Characteristic of the religious images in Stefan Ivanov's works
St. George. Church 'St. George', Varshets
Doctoral Reading Symposium. New Bulgarian University Press. 2009
(contracted electronic version of the article)
Stefan Ivanov (1875-1951) plays a major role in the cultural life in Bulgaria during the first four decades of the 20 century. He is well-known to the Bulgarian critics but very few would associate him with religious art. As a professor and lecturer in painting at the State Painting School in Sofia (today’s National Art Academy) and later its director (1927-1929), he is a keen supporter of the innovative processes in Bulgarian iconography and contributed a great deal to the acquisition of its new artistic means of expression by the next generations of painters. The big demand for painting churches and the long creative career of the painter lend a good opportunity to study in depth the specific characteristics of the stylistics in the religious images depicted by the painters with an academic education in the country.
The religious images in Stefan Ivanov’s works carry an emphatic mysticism and psychological depth, which can be put down to his special attitude to the religious themes as well as certain biographical facts. The future painter started with iconography from an early age. As a student at the High School in Kustendil apart from his meagre scholarship from the Ministry of Education, he made his living by painting portraits and icons. Later, as a student at the State Painting School (1896-1901), his professors Ivan Markvichka and Anton Mitov saw the religious painter in him and some of his fellow students called him the „iconographer” back then.
The religious painting of Stefan Ivanov encompasses a large number of icons and murals in different churches all over the country. The more notable works are to be found in the following churches in Sofia: St. Sofia (1902), St. Sedmochislenici (1903-1906), St. Petka (1907), St. Nikolas of Sofia (1911), St. Paraskeva (1929) and Alexander Nevski cathedral (1911-1912), as well as the church St. George (1906) in Varshets, St. Nikolas (1921) in Varna, St. Dimitar (1926) in Vidin and St. John the Baptist (1936) in Kazanluk. His religious painting bears the stylistic characteristics of academic art during the first decades of the 20 century in our country. What captures the attention are the realistic images of the saints which the author has projected in real space. Just like his distinguished teachers, he possesses admirable skills o f depicting the anatomic characteristics of the human body achieving three-dimensional forms. Unlike Ivan Markvichka and Anton Mitov though, the young painter focuses the spectator’s attention at certain details in the composition. What distinguishes him from the rest of the painters with an academic degree is the refined subtlety and precision in depicting the faces and hands. His religious images possess an enticing warmth and tenderness, unsurpassed by most of his contemporaries so we can conclude that this is a defining feature of his religious art.
Stefan Ivanov soon gained popularity as an iconographer. Not long after his graduation from the Sate Painting School, along with Anton Mitov he worked on the altar of St. Sedmochislenici (1903) in Sofia. His three icons “Holy Transfiguration of Our Saviour Jesus Christ”, “Entry of Our Most Holy Lady” and “Dormition of the Theotokos” reveal his quest for new space and composition decisions, complex close-ups and untypical poses and gestures of the saints in Orthodox iconography. The painter is really subtle in capturing complicated psychological states. Taking a closer look at the face of little Jesus in “Virgin Mary with the Child” (1906), it is hard to find any major differences from the classic secular portrait. The closed eyes of Virgin Mary guide the researcher towards certain prototypes of west European art. In addition, the images seem to be mystically absorbed in thought which the author has uniquely managed to accomplish through giving warmth to the outward expression by adding inward psychological depth.
The image of St. George (1905) in the patron icon in St. George church in Varshets provides further clarification into the characteristics of the portrait in church painting. The saint is depicted in a triumphant pose. Confident and decisive, his physical stamina is close to the ancient ideal of beauty. All details in the composition comply with the rules of space and perspective. The painter creates the impression of a real three-dimensional image and brings the religious figure closer to an ordinary human being. It is worth taking note of the background in the icon as it is markedly different from the ones in most icons created by the painters with an academic education from the period. Stefan Ivanov has added an original impressionistic touch to the colour through the rich nuances of large strokes in various hues of blue. The sky looks as if a storm has just subsided and the low horizon makes the figure stand out magnificently. Suddenly the background becomes part of the composition with a specific aesthetic role to play. In a different icon (“Virgin Mary with the Child”) from the same church we could even sense the illusion of natural space by blurring the contours between the two figures and the background. The painter focuses his attention on certain parts of the human body while other insignificant details are just hinted at. Such characteristics of the artistic process speak of a conscious artistic development in the new generation of iconographer-painters in Bulgaria. The ethnographic character of the artistic works of Ivan Markvichka and Anton Mitov is entirely overcome while the modern artistic trends from the rest of the secular genres have been transferred into the religious painting.
Stefan Ivanov is among the team of Bulgarian and Russian painters who took part in the decoration of Alexander Nevski cathedral in Sofia (1911-1912). Apart from the large number of icons and murals, he also created the projects for the mosaic pictures on the outer façade of the cathedral. All works are characterised by the purity of their lines and their linear decoration. The images of St Sofia in the church of St. Sofia and her daughters St. Viara, St. Nadezhda and St. Lubov (which can be seen to the right before the main entrance) are realistically depicted even in the slightest detail. One can even see the red angles of the eyes, the thickness of the eyelids, as well as all the shadows cast by the columns, various reflections and shades all over the face, neck and hands. The anatomic features of the human face are shown with an amazing balance and precision, yet they can be perceived in their entirety and perfection. The pure artistic line brings these images closer to the traditional models of the Orthodox icon. We need to pay attention to the mural “St Cyril and Methodius Bless the Word of God” at the north niche of the narthex, for which Stefan Ivanov has chosen fresh colours typical of plenary painting. It is worth noting that the painter shows the specifics of air perspective while depicting the images further in the background. All participants in the event are centred around the figures of the saints but the listeners who are closest to the two teachers as well as those behind them are rendered in lighter colder overtones. All this creates the illusion of space and makes the main characters stand out. They are normally taller and placed on a raised platform. The action unfolds in depth somehow naturally due to the concave shape of the niche and the spherical perspective of the buildings in the background.
The image of Archangel Michael (1911) from the iconostasis of St. Nikolas of Sofia church in Sofia is definitely one of the most poetic religious images among the works of Stefan Ivanov. Here he has used tender combinations of pastel colours – violet, pink and green which add a characteristic intimacy to the work. The shade on the neck of the saint takes the greenish overtone from the reflection of the reseda-coloured garment while the folds of the coat delicately transpire through the red of the sphere. Stefan Ivanov slightly darkens the hands to make the face stand out. At the same time, though not quickly sketched, some of the necessary details in the picture or elements of light and shade have intentionally been rules out. The overtone is rare to find even in the faces on the icons. The garments are just hastily sketched and there is no fusion of lights and shades.
The images of St. Joachim and St. Anna (1936) from the mural decoration in St. John the Baptist church in Kazanluk reveal new aspects of the artistic approach. Stefan Ivanov emphasises the face and the hands only, while the clothes are paid little attention to, they are even neglected. He focuses on the portrait characteristics of the images, seeking the expression of the gesture and the psychological state. The two figures are set against a blue background like the frescos from the Middle Ages. The quest to free the image from all insignificant details seems to be the reason for the emergence of this new artistic synthesis.
The religious art of Stefan Ivanov rests on the academic understanding of the role of pure lines and anatomic proportions in outlining the human body, in moderate pictorial harmony ad the rendition of the psychological states. Throughout his life Stefan Ivanov carries in himself the creative thinking of an artist for whom church painting is above all a favourable challenge to reveal his soul and his adherence to the artistic and aesthetic values of academic realism. The icons and murals he created project a deep intimate look into the religious image. His individual touch and personal perception are the main, if not the only mechanisms he comes closer to Christianity.
Translated to English Julia Yakimova
New Bulgarian University, Sofia
Plastic dimensions in the religious paintings of Ivan
Markvichka
Virgin Mary with the Child. National Gallery, Sofia
Doctoral Reading Symposium. New Bulgarian University Press. 2008
(contracted electronic version of the article)
This article focuses on the stylistic characteristics of the academic religious painting in Bulgaria during the first decades of the 20th century. This is the time when church art took a change towards steadily getting rid of the traditional painting practices typical of the Middle Ages and the National Revival. Bulgarian church painting gradually established the spatial decisions in creating images close to nature representative of western European academic teachings.
The National Revival is a period characterised by significant changes in Bulgarian art and culture. In the new social and political context the Bulgarians took to the modern west European aesthetic values. A new interest emerged in iconography towards a manner of painting revealing the natural shapes and a quest for the anatomic features of the human figure in depicting saints.
Ivan Markvichka is among the most distinguished Bulgarian painters at the turn of the 20th century, who is famous for his iconography along with his impressive subject pictures. His religious art reveals the characteristic features and the stylistic changes typical of establishing the academic plastic expression. Although Markvichka is quite well-known to the Bulgarian art critics and they have written about him time and again, it is worth pointing out that his religious works remain aside from the scientific interest and there is no substantial research on them.
Ivan Markvichka (1856-1938) was born in Czechoslovakia. After graduating from the Prague Painting High School, he went on to study painting at the Art Academies of Prague and Munich. He came to Bulgaria in 1881 to teach painting at the Boys’ High School in Plovdiv. Along with Anton Mitov they contributed most to the reformation of iconography in Bulgaria and its establishment as a separate subject at the State Painting School in the early years when it was initially set up (1896). Ivan Markvichka was its first director and teacher in painting and iconography. For the needs of the newly built Bulgarian churches under his guidance a lot of artists were taught in academic style. He had a profound and thorough influence on the Bulgarian artistic and cultural life - it was due to his insistence before the Synod that icons and murals be commissioned to painters rather than iconographers.
There is no doubt that when dealing with works of Christian art we ought to consider their theological and iconographic specificity along with their sacred value. But at the same time their artistic merits should not be underestimated, especially in the works of an artist like Markvichka who showed great dedication to academic schooling and culture.
After the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1878 under the conditions of the new internal social, political and cultural changes, a new insight into Orthodox iconography started to emerge shaping its new role and purpose. This is how Christian art broke away with the old traditions from the National Revival. Talking about the icon-painters from Triavna, Nikolai Pavlovich points out that their works are full of irregularity and chaos: no proportionality, unnatural shapes and forms, no anatomic and perspective precision, no subtlety in the body, disgraceful folds in their dress, no insight in the choice of background – an abundance of coincidences complying with no order or artistic law’. Various pictorial elements from the western academic styles and schools of thought make their way into Bulgarian iconography. The stylistics of dematerialising the images and linear decoration gave way to a new scope of the artistic quest for new spatial decisions which grew much broader. Through the light and shade effects, the laws of linear and air perspective along with the knowledge of plastic anatomy, the painters managed to renew Christian art without having to change dramatically the iconographic stereotypes which have existed for centuries.
Orthodox church painting created by painters with an academic degree introduced peculiarities of purely artistic value into the iconography of the first two decades of the 20th century, without which it would be hard to explicate this art or point out its merits.
The religious works of Ivan Markvichka encompass a great number of icons and murals in different churches in our country. Without being prolific in genre paintings, historical pictures and portraits, his church painting is widespread throughout the country.
Among his works of greater importance are his icons in the chapel of the National Assembly (1903), his icons for the church of the Theological School (1903), all icons on the north side of the chapel of Alexander Nevski cathedral in Sofia (1911-1912), as well as two of the scenes in the wall decoration of the cathedral itself – the large composition “Jesus Christ among the scribes” on the north wall, and “The devil tempting Jesus Christ on the mountain” in the south gallery. His icons can also be seen in the chapel-mausoleum of St. George in Pleven (1905), as well as in the National Art Gallery n Sofia.
Before starting to actually create his religious work on canvas or on a wall, Ivan Markvichka makes a series of preparatory drawings from life, in which he deliberately worked on certain details of the human body keeping to its anatomic structure, he studied the alteration of shapes and size in close-up. His knowledge of plastic anatomy provides the painter with the competence he needs to decide on the right means of expression to create an image close to real life.
Ivan Markvichka seeks to create space even in the depiction of secondary decorative elements like the embroidery on the saints’ attire, the ornaments on the furniture or the imitation of inlaid precious stones. If we take a close look at the gospel open in the hands of little Jesus from the icon “Virgin Mary with the Child” (around 1912) in the National Art Gallery, we will notice the miniature with the image of John the Baptist. Although there is a striking iconographic similarity to a number of illustrations in the Byzantine books of prayer, Markvichka shows the saint in profile while the non-frontal sides of the writing desk, the chair and the platform have the proper perspective peculiarities. There is no trace of the so-called “reverse perspective” typical of the painters from the Middle Ages. The power and the influence of Christian symbolism and the iconographic canon tend to fade away too. The depiction in profile also breaks the tradition as in Byzantine iconography this is the way to picture negative characters. Ivan Markvichka painted Jesus Christ in profile twice in the scenes of “Jesus Christ among the scribes” and “The devil tempting Jesus Christ on the mountain” from the mural in Alexander Nevski in Sofia while for the images of the saints he keeps to the conventional frontal depiction. The painter takes it into consideration that his religious works are bound with dogmatic Christian theology. He uses the distinctive symbolic signs laden with sacred meaning when it comes to the depiction of Virgin Mary, like the stars on her shoulders and head which would normally form a flower. In this particular icon they come in the shape of four circles equal in size and forming a cross. It is worth noting that Markvichka’s interest in academic painting makes him present those details not frontally, as they are on the dress, they need to be altered under the influence of the close-up and the perspective.
The stylistic innovations are not an ephemeral phenomenon but they bring about a dramatic change in Bulgarian church painting during the first decades of the 20th century. Although some of the people who had attended the old painting schools are still alive and they continue to work today, they have been refused to take part in competitions for creating new icons in the churches for lack of academic education.
The new artistic expression became part of Bulgarian iconography at the turn of the 20th century and came to life in different shapes depending on the various need of church art. There are no standard rules for its direct application. True to their individual style and aesthetic vision, each painter took his own decision of how to implement the new means of expression of academic painting. The former iconographic models have lost touch with the new social and political reality and what comes to the foreground is the creativity and the vivid personality of the artist - a good example of which is the religious painting of Ivan Markvichka. His accomplishments and work have later been taken up by Stefan Ivanov who is among his first students and a favourite of his. Icons and murals in academic style have also been created by Nikola Marinov, Nikola Kozhuharov, Dimitar Gudzhenov.
Translated to English Julia Yakimova
New Bulgarian University, Sofia