PETER AND PAUL THE APOSTLES

The icon of the Apostles Peter and Paul of the first quarter of the 15th century recalls the work of Theophanes the Greek, a famous painter who worked in Novgorod and Moscow, including the Annunciation and Archangel Cathedrals. This icon was only recently, in 1991, freed from late records. Despite numerous losses, it makes a strong impression by the majestic silhouette of the figures of the supreme apostles, the expressiveness and emotional intensity of the faces, particularly of St Paul, a philosopher and thinker, the plastic moulding of forms and a contrasting, somewhat gloomy colouration.