THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES 38 ICONS CREATED IN THE 17TH TO 19TH CENTURIES, ownered by the Ruse Metropolis and of the Art Gallery – Ruse
Three of them are from the gallery’s collection, while the remaining thirty-five were provided by the Ruse Metropolis. The latter are part of the old iconostasis of the church “St. George.”
The church “St. George” was built in 1841-42 and consecrated in 1843. The first iconostasis was created by Doncho Todorov from the village of Bozhkovtsi and Bozhko Staykov from the Tryavna huts Mitryuvtsi. The icons were crafted by prominent artists from the oldest art school in Bulgaria, the Tryavna school. In 1930, the church board initiated the replacement of the iconostasis and icons with new ones made by Professor Ivan Travnitski, Georgi Zhelyazkov, and Dimitar Radoykov. After more than 70 years, the works stored in the church attic became part of the exhibition at the Ruse Gallery.
The icons from the church of St. George are categorized into three types: large icon images from the royal order of the iconostasis, from the apostolic order, and festive icons.
There are seven icons in the royal order, two of which are duplicated. Christ Pantocrator, the Holy Mother of God, St. John the Baptist, St. George, St. Spyridon, and St. Charalampius were painted by Zacharia Tsanyuv (1811 – 1886). The year is 1843. During this period, the author created his best works, which are stored in churches and monasteries in Central and Northern Bulgaria. They are distinguished by the elegance of the line, the almost calligraphic writing of every detail characteristic of Zacharia Tsanyuv, and the use of a certain type, the most characteristic of which are the protruding almond-shaped eyes.
The royal icon Archangel Michael by the other great icon painter of the Tryavna School, Joanikiy Papa Vitanov (1794 – 1854), is also notable. It is also the smaller – Jesus Christ Pantocrator on a Throne. Both are from 1843. An exceptionally gifted and productive artist, he painted numerous icons for churches in Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Sevlievo, Teteven, Sliven, etc. The tragicism typical of the heavenly warrior is replaced by human expressiveness and meekness. In all his works, Joanikiy tries to move away from mysticism, without completely breaking with it, in order to preserve their religious meaning.
In the 18th – 19th centuries, the theme of the icons was enriched with Bulgarian saints, and the images of St. Cyril and Methodius multiplied. This is also the last icon of the royal order. The author is Koycho Dosev.
The festive order with church holidays and evangelical events includes Sunday of the Blind, Transfiguration of the Lord, Sunday of the Samaritan woman, Baptism of Christ, Nativity of John the Baptist, Assembly of the Twelve Apostles, Sunday of the Myrrhbearers, as well as individual saints such as St. Simeon the Pillar, St. Anna, St. Cosmas and Damian, etc. The apostolic order is represented through the images of Luke, Philip, Bartholomew, John, Thomas, Andrew, and Mark. The icons are not signed, some of them can be attributed to the work of Zacharia Tsanyuv, Dimitar Kanchov, and representatives of the Vitanov family.
Of interest are the Intercession of the Virgin by Dimitar Kanchov (1808 – 1901), as well as the later St. George with life scenes (1857) by an unknown icon painter.
The works from the collection of the Ruse Gallery are three. St. The Virgin Mary on a Throne with Prophets from the 17th century is an impressive example of the icon painting art of this century. The Virgin Mary Sweet Kiss from the 19th century is again the work of Dimitar Kanchov from Tryavna. Three Saints testifies to the high professionalism of the masters from the icon painting studios in Russia in the 19th century.
The exhibition of icons is the result of the fruitful cooperation between the Ruse Metropolis, church board of the church “St. George,” and the team of the Art Gallery.