Features of Solving Plots in Temple Painting by the Founders of the Religious-national Trend and Artists of the Circle of M. M. Vasiliev

Feshchenko Vera Sergeevna PhD in Art History Post-graduate student of the Depatment of General History of Art at Ilya Glazonouv Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture 107150, Russia, Moscow, Ivanteevskaya str. 1, bld. 5, ap. 12 vera-f27@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

 The question of terminology in the context of determining the direction or style of the turn of the XIX—XX centuries.

in art history, it is not simple and one-dimensional. Russian Russian art historians describe the characteristics of the same monument as neo-Byzantine, Byzantine, Russian-Byzantine, Neo-Russian, Byzantine-Greek, "Vasnetsov" styles, Russian Art Nouveau or symbolism, archaic current against the background of historicism, as well as perceived in their interaction, that is, the phenomenon of one stylistic concept can be understood as happening on the basis of the other. Proceeding from the fact that the rethinking of artistic origins and the search for new forms combined an individual character, borrowing from the multifaceted medieval iconographic language, both Byzantine art (from early Christian samples to various shades of Byzantine Renaissance) and Russian (from the appeal to medieval art of the XI—XVI centuries to the epoch of the XVII century.), we come to The conclusion is that the murals of temples at the turn of the century were often heterogeneous, giving rise to complexity, inconsistency and heterogeneity of the terminology of art historians who tried to carry out the terminological design of a new style of temple decoration and the whole temple. And at the same time, from the point of view of art criticism theory, in particular the methods of formal analysis by G. Velflin, it seems possible to objectively look at the concept of "style", which in a broad sense allows us to characterize the artist as an exponent of the worldview and attitude of his era.

Fundamental for this study is the term formulated by V. O. Gusakova, which characterized the temple work of artists of the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, in particular V. M. Vasnetsov and his school, called by the scientist as a "religious-national trend" ^[1]. The broad boundaries of the term make it possible to reasonably attribute a fairly large circle of masters to this category, including lesser-known artists who worked in this direction. The temple compositions, some of the most prominent representatives of the religious-national trend, whose creativity was studied in her work by V. O. Gusakova (V. M. Vasnetsova, M. V. Nesterova, M. A. Vrubel, F. R. Rilyan), in comparison with the iconographic compositions of artists M. M. Vasiliev, A. P., will be brought to consideration in this work. Blaznova, K. S., Petrov-Vodkin, L. A. Pyanovsky. The choice of these artists is not random. In the process of researching the work of M. M. Vasiliev, the author of the work got acquainted with the unique works of his colleagues with whom the artist collaborated, and therefore the study was expanded — the creative works of these artists in other churches were considered. A comparative analysis of their individual solutions within the popular "Vasnetsov direction" made it possible to identify both fundamental differences in the creative approaches of the masters and their enriching mutual influence.

The methodological basis of this work is the views of prominent art theorists, starting from the turn of the XIX—XX centuries and up to the middle of the XX century. G. Velflin, E. Panofsky, N. P. Kondakov, G. Zedlmayr, as well as P. A. Florensky and G. K. Wagner on the issues of the figurativeness of medieval painting, their scientific views on its place in the historical the process and their analytical approach to its understanding and perception. It is important that these researchers were contemporaries of the artists whose work is considered in this work. To consider the religious-national trend, it is important to take into account that the works of these scientists are united by the well-known idea of the inseparable connection of the individual creative tasks of the artist with the time in which they were embodied, with the people to whom they belonged, with the worldview of society, with the spirit of the era. This idea runs through the works of each of the above-mentioned researchers, despite the difference in their views on medieval art.

But the connection of style with the spirit of the era, with the national character is complex, ambiguous, sometimes contradictory. So, for example, according to G. Welflin, even within one period, artists who reflect the "stable features of the national style" should be contrasted with those creators who reflected the style of the era in their works. Illustrating his difficult thought, Welflin contrasts the work of the Dutch of the XVII century with the works of Rubens, who more reflected the style of the era, but less – the national style. "No matter how regal the position of Rubens in his country," he writes, "... it is still impossible to agree that he ... was an exponent of a "stable" folk character, as Dutch art was contemporary to him. The epoch was more clearly imprinted on Rubens. A special cultural trend, the feeling of the Romanesque Baroque, strongly determines its style, and thus it is more urgent than the timeless Dutch, requires us to build an idea of what should be called the style of the epoch" ^{[2, p. 8]}.

 "Different epochs give rise to different art," he writes, "the character of the epoch intersects with the national character...it is necessary first to establish whether the style contains many stable features, and only after that it can be declared a national style [italics — V. F.] in the proper sense of the word" ^{[2, p. 8]}. In this context, it is interesting to determine how national traits were expressed in the work of artists of the Vasnetsov school and the circle of M. M. Vasiliev, as well as to what extent the style of the era was reflected in their works.

Considering the work of such famous artists as V. M.Vasnetsov, M. V. Nesterov, M. A. Vrubel, the author risks getting on the beaten paths laid by many researchers of their pictorial heritage. However, the methods proposed by the above-mentioned art theorists make it possible to identify not the most traditionally noticeable characteristics of their work and to consider, within the separate framework of historicism, the stylistic diversity of the turn of the century as a general retrospective artistic phenomenon manifested in its evolutionary dynamics. G. Velflin, in particular, draws attention to the fact that the evolution of styles fluctuates in its periodicity in accordance with changes in the physiology of the spiritual world, which affects the dynamics of changes in forms.

At the turn of the XIX—XX centuries, in fine art in general and in church painting in particular, romantic trends associated with the European influence of the Art Nouveau style, which on Russian soil finds its national expression, are clearly traced. If the appearance of Art Nouveau in the European artistic environment, caused by the industrial revolution and the social changes associated with it, manifested itself in an increase in the number of appeals to topics dedicated to the return of man to nature, the poetization of its beauty, and in religious art — in greater attention to the human emotional experiences of the characters of biblical history, rather than to theological truths, then for Art Nouveau on Russian soil and especially in church art, romanticization of the meaning of the national spirit and its great role in national history, as well as the theme of salvation and intercession, which was embodied in the image of the Mother of God, were characteristic. Thus, in the work of V. M. Vasnetsov, the Mother of God with the Baby, painted in the altar of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev, acquires a figurative and symbolic meaning - the artist gives Her the features of an earthly mother woman, which is revealed in its highest universal meaning. There is neither antique rigor nor iconographic conventions in it: it moves through the clouds, the folds of the maphoria are fluttering, there is no majestic calm in the raised arms of the Baby, the fluttering wings of cherubs, everything is subordinated to the dynamics of the picturesque style. Vasnetsov creates an amazing synthesis by placing the image of the Mother of God on the plane of the golden background. The golden background, conveying the symbolic depth of the heavenly world, is at the same time conditional and planar. The combination of two artistic solutions that are opposite in their internal attitudes creates a conflict within the work — a three—dimensionally transmitted image of the Mother of God on the plane of the golden background causes the opposite effect - it does not allow us to perceive her image as being in the unreal world; the plane pushes the volume out of itself and the Mother of God exists separately from the mystical space of divine light.

This synthetic unity also, by virtue of the pronounced personal characteristics conveyed in the features of the Mother of God, did not correspond to the idea of iconographic symbolism of the content, which includes the projection of ascent "to the Prototype" — frank individualization narrowed the depth of theological significance, but endowed the image with that understandable freedom of sensual expression corresponding to the romantic attitudes of the era. Our Lady of Vasnetsovo is "local", earthly, coming to the rescue. It was this image that corresponded to the idea of the divine—human unity of V. Solovyov, who dreamed of creating an ideal unified Orthodox state - the Church here on earth. The Virgin walking on the clouds in the apse of the Vladimir Cathedral seems to personify the lines from the philosopher's poem:

"Know this: eternal femininity is now going to earth in an incorruptible body..." ^{[3, pp.53-54]}.

The significance of the Mother of God, the intercessor and savior, identified by religious philosophers with Sophia, the center of creative energy, Eternal beauty and the Soul of the world, simultaneously coincided with the glorification of female beauty, the cultivation of the female image, which the Virgin embodied in the new church painting. In Western European painting, the theme of admiring female beauty was reflected in the works of the pre-Raphaelites, who actualized the issue of women's rights in society with their creative activity. Subsequently, at the turn of the century, many Russian artists were inspired by their work, in particular by the ideas of William Morris, who sang in his romances the worship of female beauty, idealized the image of a lady of the heart, and also expressed respect for her personality. "A woman, according to Morris, is something ideal, it is the "soul" of a man, it is his shelter from the hardships and tribulations of life. The ideal woman is created by the ideal Heaven for worship and adoration; poems and music are dedicated to the ideal woman, portraits are painted from her, because the ideal must be preserved forever in the continuum of culture together with its creator. The story of love for a woman in Morris is projected onto a sheet of paper or canvas and becomes in his space in a kind of ideal way against the multicolored "medieval" background of the knightly worship of beauty" ^[4].

In the Russian church painting of the turn of the century, the images of the Mother of God painted by representatives of the religious-national trend acquire individual characteristics associated with the personal significance of close women in the destinies of artists. It is known that the prototype for the image of the Vladimir Cathedral was the wife of V. M. Vasnetsov, who came out with a child on the porch. The expressive gesture of the baby raising his hands inspired the artist to create this composition. M. V. Nesterov painted a local image of the Mother of God for the iconostasis in the Intercession Cathedral of the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery, also with his wife and daughter in his arms. The features of the local image of the Mother of God written by M. A. Vrubel for the Cyril Church reflected his feelings for Emilia Prakhova.

Speaking about the images in which the lyricism and mystery, meekness, poetry and beauty of the Most Pure Virgin were embodied, it is necessary, first of all, to mention the images of M. V. Nesterov. Depicting the Mother of God in the altarpieces of the Intercession Cathedral of the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery, the Alexander Nevsky Temple in Abastumani, the artist resorts to the same artistic techniques as V. M. Vasnetsov, embodying a living, sensually beautiful Virgin in the shining golden space of the apse. His work does not carry the social significance that can be seen in the image of the Mother of God by Vasnetsov, she is affectionate, gentle, cordial. The type of her beauty is idealized, and is brought closer by the soft features of the face, the randomness of the turn of the head, the detachment of the gaze to the images of G. Rosetti, E. Siddal, and fundamentally goes back to the early-renaissance images of Fra Angelico, Sandro Botticelli, Filippo Lippi, whom the artist admired so much. A close friend of Nesterov, S. N. Durylin, wrote that he "... never separated either his art or Russian art in general from the great traditions and creative schools of great European art" ^{[5, p. 108]}. The opportunity to learn about the artist's aspirations, about the sources of his inspiration opens in the letters of M. V. Nesterov from Florence, where he got acquainted with the paintings of the masters of the early Renaissance. He noted that "Botticelli's strength is not in the characterization of faces, but in the endless lyrics of his paintings, his understanding of the (purely psychological) features of nature" ^{[5, p. 108]}, his paintings are colored by "the "spirit" that he brings [...] with his combinations of tones, lines" ^{[5, p. 108]}, which allows the viewer to feel "the presence of a higher spiritual force" ^{[5, p. 109]}. The art of Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Filippo Lippi is filled with "high poetry" and "requires a tender love for him, penetration into his soul, and not only into the form" ^{[5, p. 109]}. All these qualities — poetry, lyricism, understanding of the psychological features of nature, spirituality contained in tones and lines, mystical flavor, can be correlated with the work of the artist himself, and this is how it is often characterized in many studies of Nesterov's work. The artist himself called the direction in which he worked "poetized realism." A special significance in Nesterov's works is given to religious subjects. In traditional iconography, the image of the saints' gaze "looking" at the worshipper was heterogeneous. If in the icons of the XVII—XVIII centuries the views of the saints were fixed on the worshipper, then in the early icons there was no such thing — they were dissolved in the space of the divine world. Nesterov comes to this in his work under the influence of the works of old Italian masters, as well as Puvy de Chavannes and Bastien-Lepage. In particular, the most illustrative example is the impression that Bastien-Lepage's painting "Joan of Arc" made on him — this work is the source not only of his pictorial aspirations, but also of his characteristic elegiac-heavenly color. Despite the fact that Lepage's paintings are not religious in content, but, as Nesterov himself writes, they are characterized by the height of "moral feeling, conveyed holily, deeply and intelligently" ^{[6, p. 167]}. Jeanne D’Ark is depicted in the painting tired after working in the garden, thoughtfully peering into the distance. The mystical character of the painting is given by the ghostly figures standing behind it — St. Louis and two martyrs — who appeared as a kind of sign and blessing her for future exploits. Nesterov was most impressed by her look: "the eyes of Joan of Arc really see something mysterious in front of them. They are light blue, clear and quiet" ^{[5, p. 118]}, they "convey a moment of prayerful ecstasy with the deepest penetration and touching simplicity" ^{[6, p. 167]}. "All the strength of Joan of Arc was in her extreme simplicity, naturalness and in that unique and never-repeated expression of the eyes ... these eyes were a special secret of the artist: he looked and saw not external objects, but that cherished ideal, that goal of his vocation, which this wonderful girl had to realize" ^{[5, p. 120]}. Nesterov, according to Durylin, looking at her image exclaimed: "... she is not sick, she sees them, really sees him," as if responding to critics who accused of "hysteria" and "morbidity" (his) "Boy Bartholomew" and "Young Sergius"" ^{[5, p. 120]}. With such bottomless, deep eyes, not looking at something definite, but seeing the invisible divine world, Nesterov endowed the altarpieces of the Mother of God in Abastumani and in the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery, and it can be assumed that this cobalt heavenly blue of the eyes became the symbolic basis of his color scheme. Nesterov also gives a symbolic character to the shape itself — the silhouette, figure, gestures of the Mother of God. This is clearly seen in the artist's understanding of the image of Jeanne d'Ark: "The whole figure, which has not yet developed, is full of grace, simple, but beautiful; it is as if God himself has marked it for something high" ^{[5, p. 118]}.

Personifying the purity and youth of the Most Pure Virgin, Nesterov gives refined features to the face, fragility and grace to the figure, focuses attention on hands with outstretched palms and thin fingers, and also gives a symbolic characteristic to the wildlife near her. So next to the Mother of God in the scene "Annunciation" of the Martha and Mary Monastery, he paints an olive tree symbolizing purity, chastity and immortality, subordinating the shape of the tree with its thin transparent curved trunk and blooming fruit-bearing crown to the graceful figure of the Virgin Mary. The artist gives a powerful symbolic emphasis to the hands of the Mother of God in the apse of the Intercession Cathedral, holding the Veil, bringing it forward and enlarging the hands of the Most Pure Virgin so much that the illusion of a literally carried out and hovering over the head of the maphoria is created. The same illusory exit from the conch of the apse has a disproportionately enlarged blessing hand of the infant Christ in the composition "The Sign" of the temple in Abastumani, as well as enlarged and expanded palms forward prayerfully raised hands of the Mother of God. From the position of linear-pictorial synthesis, expressed in the image of the Mother of God with the Baby by V. M. Vasnetsov, Nesterov went even further in the issue of displacing the form from the sacred space of the background. In the altar image of the Intercession of the Mother of God, there is an intentional division of the image into spatial plans. The artist brings the hands of the Mother of God holding the veil from the mandorla zone to the foreground, due to which the sacred space loses its sacred significance, turning into a decorative almond-shaped arch-frame with a planar golden background inside, from which the Virgin comes out. Mandorla is also a separate object placed against the background of a perspective deepening view with the image of a heavenly city with churches illuminated by the sunset rays of the sun. Such a combination of different spatial plans gives the composition a powerful three-dimensional perception and creates a sense of the physical presence of the Mother of God in the space of the temple, but the power of the visual emotional effect is not related to the spiritual work that must be done by the praying heart to achieve synergy and ascent to the Transfiguration. In this solution of the image, the Mother of God Nesterova has already come to earth, she is here and there is nothing for a person to ascend to.

S. K. Makovsky, arguing about multidimensionality in religious art, wrote: "I dare say that the more dimensions there are in painting, the further it is from the spirit, and therefore, in all epochs, sacred, hieratic art seemed to be afraid of three-dimensional space" ^{[7, p. 122]}. It can be said that Nesterov, in his religious works, as well as Vasnetsov, was an exponent of the spiritual worldview of the epoch, reflected in the works of religious philosophers who aspired in their spiritual impulses to build and feel the Kingdom of God here on earth. Figurative and semantic techniques, allegories, emotional coloring used to convey symbolic meaning in the works of these masters turned out to be in contradiction with the symbolism of medieval painting, which was focused on the spiritual depth of images and was solved by other techniques capable of conveying transformed matter in a single divine space.

Without deviating from the course set by G. Welflin in discovering "stable national traits", it seems appropriate to consider the development of the same plot by the artist L. A. Pyanovsky — the altarpiece of the Mother of God "The Sign" of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Nice, painted at the same time with the paintings of Nesterov in Abastumani. The incommensurability of the scale of the talent of artists makes it impossible to compare the visual merits of their works, but such a comparison is quite feasible in terms of the theological content and the implementation of its functional tasks in the iconographic image, as well as in the context of religious and national orientation. This image is made according to the cartons of L. A. Pianovsky by the Italian artist Designori, and also represents an individual reading of the iconography of the image "The Sign". When creating this composition , Pyanovsky turned to the Yaroslavl paintings of the XVII century . The Vvedensky Cathedral of the Tolga Monastery. In accordance with the dedication of the Tolga Temple to the Introduction of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple, there are many images of the Mother of God from the Gospel cycle dedicated to the Tolga Icon of the Mother of God, as well as iconographic excerpts "The Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos", "Rejoices about you", "The Wife clothed in the Sun", the dome image "The Sign", etc., which the artist could be inspired by. The iconographic scheme of the composition of St. Nicholas Church is a combination of two iconographs of the Virgin images: "The Sign" and "Rejoices about You." The Mother of God with a Baby in a shining mandorla with prayerfully raised hands in accordance with the iconographic type "Sign", surrounds the Cathedral of the Archangels with Archangel Michael at the head, depicted with open wings over the sphere in which the Mother of God is depicted. This type is characteristic of the iconography of the image "Rejoices about You", where the Mother of God sits in glory on a throne with a Baby in her arms. It can be said that such a combination of iconographic schemes increases the emphasis on the sacrament of the Incarnation of God and the glorification of the Mother of God as an animated Temple of God. By the decision of the composition, it is close to the image of the "Rejoices about You" of the Vvedensky Temple, where the archangels and their halos create a kind of halo around the Mother of God. The image is also related to the Yaroslavl frescoes by the color of the altar image of St. Nicholas Church. These are the contrasting shades of golden ochre, red, burgundy, and blue, traditional for temple frescoes of the XVII century, as well as delicate pink, light green, and blue tones in the clothes of angels, in "curly" clouds — loaves solved in iconographic traditions (the working term of the icon painters of the Palekh school, denoting a specific type of image of clouds in the form of curls with smooth transitions of white tones into greenish and pink). The harmony with the national traditions of Russian church icon painting can be traced in the rich ornamental surroundings of the composition. On the plane of the eastern wall, the apse is framed by large buds of pink, white and blue flowers entwined with ornate green stems, on a juicy blue background. The general solemnity, liveliness and elegance of the composition, while preserving the dogmatic symbolism of the content in it, gives it the features of a picturesque style, which corresponds to the romantic mood of the spirit of the time and corresponds to the concept of a religious-national trend.

In the context of the appeal of artists of the early XX century to the traditions of ancient Russian art can be attributed the paintings of the Kazan Church of the Resurrection Novodevichy Monastery in St. Petersburg, executed in 1912 by a group of artists led by F. R. Raylian (P. A. Fomin, A. I. Kulakov, V. G. Evgeniev, etc.). F. R. Raylian's talent was multifaceted, he he worked in different stylistic directions — in an academic manner (paintings of the Church of St. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Holy Martyr Tsarina Alexandra at the Putilov Factory, in collaboration with M. M. Vasiliev), masterfully embodied the Vasnetsov style in his works (sketches for mosaics of the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Warsaw, the Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt), also performed compositions in the traditions of the national art of the XVII century. (St. Nicholas Cathedral in Liepaja together with M. M. Vasiliev) and turned to earlier examples, interpreting the style of the turn of the XV—XVI centuries. (the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God of the Resurrection Novodevichy Monastery in St. Petersburg). In the painting of the last named church, where he was the leading artist, the creative individuality of the master and his understanding of medieval painting were most clearly manifested. According to V. O. Gusakova's research, "Raylian and his assistants actively used Vasnetsov's iconographic innovations, such as a host of seraphim and cherubim, but interpreted them in the pictorial language of Dionysius" ^{[1, p. 179]}.

In the continuation of the study of subjects including images of the Mother of God, we can also offer to compare the Mother of God, represented in the iconography of "Oranta" in the composition "Ascension of the Lord". The iconographic protograph of the Mother of God in this scene dates back to the early Christian period (such an image can be seen on the VI century ampoule of Monza, a miniature of the VI century Syrian Gospel of Rabula), where she is depicted frontally, with her hands raised in prayer, surrounded by angels and apostles. Our Lady of Rilyana is a mysterious, mystical image. Her features, contrary to the traditional propensity for contemporary artists and colleagues to admire the beauty and youth of the Most Pure Virgin, are devoid of external attractiveness, the image of the Mother of God is timeless and has no age characteristics. In medieval iconography and in early Christian art, during crucial periods of a special spiritual uplift, there are often images that are far from the classical ideals of beauty — sometimes touching, naive, sometimes harsh, with exaggerated features of the faces, characterizing the power of inner experiences or spiritual exaltation of the saint, which gives the image hieratism, emphasizes its spiritualism. Such a facet of the figurativeness of medieval painting can be read in the Our Lady of F. R. Rilyan: deep dark hollows of the eyes, in which the gaze is almost lost, sculptural modeling of the face, volumes solved by minimal fusing, contrasting whitewash on a dark sankir lining, revealing only the highest points of the protruding parts. It can be assumed that such a departure from realism was due not only to the author's desire to approach the medieval interpretation of the forms of personal writing — her image contains a gloomy reflection of the tragic period of the era — 1912, the revolution is behind, and the First World War is ahead. By many contemporaries, the paintings of Rilyan in this temple were perceived as a failure of the artist and were criticized ^{[8, p. 30]}. However, it is in these paintings that one can see his individuality, here he did not strive for either the Vasnetsov style or academic realism, but expressed himself precisely through the medieval technique of writing. N. Kuteynikova and E. Romanova explain this phenomenon of Rilyan's paintings as "a fact of the transition period that religious painting experienced at the turn of the XIX—XX centuries. when the trends in the search for national traditions became unusually strong" ^{[8, p. 30]}.

Exploring the work of representatives of the religious-national trend, it is impossible to ignore the artist, whose iconographic work, due to powerful individual characteristics, was not fully appreciated by the church, and the Soviet art that came into force, reflecting new ideals, did not accept his religious images. K. S. Petrov-Vodkin did not do so many works for the church, and yet his work left its noticeable mark in the religious art of the early XX century. The artist created images that were strong in spiritual expressiveness: in 1911 he wrote compositions for the reconstruction of the murals of the ancient church of St. Basil the Golden-Domed in Ovruch, in 1913 he participated in the design of the Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt, and also painted a number of paintings of religious themes. E. N.Selizarova, a researcher of K. S.Petrov-Vodkin, she wrote about the significance of the composition "Annunciation" on the front sides of the altar apse of the Naval Cathedral: "... this is one of the significant works of the artist, testifying to his turn to ancient Russian art. And the later "Our Lady. The Tenderness of Evil Hearts" (1914-1915) almost completely repeats the found face of the Virgin from the Annunciation. Perhaps, the image of the "Annunciation" on the pillars in the Naval Cathedral is the second case after the Kiev Sophia. Thus, continuity with both Byzantium and Kiev was realized in the Kronstadt Cathedral" ^[9]. But it can be added that not only ancient Russian art influenced the images of Petrov-Vodkin, they also reflected the lyricism and sensual inspiration of religious painting of the early Renaissance. In the "Annunciation" of the Kronstadt temple, this connection can be seen in the ruffled folds of the Archangel Gabriel's himatiya, the elegant assemblies of the maforium and the lower white board on the head of the Mother of God, decided on the models of the Botticelli and Fra Angelico Madonnas, in the same statuesque poses, but at the same time full of grace, in a soft interpretation of volumes that have not yet acquired material physicality, faces, planar and emitting light from inside the form. He reflected in his images the transitional stage of the movement of Russian icon painting to the likeness, which can be traced in the icons of Simon Ushakov of the XVII century and in the European art of the XV century, in the transition from Byzantine convention to physical sensuality. S. K. Makovsky wrote about the artist's work: "The perception of Petrov-Vodkin is truly individual; [...] This is not a stylization, but a style, not a deformation of academic plasticity according to one recipe or another, but direct form-making. The method of his work is close to the method of ancient masters. [...] At the same time — without repeating any of the ancients (he) embodies a vision “incomprehensible to the mind”. A faithful knight of his plastic ideal, he is at the same time a born muralist" ^{[7, pp. 152-153]}. Remembering that M. V. Nesterov was inspired by the same artists of the art of the early Renaissance, when comparing his "Annunciation" in the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery with the "Annunciation" of Petrov-Vodkin, one can see how much more accurately the latter's image meets the spiritual tasks. Nesterov's "Annunciation" is rather a beautifully felt illustration of the gospel event, passed through personal experience. The Archangel Gabriel and the Mother of God are in interaction, in dialogue with each other — he tells Her the Good News — She perceives. The "Annunciation" by Petrov-Vodkin includes a contemplator in what is happening, the archangel and the Mother of God are looking into the inner space of the temple, reflecting the cosmological significance of this event and its saving role for each person, at the same time, the frontal appeal to the viewer gives the images a prayer character.

"Russian reality did not give Petrov-Vodkin the walls he needed; — K. S. Makovsky wrote, — he remained involuntarily an easel artist" ^{[7, pp. 152-153]}. However, religious paintings can be distinguished from his easel works, which are in no way inferior to iconographic works in terms of their spiritual content and depth of philosophical understanding. In 1914, he painted the image of the Mother of God "The Tenderness of Evil Hearts". According to E. N. Selizarova, this image is really like the Mother of God from the composition "Annunciation" of the Kronstadt Cathedral. But here the artist gives her image a deep multidimensional meaning. The Mother of God is depicted in the iconographic image of the "Sign", with her hands raised prayerfully, but the palms of the Mother of God are traditionally depicted raised up, facing the heavens. According to the author, in Petrov-Vodkin, this gesture, in the light of the events of the First World War and the great suffering that befell Russia, acquires a new symbolic meaning. Her palms are facing forward, she is not praying to heaven for salvation, but appeals to the warring parties for peace, for "softening of hearts." She raises her hands like a person with a weapon pointed at her — the Mother of God surrenders, sacrificing Herself for the sake of peace and the salvation of Russia. But the painting contains not only plot symbolism, the artist also gives it a deeper theological meaning. The understanding of the special perception system developed by the artist, which he called "the science of seeing" and carried out with the help of the so-called "spherical perspective", helps to penetrate into the depth of the symbolic meaning of this image of "Touching evil hearts". The use of this method is clearly visible in this and a number of other works of the artist. "The concave surface, as it were, surrounds, embraces the viewer from all sides. The viewer finds himself face to face with the heroes of the depicted space. From this position, all objects of the "background sphere" as equidistant from the center can be depicted on a scale different from the scale of the "main action sphere"" ^{[10, pp. 176-177]}. This theoretical explanation helps to understand the depth of the symbolic meaning of many Petrov-Vodkin paintings. Daniel's book provides examples of the use of this perspective by the artist in some easel paintings — genre subjects and still lifes. The technique of "spherical perspective" was revealed by the dissertation in the work "Touching evil hearts". The "sphere of the main action" of the image is the face of the Mother of God, the "sphere of the background" is literally perceived as a sphere — Her halo. The halo contains the main sacred meaning of the image. In the crystal-fractured blue space, images depicted on a reduced scale are viewed as in a haze — on the right, the Mother of God is sitting with a Baby on her knees, on the left, the Crucified Son, below under the Crucifixion, the "mysterious" figure of a naked man in a loincloth walking from the Crucifixion forward to the viewer. If we perceive these images in a circular motion, looking at them from right to left, they represent a retrospective cycle of events from the life of the Mother of God, which she experienced and which are communicated to the viewer "entering" the image. According to the author of the study, the resurrected Christ may be a mysterious figure coming to the viewer, in which case the entire symbolic cycle acquires a sequence — and reveals the sacred meaning of the central image of the Mother of God as a "guiding star", through which salvation became possible through the Incarnation and the death of the Son of God on the cross. From the position of symbolic realism, this expanded dynamics of multi-temporal events represents iconographic techniques of reverse perspective, which transfers the image into the sphere of the unreal and allows us to perceive this work not as a picture, but as an icon. This work is a unique example of reinterpretation of the medieval iconographic language and characterizes K. S. Petrov-Vodkin as a great artist and philosopher of the XX century. It is worth noting that in medieval Russia, the attitude towards painters, in whose works the essential problems of human existence were reflected, were called philosophers. Epiphanius the Wise called Theophanes the Greek a philosopher ^{[11, p. 444]}, it was written about Rublev that he "surpasses all in wisdom in greenness" ^{[11, p. 380]}. "If by 'philosophy' we mean [...] 'the profound wisdom of culture,'" wrote V. V. Bychkov, "then in Ancient Russia this 'philosophy' more often appeared in its fuller form in an artistic form" ^{[12, p. 196]}, in this sense a deep reflection of cultural trends of the early XX century., addressed to national roots, K. S. Petrov-Vodkin keenly felt in his work.

A special place among the monumental artists of the turn of the century belongs to M. A. Vrubel. His temple paintings, individual icons, sketches for paintings reveal in him a completely diverse and multifaceted artist who is able to masterfully interpret the styles of different eras without losing his bright creative individuality. Vrubel's works for the Cyril Church in Kiev are a clear example of this. The very first work after graduating from the Academy — the restoration of the lost image of the Archangel Gabriel from the Annunciation scene in the Cyril Church at the invitation of archaeologist and art historian Professor A.V. Prakhov — demonstrated his flexibility and fine artistic flair. Having studied only from photographs and chromolithographic tables copies of Byzantine and ancient Russian paintings collected by Prakhov during his travels, he effortlessly transforms his manner and creates an image akin in style to the temple frescoes of the XII century. The dynamic thin draperies of the Archangel's folds are close to the original paintings of the Cyril Church itself, the Church of the Savior on Nereditsa and Byzantine miniatures of the XI century. One of his independent works, the composition "Angels with labars" in the baptismal chapel, also does not stand out from the general medieval stylistics of the temple, however, in the complex solution of large stormy folds of draperies related to the mosaics of the Kiev St. Sophia Cathedral, the artist technically does not coincide with the traditional iconographic technique of layering gaps and writes off light volumes, which is more typical of the painting of masters renaissance.

"The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles" is his most outstanding work for the Cyril Church. According to the iconography of the plot, the image of the "Descent of the Holy Spirit" with the Virgin corresponds to the tradition established in Greece and Russia in the XVII century. However, Vrubel takes as a basis an earlier arrangement of the apostles — sitting in a semicircle, when the image of the Mother of God among them has not yet been approved — but introduces new features into it. After the XVII century, the iconographic arrangement of figures varies — while maintaining the traditional scheme, new variants of the arrangement of figures are introduced. The formal stylistic analysis of this work shows that the artist also combines several techniques in one image. Against the background of a flatly resolved completely impenetrable blue sky, the apostles are sitting, in shining white, reflecting warm-cold shades of clothes. Despite the fact that due to the fused halos and the positions of the bodies, the apostles are grouped into separate groups, when the vision is defocused, they are perceived as a single whole, thanks to the soft folds flowing from one form to another, like sea foam. The apostles themselves are individualized, each perceives the miracle happening to him in his own way and is immersed in understanding the new state; two of them, flanking the central image of the Most Holy Theotokos, are depicted rising from their seats. A special dynamic is given by the line of the exposed parts of the apostles' bodies against the background of white clothes, creating a rhythm of differently positioned hands and naked feet. These artistic techniques give the main characters of the composition a picturesque character. However, the space in which they are placed is heterogeneous: the rounded plane of the arch acquires an illusory fracture due to the perspective deepening of the floor plane inside the image, the illusion of a shape fracture is so plausible that it creates the feeling of an additional architectural plane that increases the wall area of the frontal part of the arch. It enhances the illusion of a break in the shape of the image of the elder of the Cosmos, placed in the depth of the painted arched niche, as well as perspective marked rectangular footsteps forming a semicircle under the feet of the apostles. If the image of the floor gives an understanding that the event takes place indoors, in the Zion room, then the background is presented as an unreal space. Vrubel solves it in a completely unique way. On an impenetrable heavenly flat space, from a rainbow sphere with the Holy Spirit depicted as a dove, not rays, not fiery tongues of flame descend on the apostles and the Virgin, but streams of condensed energy, directly entering each of them. The artist does not bring any mystery or ghostliness to the process of descent, but portrays it absolutely literally and so realistically that the composition acquires not so much a mystical as a fantastic character. The realistically depicted apostles, combined with the image of the hyperrealistic Holy Spirit descending on them, are shown existing with him in the same dimension, which enhances the acute sense of the reality of the miracle taking place. However, the power of imagery in the transmission of a mystical event with such vivid realistic techniques deprives the sacred image of hidden meaning, mystery. Academic realism, which is still inherent in this work of the artist, is not able to convey the symbolic. This also applies to a close and bright external light source directed at the voluminous carnal figures of the apostles, casting short shadows, and intense psychologism in their faces and poses. The material light source of the mundane created nature is only a dim reflection of the divine light emanating in medieval images from within the transformed matter.

In this context, the comparison can be drawn to the altar fresco "The Descent of the Holy Spirit" in the Vasilievsky Church in Ovruch, painted two decades later, in 1911, presumably by the artist D. S. Steletsky. This work is also an independent work, since the composition of the altar apse in the Church of the Savior on Nereditsa, on the model of which the ancient temple in Ovruch (1190) was restored, had a different solution. Here the artist makes a similar descent of rays, echoing the semicircular completion of the arch and arcing down on the apostles. The composition in St. Basil's Church is subordinated to the plane of the wall, the apostles, also in light clothes, stand out in contrast against a dark background. The work preserves the conventional interpretation characteristic of iconographic images, expressed in symbolic realism and techniques of medieval artistic language.

In the Cyril Church, Vrubel demonstrated another facet of his talent in images for the local iconostasis row. Icons "The Mother of God with the Baby", "The Savior", "St. Cyril" and "St. Athanasius" were written by Vrubel "under the impression of the Venetian Quattrocento, Cima da Conegliano and Giovani Bellini", the latter Vrubel considered "the best of all" ^{[7, p. 99]}. These images, as follows from Vrubel's letters, were praised by Tretyakov when he came to Kiev, especially the "Mother of God" ^{[13, p. 70]}, K. S. Makovsky writes that Alexander Benois admired them on the pages of the "World of Art" in 1903 ^{[7, p. 113]}. In these icons, the artist's desire to approach the ideals of the early Renaissance is felt, in which Byzantine restraint was already combined with a sensual beginning, admiring human beauty, bringing the forms closer to the characteristics of the painting. In Vrubel's images, sensuality, psychologism and emotionality are concentrated in the eyes. In icons and unrealized sketches for the paintings of the Vladimir Cathedral "The Funeral Lament", "The Resurrection of Christ", "An Angel with a censer and candles" and other later works, the eyes are the most magnetic point of the image. "... These Vrubel eyes are a dangerous path," wrote K. S. Makovsky, "this thirst for the absolute in painting" ^{[7, p. 122]}, "terrible, terrible eyes that have seen the unspeakable" ^{[7, p. 115]}. Vrubel's sketches and iconographic works reflected the artist's desire to approach the highest note in conveying the acuteness of the gospel events, to confess his personal pain and spiritual experiences through his works. It is known that Vrubel was not a religious person, and, as Makovsky says, "an artist to the extreme subjective," in connection with which, the tasks that he set for himself in his work were beyond the power of a non-Christian soul to express, they approached spirituality of a different kind, "the luxury of a colorful design [...] was combined with an inexplicably suffering esotericism" ^{[7, p. 115]}. The reflection in the eyes of his saints of the eternal struggle of the human spirit with inner passions, as in his "demonic" theme, became a vivid symptom of the spirit of the times — society attracted everything mystical: practicing spiritualism, automatic writing. It can be said that the spirit of the epoch found in Vrubel's images and paintings the appropriate form for it. Vrubel considered art to be his religion — this was another facet revealing the nature of his works. According to G. V. Florovsky, the idea of substituting different spheres of culture was peculiar to this time and was largely a consequence of the ideas of Nietzsche and Kant. Florovsky saw the main reason for the tragic fate of the artist in this replacement of religion with "artistic intuition". "Is it possible to penetrate the spiritual world with artistic intuition? Is there a reliable criterion for the "test of spirits" in it? The collapse of romance suffers precisely at this point. There is no criterion, artistic insight does not replace faith, spiritual experience cannot be replaced by either meditation or delight — and inevitably everything begins to blur, snake" ^[14].

Despite the fact that Vrubel worked in the Cyril Church before the beginning of the decoration of the Vladimir Cathedral, V. O. Gusakova includes this artist in the circle of representatives of the religious-national trend, the founder of which is V. M. Vasnetsov. In this aspect, I would like to quote K. S. Makovsky, who, apparently, was addicted to Vrubel's work. He writes that the main reason why the artist's sketches for the Vladimir Cathedral were rejected was the genius of Vrubel and neither Prakhov nor his patrons from the dignitaries of the clergy could reconcile themselves to this "flaw". The order was handed over to Viktor Vasnetsov.[...] Vrubel was instructed only to decorate part of the pylons with ornaments. He enthusiastically fulfilled this task, turning the motifs of Byzantine and ancient Russian patterns into some kind of whimsical fairy tale-a symphony of plant-jointed forms and teaching Vasnetsov a lot, who skillfully used both the Vrubel ornament and its restoration of Cyril frescoes, used exactly as it was required for the crowd to “accept”. Vasnetsov was not a genius enough for this" ^{[7, pp. 115-116]}. Thus, we can assume that, after all, one of the origins of this direction was the work of M. A. Vrubel. "A genius is a genius because he knows how to eavesdrop on the suggestions of a great nation. The people create by his spirit and find themselves in his spirit" ^{[7, p. 114]}.

Since the beginning of the XX century, the Vasnetsov style has become widespread in church art, under the influence of the paintings of the Vladimir Cathedral. However, not all the temple paintings, addressed to the Vasnetsov samples, showed a literal imitation of the master's style. These are the paintings of the St. Panteleimon Cathedral of the New Athos Monastery. Despite the fact that many of the compositions in it were performed on the samples of V. M. Vasnetsov and M. V. Nesterov, they are distinguished by a more traditional reading. The temple was painted by artists from the artel of the icon-painting workshop at the Rogozhsky cemetery in Moscow under the guidance of the Old Believer artist M. V. Molov, and the group also included masters from Palekh. At first glance, the decorations of the temple, the abundance of ornaments, compositions on a golden background, the picturesque elegance of the color seem very similar to the paintings of the Vladimir Cathedral. However, upon closer examination, the originality of these paintings becomes noticeable, the reasons for which are the traditional icon—painting techniques of the Palekh masters and the tendency of Old Believers artists to conservatism in solving icon-painting tasks. In order to more clearly feel the differences and similarities with the artists of the religious-national direction, it is advisable to turn to specific compositions.

 The most striking image of St. Panteleimon Cathedral is the Mother of God in the conch of the apse "Oranta". Within the universal ornamental saturation and variegation of the scenery, her image on a local blue background with stars attracts attention and accentuates the theological significance of the Queen of Heaven in the program of paintings. The image of the Mother of God with the Baby is repeated three times in the western dome, in the northern and southern conches of the western dome in different versions of the iconography "The Sign", which focuses attention on the mystery of the "Incarnation of God". Her image is also symbolically read in the form of a starry sky — it is present in the vaulted arches under the choirs on the north, south and west sides and is similar to the background, which depicts the Blessed Virgin in the apse. Unlike the altar image of Vasnetsov, the Mother of God in the altar of St. Panteleimon Cathedral is depicted in a canonical manner, frontally, she is motionless and completely static, her image in the prayer stand with raised hands is symbolically unambiguous - there is only a theological context in it. This is expressed in the conventional iconographic manner, the linear nature of the form, the planar interpretation of the folds, its statuesque ideal grandeur, which, as Kondakov noted, characterizes the highest examples of the Byzantine type of the Mother of God, with the noblest image of Athena. If Vasnetsov's image is marked by powerful psychologism and reflects the need of the epoch for the protection and intercession of the Mother of God, going to help, then her beauty and universal greatness are more reflected here — the face is idealized and devoid of emotional coloring. The beauty of the features, as well as the entire environment of her image — flowers, the starry sky — is characterized by the reinterpretation by artists of medieval iconographic traditions through the prism of the stylistic features of modernity. The sky, against which the Mother of God stands, is solved in a unique way: golden stars scatter from her halo at a uniform distance from each other, like a stream of corpuscles emanating from a central light source, the density of the stream decreases with distance from it, which gives the image a universal, cosmic significance. In the floreal stylized motifs filling the piers between the narrow window openings and flanking the figure of the Mother of God, one can see the influence of Art Nouveau in its tendency to turn art and man to nature, the Church art of the turn of the century, both in this cathedral and in other churches of neo-Byzantine and Neo-Russian styles, actively uses floral ornament, stylizes medieval ornamental motifs, and also creates new plastic decorative variations, including Christian symbols in them.

Another image of the beginning of the XX century deserves special attention — the Mother of God "Oranta" in the iconographic type "Incarnation", depicted in the conch of the apse of the Vasilievsky Church in Ovruch in 1911. A comparison of the techniques used in writing this image with the paintings of the Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt gave reason to assume the authorship of the artist A. P. Blaznov. The prototype for the creation of this image was the image from the Church of the Savior on Nereditsa in 1198, but in the work of Blaznov, carried out in his characteristic manner of writing, an individual reading of the plot is visible. The characteristic differences from the medieval image carry signs of a romantic mood peculiar to the spirit of the time. In the artist's techniques, contrasts of lines are leveled, external contours are dissolved inside a planar color spot, the closed tectonic rigor of the medieval form is softened, giving the image a picturesque characteristic. The silhouette of the Mother of God in the Nereditskaya Church opposite is clearly read due to the rigid linear inventory of the drawing and dark wrinkles in the depths of the folds. However, Blaznov does not go into three-dimensionality and retains a planar interpretation of the image due to the locality of color. The individual approach of the artist is revealed in the solution of light cuts of folds. The protruding parts are formed by boldly laid wide planes of dynamically rounded gaps, somewhere rapidly bending, somewhere straight and sharp, giving the folds of clothes heaviness and massiveness, and the figure - statuesque and monumental grandeur. But the features of the face of the Mother of God are soft, there are no sharp lines and deep contrasting transitions in the drawing, the expression is thoughtful, prayerful, the gaze is detached and dissolves into unreal space, which makes her related to the image of the Mother of God of the Nereditsky Church, however, due to sharp inventories and pritinki, the face is given an expression of emphasized rigor and introspection. Our Lady of Blaznova is a monument of her time. The appeal to the medieval model does not create the impression of a literal copy, its peculiar reading gives the image modern features, which reflect the spirit of the times, and the preservation of the canonical form and attention to the traditions of ancient Russian art transfers the spirit-bearing grandeur of the ancient image into the cultural space of the XX century. It can be assumed that the specific features of Blaznov's manner are the case when the symbolic aspect contained in the image was not obvious to the master himself, who sought to convey as accurately as possible the theological depth of the medieval image, and psychologism in an individual style was the implicit symptom of a hidden meaning that reflected the cultural well-being of his contemporary era. The skill of A. P. Blaznov, vividly manifested during the reconstruction of the frescoes of the Vasilievsky Church in Ovruch, where he executed in addition to the Mother of God and other expressive images of saints, was even more noticeably revealed in the paintings of the Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt, where he worked two years later, in 1913. His distinctive recognizable style, reflected in the solution of the folds and the manner of personal writing, corresponded to the neo-Byzantine orientation of the murals and had a significant impact on the overall character of the decorative design of the Kronstadt temple.

Many churches of the neo—Byzantine style of the early XX century, decorated in the spirit of the paintings of the Vladimir Cathedral, not only copied his compositions, artistic techniques and style - an important role in them was given to historical subjects. The events of a spiritual and patriotic nature related to the area where the temple was erected, or with the life of the saint to whom the temple was dedicated, were illustrated, information about its historical and national significance and patronage events were introduced. Examples of such monuments include the Church of the Ascension in Novocherkassk (paintings 1902-1905), the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in St. Petersburg (1894-1907), the Church of Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra (1903-1910), Catherine Cathedral in Yekaterinodar (1912-1914, author I.S.Izhakevich), the New Athos Panteleimon Cathedral (1911-1914), and also the Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt (1913) and many others. Of interest is the specific interpretation and artistic solution of historical, spiritually and nationally significant events in some of these churches, in contrast to the paintings of the Vladimir Cathedral, which served as a certain standard.

The most striking examples copied or taken as a basis for creating independent compositions were the subjects "The Baptism of Kievan Rus" and "The Baptism of Prince Vladimir", written by Vasnetsov in the northern and southern niches of the western part of the central nave. These compositions can be called the crown of a cycle of temple images related to the history of Christianity, in the context of the continuity of the Orthodox faith in Russia. The artists P. A. Svedomsky and V. A. Kotarbinsky participated in the creation of the murals of the cathedral, who worked on the creation of evangelical plots and images of historical figures. The images made by them were solved in an academic manner, which, together with the general orientation of the decor to the neo-Byzantine style, created a synthesis already traditional for temple murals, introduced in the middle of the XIX century by G. G. Gagarin. The creative compositions of these artists, as well as the works of M. A.Vrubel and M. V. Nesterov, influenced the formation of the "grand style" of the Vladimir Cathedral. The compositions designed by Vasnetsov, associated with Prince Vladimir, are also made in the academic style. However, the artist, striving to bring iconographic structuring to the character of the compositional schemes, centering, making the image symmetrical, relative to the frontal figure of Prince Vladimir, introduced the presence of the "heavenly world" into the plot of the "Baptism of Rus" and, due to the expressive contours of the drawing, flattening of forms, tried to endow the paintings with the characteristics of an icon image. Nevertheless, the characters of the paintings are mobile, they interact with each other, they live inside the event and do not come into contact with the beholder by any signs. Throughout the composition of the "Baptism of Russia", the image of the Constantinople priest standing on the left side of Vladimir, with his hand raised in a blessing gesture, attracts attention. He alone looks forward from the picture, in all the solemn hymnal action, through him alone the artist thought of the viewer, but his image is perceived rather as an exception, since he is not the main character of the picture. These two paintings, powerful in terms of emotional and artistic transmission, are rather an illustration of the events contained within the image — iconographic techniques are not read either in the perspective space of the baptismal chapel, nor in the majestic gestures of Prince Vladimir, nor in the multi-figure representation of compatriots baptized at the call of Vladimir, nor in the descent of heavenly light on what is happening; all this together it does not fill the image with theological symbolism, does not create prayerful silence. Therefore, the author's desire to give cult characteristics to the image does not reach the necessary depth, since the openly conveyed idea deprives the plot of symbolism of spiritual content, but at the same time acutely touches the viewer's emotional feelings, generates delight from the majestically conveyed event. These features inextricably link both images with the aspirations of the time in which they were created — the religious upsurge and the appeal of the intelligentsia to the spirit of the Russian people.

The plots solved in this way can be seen in the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord in Novocherkassk (1904). Two monumental compositions are interesting: "Prince Vladimir's Search for the True Faith" and "The Miraculous Vision of the Cross in Heaven by Emperor Constantine" by the artist A.V. Troitsky, based on sketches by G. G. Myasoedov. In the latter, one can observe a mystical image of a cross made up of stars with an inscription above it in Greek "Sim Pobedishi". All the characters depicted in the painting — the emperor and the warriors — are turned to a wonderful vision, telling the viewer the same message: contemplation of the cross, which is the central object of the composition. The painting "Prince Vladimir's Search for the True Faith" is not endowed with mystical characteristics, but conveys the deep responsibility that is entrusted to Vladimir and the significance of his decision for the future of Russia. Both paintings are designed within the framework of academic realism. The cathedral's temple decorations are accompanied by a large-scale cycle of historical paintings, also executed in an academic manner. The plots reflect the key events in the history of the Don Cossacks — the defense of Azov, the conquest of Siberia, and in addition, they are associated with outstanding personalities who influenced the victorious history of Russia with their exploits — Cossack ataman Ermak, the founder of the capital of the Don Cossacks — Novocherkassk — General M. I. Platov, who laid this temple. The paintings are imbued with national patriotism and, like the Vladimir Cathedral, have an ideological connection with the spiritual history of Russia.

In the paintings of the temples of the early XX century. the sacred history of Christianity is closely intertwined with the sacred history of Christian Russia, as well as with the glorification of the members of the imperial family of the house of Romanov. An example of this kind can be considered the paintings of the Alexander Nevsky Temple in Abastumani, made by M.V. Nesterov in 1900-1903. The program of murals, in addition to evangelical subjects, images related to the life of St. Alexander Nevsky, and St. Nina, Equal—to-the-Apostles educator of Georgia, includes images of patron saints of members of the imperial family. The composition of the western wall "Christ in Glory" is endowed with a bright patriotic meaning. In the lower tier of the composition of the majestic stage, two holy warriors — George the Victorious and Alexander Nevsky - kneel. In the plot, executed by Nesterov in a free iconographic interpretation, the theological meaning is combined with the state ideology. The unification in one composition of St. Alexander Nevsky as a warrior and patron saint of the capital of the Russian Empire, St. Petersburg, with St. George the Victorious, the patron saint of Georgia, reveals the significance of the unity of Georgia and Russia, not only in the political aspect of protecting the eastern borders of Russia from external enemies, but also in the spiritual, in the issue of preserving the connection of the two Orthodox states, united by a common history and religion. Another important semantic accent, which Nesterov endowed with the images of these saints, is also important. Saint Alexander Nevsky is represented as the heavenly patron of Emperor Alexander II, and Saint warrior George is his son George Alexandrovich, who was forced to live in Abastumani due to illness, and tragically died in these places. It was on his initiative that these murals were embodied by M. V. Nesterov, but the Grand Duke was not destined to see the final result, so the murals of the temple are also a kind of artistic memorial dedicated to the memory of G. A. Romanov.

In the context of strengthening national statehood, many churches during the reign of Nicholas II, both in Russia and abroad, are dedicated to his patron saint — St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In the paintings of some of them, the historical connection of the life and Christian exploits of the saint with his patronage to the emperor and, together with him, the Russian Empire also appears. A good example is the cycle of hagiographic images of St. Nicholas in the Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt, designed by M. M. Vasiliev. Consideration of these murals as a vivid example of a deep individual rethinking of national traditions of religious painting is relevant in the question of comparative characteristics with the spiritual, historical and artistic tasks set by V. M. Vasnetsov in the realization of his paintings for the Vladimir Temple.

Vasiliev presented compositions dedicated to St. Nicholas in the niches of the galleries of the second tier of the cathedral. They depict scenes of miracles performed by him during his lifetime and after his repose, as well as significant events related to the sacred and victorious history of Russia. Several murals are dedicated to the appearance of the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas. One of them reflects the historical chronicle legend about the appearance of the icon to Dmitry Donskoy, on the eve of the battle with Mamai, which was a blessing and a pledge of victory on Kulikovo Field. The significance of this victory and the figure of Dmitry Donskoy himself in the history of Russia is associated with the unification of the lands around Moscow and the revival of independent statehood. Another composition tells about the centuries-old tradition of the Velikoretsky procession from the city of Vyatka to the Velikaya River, established in memory of the appearance in the XIV century of the miraculous icon of the saint on the banks of the Velikaya River. The miracle of the icon of Nicholas is also shown in the composition depicting the event of the rescue of the Korenskaya desert from the invasion of the Tatar raiders in the XVI century. After the brothers of the monastery prayerfully stood before the icon of the saint, the Tatars did not dare to attack the monastery and fled in fear. The rest of the compositions tell about the resurrection of a sailor by St. Nicholas, the salvation of Patriarch Athanasius from drowning, and other miracles. "The excellent quality of the painting is characterized by a strongly pronounced decorative beginning," modern researchers characterize Vasiliev's paintings, "Here the techniques and spatial principles of the icon and the Art Nouveau style are wonderfully combined. The compositions are surrounded by sophisticated and refined ornamental paintings with rich use of gold, where ancient Christian symbols are combined with a “marine” theme. Obviously, along with the traditional Christological meaning (a ship is a symbol of the Church, an anchor is a hope, a fish is the oldest personification of Christ), in this case it has a direct relationship to the meaning of the cathedral as a monument to the Russian Navy. In addition, both the ship and the anchor are attributes of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the patron saint of sailors and all those who sail on the sea" ^{[15, p. 270]}.

The true decoration of the vestibule of the western portal of the temple are mosaic panels placed in niches, also dedicated to the life events of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker The uniqueness of the artistic solution requires a more careful consideration of both compositions.

 On the north wall is the composition "St. Nicholas argues with the heretic Arius at the First Ecumenical Council". The depicted plot is a creative interpretation by the artist of this event and has no analogues. On the right side of St. Nicholas is depicted the holy Equal—to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine with his retinue, on the left - the bishops defending Orthodoxy. Saint Nicholas is confronted by the heretic Arius, depicted from the back. Next to St. Nicholas stands out the figure, presumably, of St. Athanasius the Great the Theologian. At the time of the Council of Nicaea, he was the secretary and ideological spokesman of Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, thanks to whom, by the decision of Emperor Constantine, the First Ecumenical Council was convened to end the dispute with the heretic Arius. The artist depicts St. Nicholas against the background of the altar canopy, towering over the Mountain Place. In the center, under the ciborium, a six-pointed Cross is depicted on the Throne. Above the ciborium is depicted, as if descended from the top of the apse, the Virgin floating on clouds with a Baby on a throne, in a golden mandorla and surrounded by angels. This element of the composition creates a sense of the real presence of the Mother of God during the resolution of a historical dispute and transfers the event to an unreal space, so that the image is perceived not as a painting, but as an icon.

The peculiarity of this image is that it illustrates the glorification of St. Nicholas after the conciliar trial over him and the justification of the zealous slap in the face inflicted by him on Arius. In favor of such a conclusion is the presence of St. Nicholas signs of episcopal dignity: he is dressed in an omophorion and clutches the Gospel to himself with his left hand. The gestures of Athanasius the Great are also indicative in this matter: with one hand he points to St. Nicholas, confirming the rightness of his act, while the other hand is raised up, and points to the Mother of God, who appeared to refute the blasphemous judgments of Arius.

Stylistically, the composition is divided into two parts: the lower one, depicting people, is solved realistically — the plans and depth of space are read, the upper zone, where the Virgin sits surrounded by angels, is shown in the traditional iconographic rigor characteristic of Byzantine mosaics. The images of the Mother of God and Christ are presented frontally, facing the worshippers. The manner of pictorial execution also corresponds to the idea of dividing the composition: the lower part is designed in the academic spirit, and the upper part is in the iconographic, the whole image is permeated with decorative elegance of lines and floral ornaments, the color is multicolored, filled with a wealth of colors of delicate and complex shades characteristic of Vasiliev's works.

On the south side there is a scene "St. Nicholas appears in a dream to Emperor Constantine and relieves the righteous Roman military leaders from false accusation." It reflects an event from the life of St. Nicholas, when he helped three voivodes to suppress a rebellion in Phrygia, after which they witnessed how the saint saved innocent convicted citizens of the city of Mira from the death penalty. Having returned to the court with a safely completed task, having earned the favor of the emperor, they were slandered by envious courtiers and condemned to death. However, remembering the intercession of St. Nicholas, they fervently prayed to him and received salvation. The panel depicts the moment when St. Nicholas appears to Tsar Konstantin in a dream and demands that the innocent be released. Immediately before him stands the puzzled military commander Evlaviy, who also had a vision of St. Nicholas. The tsar perplexedly points to the vision with Nicholas the Wonderworker and asks the voivodes brought to him about the witchcraft that they allegedly send to him and Evlavius in sleepy visions. The voivodes tell the tsar about the great holy Archbishop of Myra of Lycia and the miracles performed by him. The spears, banners and shields of the warriors depict the "Chrysma". One of the soldiers holds a standard with embroidered symbols "?" (alpha) and "?" (omega), with a pommel in the form of a pre—Constantine cross enclosed in a circle, composed of the initial letters of the name of Christ - "I" (yot) and "X" (chi).

A distinctive feature of this composition is the figure of St. Nicholas, presented simultaneously as a vision and at the same time as a really present image. Presenting the saint as a participant in this historical event, Vasiliev personifies his effective willingness to help by depicting his real presence. Such an artistic interpretation of the reality of the unreal in human earthly life makes these two compositions related, and also assumes the depth of the author's personal experience of the Divine reality. The mystical image of St. Nicholas, in contrast to the naturalistically executed heroes of the plot, is presented canonically, flatly and frontally in the spirit of medieval painting.

Vasnetsov's compositions "The Baptism of Rus" and "The Baptism of Prince Vladimir" and Vasiliev's compositions considered share common creative tasks — to display the historical and national significance of the hero of the plot to give cult characteristics to the artistic image. In both cases, important attitudes of the turn of the century era are reflected, they are imbued with the spirit of nationality, the sharpness of religious content and national flavor, and despite the different approaches to solving the tasks, it can be argued that the works of these artists represent exceptional artistic works in terms of skill. "We have no right to interpret different ways of expression purely emotionally," writes G. Welflin. — Paintings speak different languages" ^{[2, p. 228]}. "The point is not to find differences, but to show how both artists, following different paths, created the same thing, namely: great art" ^{[2, p. 11]}. The problem of Vasnetsov and Vasiliev's different approaches lies in what means and techniques they sought to implement artistic tasks, how they interpreted the language of medieval painting. Both artists were sons of the same era, turned to national artistic traditions, they are characterized by an individual approach in creating independent compositions, the influence of modernity was reflected in the work of each. However, Vasnetsov, in expressing his ideas, remained within the limits of academic art, the national features that are so clearly read in his works, he masterfully "painted" using the techniques of academic style, Vasiliev "developed" them, having managed to overcome the academic tradition, and through artistic comprehension of the techniques of ancient Russian art to endow paintings with spiritual content. The inner content is a hidden meaning, it is the main core of the iconographic work, a frank, literal demonstration of meaning deprives the image of hieratism, and as a result does not require the viewer to make efforts for prayerful interaction, affecting the emotional sides of the soul. Interesting, in this context, are the reflections of K. S. Petrov-Vodkin: ""During my long life [...] I realized one thing: when creating art, it is necessary to bring it to such an extent that it is refined by the viewer, it is necessary to give the viewer the opportunity to participate with you in the work [...]. If you have introduced the viewer into the picture, then he must finish, think, be aware of being an accomplice in the work." The act of perception, according to Petrov-Vodkin, should turn into an act of co-creation. If the artist replaces the viewer in the creative process, then the viewer should strive to take the position of the artist. Their oncoming paths intersect in the sphere of artistic image" ^{[10, pp. 180-181]}.

The schemes of medieval art, as well as the schemes of academic painting, are related to the appeal to classical examples of ancient art for which "the essential thing is a stable abiding image, fixed with the greatest certainty and utter clarity" ^{[2, p. 228]}. The epoch of the turn of the century and the beginning of the XX is characterized by the internal evolution of the spiritual world. Social unrest and related cultural attitudes were reflected in art and communicated to it a special contemplative perception, dynamics, psychologism. V. M. Vasnetsov in his works sensitively caught the restless spirit of the time and the hidden meaning of his works in this, perhaps, extra-conscious reflection. In his Vladimir, in the composition "The Baptism of Rus", a lively emotion is displayed, an impulse and unfinished movement are in the upraised hands; the people surrounding the central character are full of vitality, mobility. Such means in the transmission of spiritual uplift distanced his work from the classically sublime and medieval ideals, but brought it closer to human, sensual, earthly ones. According to G. Velflin's thought, the specificity of artistic contemplation is connected with time, and is reflected in the forms of art and its pictorial schemes, in which "a new side of the content of the world is revealed" ^{[2, p. 228]}. In this regard, speaking about religious painting of the beginning of the XX century, the question arises, the content of which world — the earthly, "local" with its worries and experiences, or the world of the upper, heavenly, reflect the works of Vasnetsov and Vasiliev. The latter, referring to the techniques of medieval religious painting, turned out to be more stable and faithful to its laws. And although in the dynamics of the raging waves and clouds of his compositions, the sophisticated, almost ornamental whitewashing of the folds of clothes, the vitality and romantic mood of the time is felt, thanks to the decoratively solved elements of the image, static poses, iconographic interpretation of forms, his works retain the symbolism of the content of the unreal space of the upper world.

The differences between the creative approaches of these two artists in the development of the composition of the plot "Rejoices about You", which these masters, by virtue of their individual vision, solved in their own way, are very clearly manifested. These are altarpieces designed by V. M. Vasnetsov for St. George's Cathedral in Gus-Khrustalny (1901) and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Warsaw (1906) and a composition made by M. M. Vasiliev in collaboration with F. R. Rilyan for St. Nicholas Cathedral in Liepaja (1903). (A few years later, after working in Liepaja, F. R. Raylian participated in the creation of murals of the Warsaw temple).

In both compositions by V.M. Vasnetsov, the iconography of the plot is distinguished by a peculiar solution. The composition of St. George's Cathedral was designed in an original way, associated with an unusual vertically elongated pointed end of the eastern wall, with an arched span in the lower zone. The cathedral, according to its architectural design, combined the national features of Russian architecture with the forms of early Christian basilicas, in which the entrance to the altar space was preceded by an eastern arch with mosaics dedicated to the Mother of God; these arches were often called triumphal, meaning the triumph of the Christian faith. A similar ideological meaning was invested in the interior design of the eastern part of St. George's Cathedral. The inconvenience of such an architectural form apparently made it difficult to solve the composition and did not allow to fully realize the large-scale plans peculiar to the artist. For this reason, all the characters represented in the fresco, in addition to the Mother of God, are closely grouped in the image. In the iconographic solution, Vasnetsov retains the distinction of the composition into the "Angelic Cathedral" and the "human race", separating the heavenly and earthly zones, but the Mother of God is depicted in the pose of "Oranta", without the incarnate God-Child. Such an interpretation is a departure from the iconography of the plot, which was compiled in accordance with the text of the prayer of John of Damascus: "Out of her God incarnate and the Baby was, before the age of our God, your bed created the Throne, and made your womb more spacious than Heaven." The Cathedral of the Archangels, centrically surrounding the sphere of the Mother of God, led by Archangel Michael, has a peculiar unconventional solution, there is no image of mandorla, the angels are presented in a free arrangement, without a "heavenly voivode", parted around her image. The "human race" is depicted strongly compressed on the northern and southern cheek sides of the arch. Some iconic figures located in the foreground are recognizable — on the left side St. George the Victorious, at a distance and on a smaller scale — Roman Sladkopevets, on the right side St. Basil the Great, followed by Gregory the Theologian, above in Pandanus Roman Sladkopevets with a raised orator — the image of John of Damascus with a raised scroll of the hymn. The rest of the images are shown in mass, one after another, their multiplicity is solved by the artist with the help of perspective removal and softening of background contrasts. The composition is crowned by a Russian-style temple with bulbous domes and a host of cherubs above it, framing the pointed top of the wall with their wings.

Stylistically, Vasnetsov remains true to his techniques, flattening forms and giving them decorative effect due to locally resolved color planes and rigid contrasting contours, while remaining within the limits of naturalism. It can be said that these techniques even enhanced naturalness, emphasizing the portraiture and emotionality of the depicted characters of the composition. The enlargement of the figure of the Mother of God, as if floating forward on a cloud from the narrow space of the apse, and the reduced angels standing behind her, does not create an iconographic symbolic effect, when an increase in the main image emphasizes its sanctity and greatness, but reveals the scale of the foreground figure enlarged due to the perspective space of the image, destroying the plane of the wall. The artist sought to embody national iconographic traditions by means of secular folk art, which is noticeable in the ornamentation of the throne, clothes, and the Russian architecture of the temple depicted above the image of the Mother of God. The main meaning of the composition, in its deviation from the hymnographic text, expresses the spiritual needs of the time — in the intercession and protection of the Most Pure Virgin, and her glorification, demonstrating her prayerful response to the call of the suffering and those in need of help.

The composition "Rejoices about You" for the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Warsaw was solved by Vasnetsov in a different way. The plot is divided into two horizontal registers representing the terrestrial and celestial zones. The Mother of God is depicted on a throne with a Baby, but in the type of "Tenderness", and not in the traditional "Incarnation". The iconography of the developed plot formally preserves the medieval scheme, but is more subordinate to the idea that the author put into it. The image of the Mother of God on the throne is maximized vertically and unites the heavenly and earthly zones. The artist puts the Mandorla in the background, it is a spherical background containing the Mother of God, angels and a five-domed Byzantine-type temple. The heavenly tabernacles serve as a backdrop for the mandorla and are more related to the intermediate and terrestrial zone than to the heavenly one. The Angelic Cathedral is represented by a horizontal row standing on clouds. In the foreground, the image of the Mother of God is flanked by enlarged figures of the archangels Gabriel and Michael, cherubs hover in the upper zone. Depicting the human race, the artist contrasts the Byzantine and Greek saints standing on the right side of the Mother of God with the saints of the Russian land, broadcasting the idea of the continuity of faith and reflecting the imperial idea of Russia as the heiress of Byzantium. The Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, who exalts a four-pointed Latin cross, is opposed by the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, with an eight-pointed cross. To the Holy Theologians Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom — holy Metropolitans of the Russian land Alexy of Moscow, Peter and Jonah, to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker — St. Sergius of Radonezh. The images of the kneeling Roman Sladkopevets, John of Damascus, Empress Elena also stand out on the left side, on the right — the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, the holy Princes Boris and Gleb. The listed saints, standing in a row in the foreground, are depicted without halos, presumably in order to show all the numerous other saints standing behind them. The artist retains his individual features of artistic expression in this work as well: it reads the diversity, character, vitality of images, and the predominance of ideology over theological dogma. The placement in the composition of the paradise vegetation and the throne of the Mother of God among the "human race" reflects Solovyov's idea of God-Manhood about the great unified Orthodox state-the Church, which shone on earth, which had a strong influence on the philosophical and religious worldview of that time.

The composition "Rejoices about You" for the St. Nicholas Church in Liepaja by Vailyev and Rilyan presents a more canonical scheme focused on samples of the XV—XVI centuries. The theological significance has been preserved, which is emphasized by the depiction of the Mother of God on one central vertical axis, with the Baby sitting on her lap, the temple (symbolizing the Mother of God in accordance with the words of the hymn: "consecrated in the Temple"), the Lord of Hosts, and the Holy Spirit descending on the Temple, in the form of a Dove. The temple is surrounded, as on ancient samples, by paradise vegetation. The center of the celestial zone, represented in the conch of the apse, is the Mother of God with a Baby surrounded by archangels soaring on clouds. The "human race" is depicted in the lower zone, on the sides of the altar niche, in the form of kings and prophets with scrolls of prophecies. The compositional organization has unity and is consistent with the semicircular sphere of the apse, the main attention of all the characters of the composition is turned to the central image of the Mother of God, reflecting the text of the prayer and glorifying her. The style of the murals is flat, the images are conventional, the poses of the angels are prayerfully restrained, the image of the Blessed Virgin is given statuesque and grandeur. The heavenly glorification of the Mother of God is shown out of time, it has frozen in "eternity that has become." The human race is more dynamic, which is reflected in the free poses, the asymmetric orientation of the scrolls and beards of the prophets, but even here the forms are planar. The space is homogeneous and uniform, "not penetrated by sight" ^{[16, p. 55]}, as E. Panofsky writes, and forms an "immaterial dense fabric" ^{[16, p. 56]}. The composition is distinguished by decorative, colorful solemnity. In the design of clothes, the artist turned to the traditions of the Yaroslavl and Kostroma masters of the XVII century, decorating the archangels' himatias and lorums with elegant printed ornaments, which gave the image a national character. The color is filled with complex shades of pink, blue, pale green, ochre colors, combined in contrast with bright red, purple, burgundy, rich blue colors, giving the composition a picturesque and modern spirit, and the plasticity of lines and elegance of poses, the beauty of features indicate the actual influence of modernity.

Thus, from the conducted research, it can be concluded to what extent "stable national traits" were expressed in the work of the considered artists. All these masters in a peculiar way at a high artistic level perceived and reflected in their works the national spirit and features of Russian medieval art, and therefore each of them can rightfully be considered a representative of the religious-national trend, but significant differences allow us to distinguish those who most vividly expressed the style of the era in their work. "Art is the soul of the people," S. I. Vashkov wrote in the first decade of the XX century, "seeing the monuments of his art, one can accurately determine the degree of his spiritual development, the nature of his aspirations, and his spiritual ideals" ^{[17, p. 9]}. Thanks to his sensitivity to the "spiritual ideals" of the time, these artists keenly perceived the era of change, religious search and social upheavals of the turn of the century and the beginning of the XX century. The national content, embedded, in accordance with the personal interpretation, by various masters in the works, was vividly reflected in the folk, soul-contemplative, figurative-plot context, which was relevant in the socio-cultural aspect and stimulated the idea of rapprochement between the people and the intelligentsia. These features were expressed in the works of V. M. Vasnetsov, M. V. Nesterov, M. A. Vrubel and their followers. Russian Russian Russian Russian national features of Vasnetsov's style were manifested in the images of Russian saints, the Russian type of persons, in the artistic techniques of folk folklore, stylized Old Russian ornaments, in Nesterov — in the lyricism of the Russian landscape, Russian Christmas trees, images of epic elders, in Vrubel — in exquisite decorative ornaments, original fairy-tale mystical images. This kind of phenomenon in church painting represents an inevitable transitional stage in the development from the initial phase of overcoming academic traditions to their unification with a national-religious approach. Placing holy images in a fabulous, mystical space was also a kind of deterrent to overtly realistic tendencies. The peculiarity of the work of these artists was the element of psychologism, the manifestation of personal religious feelings and a specific interpretation of medieval painting, the spiritual content of which they expressed with the artistic techniques of the academic school. As a result, a new synthetic art was born, combining the techniques of linear classical style with pictorial. One of the techniques actively used by them was the embodiment of a three-dimensional, naturalistically rendered image on a golden background, which created the effect of separating the three-dimensional form from the plane of the wall, and, on the one hand, destroyed the symbolism of the content of the sacred image residing in unreal space, but, on the other, brought it into the earthly world, brought it closer to the people and endowed this image has human soul-sublime characteristics. At the same time, such an interpretation of the sacred image in the temple space, focused on a sensual, spiritual rapprochement with the worshippers (images of the Mother of God were endowed with special expressiveness in this sense), reflected the religious and philosophical quest and worldview of the era. This was noted, in particular, by S.N. Bulgakov, when he put the philosopher Solovyov, the writer Dostoevsky and the artist Vasnetsov in the same row ^{[18, p. 129]}. "I strove in my writings to go from life," Vasnetsov himself wrote, "from the people who attracted me in it [...]. Remembering the images of the past that excite me, I always took into account what I was doing on the eve of the twentieth century" ^[19]. Vasnetsov's artistic techniques were used by many artists both in monumental and easel church painting, and in icon painting centers that adhered to the official religion, and in Old Believers' workshops.

 In the second half of the first — the beginning of the second decade of the XX century, the national style in temple art begins to acquire more distinct features, and the living tradition of the Vasnetsov style is comprehended by artists through the prism of the newly discovered medieval painting. Vasnetsov himself, admiring the open frescoes of the Ferapontov Monastery, the Savior on Nereditsa and other ancient Russian temples, confessed: "After all, it seemed to me in my mad pride that it was I — and only I — who understood the spirit of ancient Russian painting… But when the ancient paintings and these frescoes in monasteries were restored, the Donikonian icon and an even older one were found, a completely new wonderful world of the deepest inspiration and knowledge of the law of nature was revealed, an amazing understanding of the interaction of colors and painting techniques was revealed. After all, these ancient painters, being bound by tradition and certain forms, created genuine, real painting in its deepest understanding, namely as a play of colors. They were not draftsmen, like us, today, but were creators, real artists" ^{[20, p. 323]}. A conscious understanding of the iconographic language is an example of a new type of interpretation, more serious and profound. Examples of such art were revealed in the works of M.M. Vasiliev and artists who worked with him in different churches — A. P. Blaznov, F. R. Raylian, L. A. Pyanovsky, K. S. Petrov-Vodkin. Each of these masters had an academic basis of education and had his own artistic vision and style, but in church work they all sought to look at the world irrationally, through the eyes of a medieval master, overcoming the laws of three-dimensional vision, approaching the symbolic realism of medieval painting. In his works M. M.Vasiliev, L. A. Pyanovsky, F. R. Rilyan masterfully interpreted the techniques of the masters of the XVII century in the context of national identity and created independent compositions without departing from theological dogmas. The murals and sketches of these artists, as well as the works of monumental painting by Blaznov, Petrov-Vodkin and easel religious paintings of the latter, were not copies of the old masters, creating them, the artists resurrected "former religious and moral ideals", and "expressing them according to their understanding" ^{[17, p. 10]}, preserving the idea, but clothed it in updated forms. As S. I. Vashkov noted: "The forms of plastic art should develop and change, replenished with new and new types, but without losing their typicality" ^{[17, p. 10]}, Vasiliev and the artists of his circle managed to rethink iconographic traditions in a modern spirit, preserve the typicality of forms, and express the stable features of the national style.

In connection with the above arguments, it seems appropriate to characterize these artists (M. M. Vasilyev, A. P. Blaznov, F. R. Rilyan, L. A. Pyanovsky, K. S. Petrov-Vodkin) as the successors of the founders of the religious-national trend (V. M. Vasnetsov, M. V. Nesterov, M. A. Vrubel), since the creativity of the first allowed us to see in the movement of monumental church art towards national identity an integral artistic phenomenon, which, in its development, acquired more concrete and stable features.