Ural School, Nevyansk, The Entry into Jerusalem, Late 18th-Early 19th Century, Oil and gold leaf on panel. In the Ural School’s portrayal of The Entry into Jerusalem on panel, we immediately look towards the focal point of the painting. There we see a man wearing red and blue drapery with an Aureole (decorated in gold leaf) around his head; the golden halo, the use of red color (symbolizing the presence of god and strength), and blue color (symbolizing good health and human beings) allows us to recognize this figure as Jesus Christ.
Christ is seen wearing a red garment with a blue garment wrapped around on the outside, this is to represent that he began as God and became human while you can view his apostles wearing the opposite colors; representing that they began as humans and have come closer to God (“Icons: Symbolism In Color. ” 1). Christ is shown riding on what is known to be a white donkey (could also be interpreted as a horse) entering Jerusalem. We assume it is a donkey because donkey’s symbolize peace and nurture; while horses are typically rode by Kings looking to strike war and fear upon cities (“Icons: Symbolism In Color. 1). Another reason we can assume that Jesus is riding on a donkey is because in Matthew 21:1-11 from the Book of Zechariah a prophecy was mentioned that the king of Jerusalem will return sitting upon a donkey, “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto tee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. ”
Behind Jesus Christ we can count twelve men with Aureole around their heads and wearing red, blue and green colored drapery symbolizing hope), understanding that these men are holy we recognize that they are Jesus’s twelve apostles (“What is the Significance of the Triumphal Entry? ” 1). As Jesus Christ rides his donkey into Jerusalem we can view that Christ’s donkey (or horse) is stepping on top of what looks like red and orange garments being laid out by the people of Jerusalem as to celebrate his entry into the city. In the background we can distinguish men walking over the hills bringing more garments to rest underneath of Jesus Christ’s donkey hoofs.
Looking at the iconography we can view that all of the people of Jerusalem are wearing white garments draped around their heads (symbolizing holiness and cleanliness). It is believed that they could be wearing this color to represent that they are followers of Jesus and welcoming their new king who was sent by the lord. Behind the crowd of people the large, red city walls of Jerusalem are made visible (“Icons: Symbolism in Color. ” 1). This victorious entry of Christ into Jerusalem took place a week before Jesus’s Resurrection.
Although he did not directly claim himself as a hierarchy it was suggested that by him entering Jerusalem on donkey he was claiming himself as King of Israel. He did this to strike anger in the Sanhedrin. Looking at the iconography as a whole I believe that this piece is to represent the first Palm Sunday. The style of this piece is a Russian Iconography created in the late 18th to early 19th century. Iconography became famous through the traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Iconographies were pieces commissioned by a person (or a church) of a scene that was to be interpreted and understood through subject matter and symbolic representation for generations to come after. The Christian art was traditionally painted wooden panels depicting holy figures such as Jesus Christ (As shown in The Entry into Jerusalem), the Saints or the Virgin Mary. As time went on a variety of paint were used to decorate the panels; paints such as fresco, encaustic (Beeswax) nd tempera (egg yolk) were used. For more expensive iconographies, precious metals and gemstones were also used to decorate the panels (“Icon Art. ” 1). Depending on the use, the scale of the iconography varied from the size of a pendant to the size of a wall. Iconography that had one large panel and two smaller panels that could be hinged shut like a novel were called triptych (ones with only two panels were known as diptych), they were typically used as alter pieces but could also be the size of a pendant.
An example of a triptych that we went over in class was Master of Flemaille’s The Merode Altarpiece painted in oil on an oak panel. Large iconography were normally commissioned by a priest and done as murals on church walls (“Icon Art. ” 1). Two examples of large mural iconography that we learned about in class would be Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper (painted with fresco on the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy) and The Last Judgment painted in fresco by Michelangelo (seen on the walls of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City).
Analyzing the size of this piece because it is rather small it was most likely used as an altar piece. The museum labeled the artist of this piece from the Ural School in Nevyansk. Looking up the particular school, I was unable to find any specific information online. One website referred to a school in Nevyansk for icon painting but articles on this school have also lead to a dead end. The information I was able to find was more so on the culture of icon painting in Nevyansk than an exact artist or group of artist.
In Nevyansk, iconography painting was brought back into the limelight when Alexander I took reign over Russia, he brought the spread of the Common Faith religion and the boom of industrial development in the Ural mountain areas. The rise of the industrial development brought forth Old Believers who were wealthy factory, Goldmine and farm owners looking to commission work of arts by these famous iconography painters. The iconography painters were respected throughout the community because they were literate and seen as sophisticated, they painted only when pieces were commissioned (“Nevyansk Icon in the Zurab Tsereteli Gallery. ” 1).
