the word “flesh”) of the symbol occurs, its removal from the realm of pure ontologism, translation from the language of the divine into the language of the sacred, more precisely, the revelation of the divine language in the sacred language;

At the third level in the “worldly” language, the symbol acquires a material meaning, its ontology is destroyed, that is, its connection in the minds of people with the transcendental world, and it no longer helps the contemplation of the spiritual world, but, as it were, encrypts it; and since the living experiential and spiritual perception of the symbol at the highest levels has been lost, we have to make our way to them through the analysis of the symbolism of the third level.

Some symbols do not have their own interpretation, but act as indices that allow one to determine the status of the one depicted on the icon. First of all, this applies to robes, which are an important hierarchical sign. A fur coat or purple mantle is an attribute of holy princes, a cloak (drag) is an attribute of warriors, and a white himation symbolizes martyrdom. In this case, not only the type of clothing itself matters, but even the nature of the folds. You can often find symbols that allow you to personify the central image of the icon. Thus, it is customary to depict St. Sergius of Radonezh with a scroll and life. The healer and great martyr Panteleimon is traditionally depicted with a box of medicines, Andrei Rublev with an icon of the Trinity, and Seraphim of Sarov with a scroll of sayings and prayers.

The metaphorical speech of icon painting is complex and covers not only objects, but also compositional structure, image technique, spatial structure, volume and perspective - each element of the icon has its own symbolic meaning. Elements of an icon such as its color content and light also carry an important symbolic meaning in iconography.

Speaking about the iconicity of the Russian icon, it is worth noting that the symbols used in it have a dual nature: the first can be voiced in words, the second is “tacitly implied” - that is, that part that can be comprehended and understood only through direct experience. This second non-verbal part is an important component of the semantic load of iconography symbols, however, due to its specificity, it is difficult to describe and study. Moreover, any attempt to describe it will be subjective.

SYMBOLICS OF COLOR IN RUSSIAN ICONOGRAPHY

General characteristics of the semantic load of color in iconography

In icon painting, paints are not directly related to the image; they play an independent role: what is important is not what the color of the object looks like in reality, but what is important is what the author must convey with his color palette. Each color in iconography has a certain meaning. Icons are often painted on a gold background. This is due to the fact that the color gold or yellow in Russian iconography is a metaphor for God's presence, heavenly light, eternity and grace. The haloes of the saints are written in gold, the clothes of the Savior, the Gospel, the footstools of the Savior and angels are written in gold strokes (assist).

White color symbolizes innocence, purity, holiness, and the radiance of Divine glory. Traditionally, it is used to depict the robes of saints, as well as the wings of angels and the shroud of children. On many icons dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ, the Savior is depicted in white robes. A similar meaning is carried by the color silver, which is a symbol of the purity of the flesh and evangelical eloquence. The latter is based on the words of Psalm 11.7: “The words of the Lord are pure words, silver purified from the earth in a furnace, refined seven times.”

The red color can denote both the feat of martyrdom and belonging to the apocalyptic serpent, that is, it can have directly opposite properties. The red color also symbolizes the sacrifice of Christ, Sophia the Wisdom of God is written in red, the red robe of the Mother of God tells us about the destiny of Her destiny, as well as the Mother of God. So, for example, on the “Sign” icons the Mother of God is depicted in a red robe, for this image captures Her eternal chosenness as the most pure Vessel who embodied the Word. The Savior’s dark red tunic is a symbol of His human nature.

The crimson color (purple), which came to Russian icon painting from Byzantium, deserves special attention. This is the color of the emperor, the supreme power, symbolizing royalty and greatness. In Russian icon painting, the clothes of holy kings and princes were traditionally painted in purple. In the same meaning it is sometimes used as a symbol of God the Father. In addition, you can often find icons on a purple background, which is, in particular, characteristic of images of Christ Pantocrator. Crimson has another meaning, which goes back to the images of threat and fire. Therefore, purple tones are often used in scenes of the Last Judgment.

The blue color symbolizes the world's desire for God, it is a symbol of Heaven. The blue himantium of the Savior is a symbol of his Divinity. The color blue also symbolizes mystery, revelation and wisdom. This is the color of the apostolic robes.

Blue color means purity and chastity. It is an attribute of the Mother of God, a symbol of Her Ever-Virginity (for example, the Mother of God “Unbreakable Wall” of the Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral).

Green is the color of harmony, unity with the divine. It is also the color of spring, signifying the victory of life over death and eternal life. The color green symbolizes Christ as the giver of life and the cross as the tree of life and is often used in Nativity scenes.

Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary “The Unbreakable Wall”, mosaic of St. Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv

Brown color recalls the frailty of finite human nature, purple conveys the peculiarity of the ministry of a holy saint, black - emptiness, lack of grace, death, but also renunciation of worldly vanity, humility and repentance.

It should be noted that there are also colors that are fundamentally not used in icon painting. One of them is gray. In the language of symbols, this color represents a mixture of good and evil, giving rise to ambiguity, obscurity and emptiness - concepts unacceptable in Orthodox icon painting.

One should not, however, perceive the above as some kind of definitive dictionary of symbolic signs. We are talking about general trends in the use of colors, and combinations of colors are more important than a single color element.

The icon does not have strictly fixed semantic meanings for each specific color. However, speaking about Russian icons and the symbolism of their colors, it is important to emphasize that in icon painting there are certain canons, within the framework of which the color scheme should also fit. These canons do not limit the artist’s creativity, but only allow his skill to be fully revealed. Moreover, even within the canon, the color scheme can vary within certain limits. So, for example, the color of the Savior’s clothing on the “Descent into Hell” icon can change noticeably: on Moscow icons Christ is depicted, as a rule, in golden robes, on the icons of the Novgorod school - in white or gold, and in Pskov - even in red ( which in its own way is also justified, since this is an icon of the Resurrection of Christ, an icon of Easter).

Descent into hell. End of the 15th century Novgorod school. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

One should also dwell on the following fact: when a division is made into the color scale denoting the earthly world and the heavenly one, then we are talking about two types of vision - “spiritual” and “physical”, with the help of which these colors can be perceived. This creates two problems:

1) the problem of understanding the relationship between the two corresponding realities;

2) the problem of adequately conveying what was seen with “spiritual eyes” in the images of everyday language and means of physical representation.

The first problem relates to the field of ontology and epistemology, the second - to the field of semiotics. Of unconditional interest is the fact that both problems can be solved, and are solved in the theological tradition as semiotic ones.

According to religious tradition, spiritual colors are "heavenly prototypes of earthly colors"; “colors are the veils of the original divine light in its descent and radiance in the lower worlds”; “the earthly copy or image performs the function of reflection and is based on the heavenly original”; “God strives for self-disclosure, for the manifestation of his essence... and colors are also part of this process”; “the direct correspondence to the revelation of the mystery of Nature in color is the revelation in tongues”; “our earthly colors are only a pale reflection, dead earthly prototypes of the rainbow of heavenly colors”; “colors have the capacity for some revelation”; “all images and forms of the lower levels of being are similarities and correspondences of those higher levels being"; “they are, as it were, modifications of the sources of light from the heavenly and spiritual things that create them”; “the correspondence of spiritual meaning between the colors of individual gradational spheres is preserved”; “earthly colors are an image of the eternal power of the Lord, which is always in action”; “parallelism between creativity in essence and creativity in likeness”; “icon painting is metaphysics, just as metaphysics is a kind of icon painting with words.”

Thus, we can say that “earthly” colors are copies, images, reflections, similarities, correspondences, modifications, radiations, representations, parallelisms associated with their “heavenly” prototypes and prototypes. Spiritual color has a direct relationship to the spiritual development of a person, denoting the degree of this development (holiness) and “place” in the heavenly hierarchy.

The symbolism of color iconography through the eyes of various researchers

A large number of works by various researchers are devoted to the symbolism of color iconography. Each of them made their contribution to the assessment of the symbolic load of the color scheme of the icons.

So, for example, as V.V. Lepakhin, a researcher of Voloshin’s work, notes: “Voloshin identifies three main tones: red, corresponding to everything earthly, blue to air, yellow to sunlight (this division of colors was made by the poet, as he himself notes, according to "color theory") Voloshin gives them the following symbolic meanings or, as he himself puts it, “translates” them into symbols: red will denote the clay from which the human body is made - flesh, blood, passion associated with it; blue - spirit, thought, infinity, the unknown; yellow - light, will, self-awareness, royalty.”

Then, speaking about additional colors in relation to iconography, M. Voloshin acts as a professional artist. He writes: “Further, symbolism follows the law of complementary colors. Complementary to red is a mixture of yellow with blue, light with air - green, the color of the plant kingdom opposed to the animal kingdom, the color of tranquility, the balance of physical joy, the color of hope.

Purple color is formed from the fusion of red and blue. Physical nature, imbued with a sense of mystery, gives prayer. Purple, the color of prayer, is opposed to yellow, the color of royal self-awareness and self-affirmation. Orange is complementary to blue and is a fusion of yellow and red. Self-awareness combined with passion forms pride. Pride is symbolically opposed to pure thought, a sense of mystery.

Purple and yellow are characteristic of the European Middle Ages; colored glass of Gothic cathedrals - in these tones. Orange and blue are typical for oriental carpets and fabrics. Purple and blue appear everywhere in those eras when religious and mystical feelings predominate.

The almost complete absence of these two colors in Russian icon painting is significant! It says that we are dealing with a very simple, earthly, joyful art, alien to mysticism and asceticism. Coinciding with the Greek gamma in yellow and red, the Slavic gamma replaces black with green. She substitutes the green one everywhere in place of the blue one. Russian icon painting sees the air as green, and gives daytime reflexes with green whitewash. Thus, in place of the basic pessimism of the Greeks, the color of hope, the joy of being, is substituted. There is no correlation with the Byzantine scale.”

However, this view of M. Voloshin on the symbolism of Orthodox icons is not supported by all researchers. So V.V. Lepakhin notes that the lilac color is, indeed, practically absent on Russian icons. This is due to the fact that, arising from the fusion of blue and red, the lilac color thereby acquires a somewhat ambiguous character in Orthodox iconography. Through purple it is close to black, which is a symbol of hell and death, while red is like one of its components, symbolizing martyr's blood and the flame of faith, in the vicinity of black it changes its meaning to the opposite and becomes a symbol of hellfire. Therefore, Russian icon painters used the color lilac very carefully, and even in those works where it is present, it tends more towards either pinkish and red, or blue.

However, M. Voloshin’s statement about the absence of blue color on Russian icons is very controversial. Suffice it to remember that many of Voloshin’s contemporaries wrote with admiration about the heavenly cornflower blue of the Rev. Andrei Rublev. Rublev's "cabbage roll" (or Rublev's "blue") has become the subject of special study, and articles on this topic could currently form a whole collection. Apparently, Voloshin paid attention only to the icons of the Novgorod school, in which “fiery cinnabar and emerald green” really predominate.

Having developed the concept of “real symbolism,” M. Voloshin sought to find examples that confirmed it and consciously or subconsciously ignored those examples of iconography that did not fit into the framework of his theory.

An analysis of the symbolism of the colors of icons is given in the article by Andrei Bely “Sacred Colors”. So, for example, A. Bely gives the dark red color the following meaning: “this is the glow of hellish fire, fiery temptation, but faith and the will of a person can turn it into a scarlet scarlet of suffering, which, according to the prophetic promise, the Lord will make white as snow.” In the same work, A. Bely says that the white color represents the embodiment of the fullness of being, and the black color “phenomenally defines evil” (that is, non-existence).

Father Pavel Florensky also has his own vision of the symbolism of color in icon painting. So, for example, he notes that the red color denotes God’s thought about the world, the blue color is a symbol of eternal truth and immortality, etc. . In general, Father P. Florensky pays minimal importance to color itself, since he perceives color through the prism of light. For him, colors are just “darkened”, “weakened” light.

P. Florensky's attitude towards color as something secondary is in obvious contradiction with the opinion of another authoritative expert on icon painting - E. Trubetskoy. The latter highly valued the multicoloredness of the Russian icon, seeing in it “a transparent expression of the spiritual content that is expressed in them [icons].” But this apparent contradiction will disappear if we consider that Father P. Florensky, through the process of icon painting, reconstructs the ontology and metaphysical laws of the creation of the world, or the embodiment of the Spirit in material forms. In this process, colors are only weakened Light. But for those looking at the icon (E. Trubetskoy’s position) these are “the colors of the local, visible sky, which have received the conventional, symbolic meaning of signs of the otherworldly sky.” Ontologically, color has no independent meaning. Epistemologically, it is a form of manifestation of spiritual light, its symbol and testimony. But epistemologically it is not valuable in itself; The value of color is given by the spiritual content, which expresses itself through it - this is what color is in the understanding of E. Trubetskoy.

For researcher E. Benz, a cognitive-evaluative orientation in relation to color is more typical. The evidence of theologians he cites can be analyzed and summarized as follows: “earthly” colors visible to physical vision do not have a decisive meaning, as, indeed, do any other things or phenomena of this world. They are ontologically secondary, they are consequences, “outpourings of upper waters,” forms of manifestation of certain potentialities, striving to be embodied in images and things of visible reality. An important conclusion may be that the already “spiritually visible” colors are “fractions” of the divine Light, i.e. they appear as independent qualities “before” physical manifestation. At the same time, they, as an integral part of the process of God’s incarnation in nature, become an integral part of the physical world, and not just physically visible light. Colors, within the framework of his theory, are “primary matter”, the metaphysical substance of material bodies.

Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin) also speaks about the symbolism of color in his works. He writes: “The color white represents the sacred, the Divine energies raising the creature to its Creator; golden - eternity; green - life; blue - secret; red - sacrifice; blue - purity. Yellow is the color of warmth and love; lilac denotes sadness or a distant future; purple - victory; crimson color majesty; The color purple is used in robes when they want to emphasize the peculiarity of the ministry or the individuality of the saint. Turquoise color - youth; pink - childhood; black sometimes means emptiness, lack of grace, and sometimes sin and crime. Black color combined with blue is a deep secret; black color combined with green - old age. Gray color - deadness (rocks are depicted in the icon gray, clear conventional lines). Orange color - the grace of God, overcoming materiality. Steel color - human strength and energies that have something cold in them. Purple color - completion. Amber color - harmony, agreement, friendship.”

SYMBOLISM OF LIGHT IN RUSSIAN ICON PAINTING

Light also plays an important role in the symbolic content of the icon.

Thus, Father Pavel Florensky writes: “everything that appears, or in other words, the content of all experience, which means all being, is light. In his womb “we live and move and exist”; it is he who is the space of true reality. And what is not light is not, and therefore is not reality.” Thus, metaphysical light is the only true reality, but inaccessible to our physical vision. IN Orthodox icon this primordial light is represented by gold as a substance completely aesthetically incompatible with ordinary paint. Gold here appears as light, which is not a color. This symbolizes that the eternal light is transcendental even in relation to what is depicted on the icon. The image itself is also extra- and supramundane. It is - in the terms of Father Pavel Florensky - an “image of descent” from the heavenly, invisible.

The golden background of the icon represents space as a light medium, as the immersion of the world in the effective power of Divine energies. The golden background also continues into the assist of the vestments of Christ and the saints. For example, in the icons of the Mother of God, the vestments of the Infant Christ are almost always golden yellow, in different shades of color, and decorated with a golden assist. Thin golden shading covering the folds of the tunic and himation of the Savior reveals the image of Christ as the Eternal Light (“I am the Light of the world,” John 8:12).

Scripture compares the martyrs who suffered for Christ with gold tested in the crucible: “In this you rejoice, having now been grieved a little, if necessary, by various temptations, so that your tested faith, more precious than gold that perishes, although it is tested by fire, may turn out to be praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (I Peter 1:6-7). Gold is a symbol of the Easter triumph of the soul, a symbol of the transformation of man in the fire of suffering and trials.

Gold can symbolize the purity of virginity and royalty: “The Queen appears at Your right hand, covered in golden vestments” (Ps. 44:10). In the Christian tradition, this is a prophecy about the Virgin Mary. In church poetry, the Mother of God is called the “golden-resplendent bedchamber of the Word” and the “Ark gilded by the Spirit.”

According to Basil the Great, the beauty of gold is simple and uniform, akin to the beauty of light.

All other colors, except gold, are fleeting and weakened manifestations of light inaccessible to knowledge, the first signs of the manifestation of being, potency, quality. They are also light, but “lesser”.

In general, the process of displaying the heavenly upper light on an icon, according to Father P. Florensky, occurs in several stages, in accordance with the stages of creating the icon. Here, in brief, are the stages of creating an iconographic image:

1) preparing the board and a flat white plaster surface (gesso);

2) “signifying” - first drawing with charcoal and then with a needle the contours of the future image - “an abstract scheme of embodiment”;

3) gilding of the background - according to P. Florensky, “the process of embodiment begins with the gilding of light.” “The golden light of super-quality existence, surrounding future silhouettes, manifests them and makes it possible for abstract nothingness to pass into concrete nothingness, to become potency”;

4) applying paint. This stage, according to P. Florensky, “is still color in the proper sense of the word, it is just not darkness, almost darkness, the first glimmer of light in darkness,” that is, “the first manifestation of non-existence from insignificance. This is the first manifestation of quality, a color barely illuminated by light”;

5) painting - deepening the folds of clothing and other details with the same paint, but in a lighter tone;

6) white space - in three steps, using paint mixed with white, each time lighter than the previous one, the illuminated surfaces are moved forward;

7) assist - shading with sheet or “created” gold;

8) a letter from the person in the same order as the pre-person.

It turns out that light itself appears on the icon at the third stage of its creation - gilding the background. After this, the light as such and through it the colors of the icon, as a reflection of light, are detailed and drawn. Colors are finally formed during the fifth, sixth and seventh stages of “metaphysical ontogenesis” and serve to form a concrete image from an abstract possibility. We can say that colors are “condensed” light, formative qualities accessible to vision, the result of the action of the formative energy of the same primordial Light. This, according to Father P. Florensky, is the essence of the relationship between color and Light.

It should also be noted that the image of light itself, in its quality as a spiritual symbol, reveals two facets that must be clearly distinguished. On the one hand, light represents clarity, revealing the world to vision and knowledge, making being transparent and revealing the limits of things. It is from this point of view that the Gospel of John speaks of the Savior’s presence as light: “Walk while there is light, lest darkness overtake you, and he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going” (12:35).

On the other hand, light is a brilliance that delights a person’s soul, amazes his mind and blinds his eyes. In this sense, the Book of Exodus speaks of God’s glory as a fiery brilliance: the appearance of the Lord’s glory “like a consuming fire” (24:17). This brilliance can be formidable, like a flash, lightning, fire, or like that “glory of light” from which Saul lost his sight (Acts 22:11); it can be, on the contrary, warming the heart and warming, like the evening dawn, with which one of the most ancient church hymns compares the light of God’s glory - “The quiet light of the holy glory...”.

All this diversity of the concept of mountain light is displayed on the icons. Iconography depicts things as being produced by light, rather than as being illuminated by a light source. For icon painting, light posits and creates things; it is their objective cause, which precisely because of this cannot be understood as merely external. Indeed, the technique and techniques of icon painting are such that what it depicts cannot be understood otherwise than as produced by light, since the root of the spiritual reality of what is depicted cannot help but be seen as a luminous supermundane image.

Gold has a special meaning in the icon. Paints and gold are speculatively assessed as belonging to different spheres of existence. Icon painters, with the help of gold, sharpened the timelessness, spacelessness of the perception of the background of the icon and at the same time the luminosity of what is depicted on it. This luminous depth can only be conveyed with gold, because paints are powerless to convey what is invisible with physical vision. It is gold that is depicted on the icon that is directly related to the Power of God, to the manifestation of God’s grace. The icon, for example, conveys this phenomenon of blessed light with a golden halo around the saint’s head. The halo on the icon is not an allegory, but a symbolic expression of a specific reality; it is an integral part of the icon.

Since the background in the icon is light, and the light is mountainous, that is, immaterial and eternal, then, obviously, its source lies somewhere outside the plane of the image. The light comes towards the viewer, hiding its source, on the one hand, and on the other hand, it blinds the unwary; it forces the intelligent to close his eyes. Light itself is mobile, it covers the object it touches. The concept of light is related to the concept of energy. The light seems to push forward the figures standing in front of its source, and emphasizes the inaccessibility of the space lying “behind” the image plane. The golden background - “unapproachable light” - is inherent only in God, and those “coming” are before Christ.

To summarize, we can say that iconography in general, and Russian iconography in particular, is deeply symbolic in its essence. Understanding an icon as an image, although significantly different from the original image, nevertheless carrying its real presence, leads to the fact that the writing of almost all of its elements is to a certain extent regulated by canons, and each element of the icon carries its own hidden multi-layered meaning.

The color scheme also carries a deep meaning. According to religious tradition, colors have epistemological value as images and symbols that connect a person with the world, and represent a spiritual characteristic of a person in the face of the highest laws of the universe.

Depending on the image located on the icon, the personality of the icon painter, the culture within which the icon was created, etc., the semantic meaning of the colors of the icon may change.

The colors of the iconography are directly related to the reflection of the mountain Light. Typically, the eternal and immaterial Light is displayed through gold. The golden background of the icon represents space as a light medium, as the immersion of the world in the effective power of Divine energies. The golden background also continues into the assist of the vestments of Christ and the saints. The remaining colors, except gold, represent fleeting and weakened manifestations of transcendental light, the first signs of the manifestation of being, potency, quality. They, according to Father Pavel Florensky, are also light, but “lesser.”