Lives of the Saints
Many forms of contemporary art have religious origins. It is unlikely that the creators of manga or comics were well acquainted with Russian icon painting, but stories were similarly conveyed in Orthodox hagiographic icons. In their center the saint himself is depicted according to the canon, and around him are stamps with scenes from his life. This tradition, like Christianity itself, came to Russia from Byzantium, where it emerged in the 9th century. Traditionally, they first read the upper strip of stories, then alternately from left to right – those on the sides, then those at the bottom.
In their homeland in Byzantium (especially in Sinai), hagiographic icons were often large and played the role of local images in churches – they were located to the left and right of the Royal Doors in the iconostasis leading to the altar. Such icons have also been loved in Russia for a long time, but none of the pre-Mongol representatives have survived to our days.
The oldest surviving Russian icon is Prophet Elijah in the Wilderness with Life and Deesis, painted in the late 13th century. It was created before Nikon’s reforms and is not considered canonical by modern standards, is not used for worship and is exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery. Elijah is the most revered Old Testament prophet whose life occurred during the reign of the Jewish king Ahab. According to legend, the queen forced him to expel believers in Yahweh and tried to establish the Phoenician cult of Baal. Elijah tried to reason with the king several times, fought pagan priests, lived a pious life, and was eventually taken to heaven.
With the Life of Prophet Elijah and Deesis. late 13th century
State Tretyakov Gallery
In the middle of the hagiographic icon, the prophet is depicted in exile – listening to the quiet desert wind, to which God appears. 14 signs are devoted to the main events of his life – the scene in the house of the widow of Sarepta, which hosted the exile, the denunciation of Ahab, the sacrifice of the priests of Baal and Elijah, the crossing of the Jordan River into dry land and the ascension into heaven.
The later icon of St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker, dating from the 14th century, is much better preserved. It also depicts his miracles and important life events.
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with his life. XIV century
State Russian Museum
Moreover, some signs may not depict a specific event but rather an aspect of the saint’s life or reveal his personality. Of course, there were no “clouds” with text in these stories, but short subtitles helped to perceive them. The signs around the center seemed to be a metaphor for the saint’s “halo of glory.”
New era comics
Lubki are pictures with simple titles and a simple, intense plot. These were not native to Russia and came there from Europe, where they originated in the 15th century. Initially, in our country they were called German (or Fryazhsky) fun sheets, and the plots were also borrowed. It was printed using linden sheets (lut) on cheap paper. Simple tones were made this way and then painted along the contours. Later, popular printing was replaced by printing using metal plates.
Even in pre-Petrine times, authorities tried to censor such creativity – making sure that there was no perversion in the paintings and that the rulers were properly depicted. These prohibitions were often not observed, and free popular prints for every taste could be found at fairs. During the reign of Peter the Great, popular printing fell out of fashion among the nobility, but remained popular among peasants and townspeople. In 1721 the government prohibited the printing of such images except by private printing houses with permission. In the 19th century, peasants fell in love with popular prints and they adorned the walls of almost every hut. The aristocracy and professional artists viewed them as cheap consumer goods, but due to their popularity, popular art finally became popular and is today associated with something “originally Russian”.
Not all popular editions were signed; Only bright images and a simple plot were required: peasant life, fairy tales and animals, political satire and humor. When presented, the text was short, simple and concise. Despite their apparent simplicity, some popular prints may be veiled satire or metaphor, which today only experts of the period can understand.
For example, the popular print “Mice are burying a cat” probably mocked the funeral of Tsar Peter I. This is indicated, for example, by the presence of a brass band that played for the first time in Russia at his funeral. One of the headlines says: “The tale of the faces found in the old greenhouses clung to these greenhouses like mice burying a cat, bidding farewell to its enemies, giving it the last honor.” This is probably a reference to the widespread rejection of some of the Tsar’s reforms and the general difficult life under his rule: he was famous for forcing nobles into service.
Lubok “Mice burying the cat”, 1760
Wikimedia Commons
Another popular print from the late 18th century depicts a barber and a bearded man from the reign of Peter I. According to the title, the “separatist” (Old Believer) says: “Listen, barber, I don’t want to cut my beard, look, I’ll shout at you soon.”
Wikimedia Commons
Late popular prints at the end of the 19th century do not look “popular” at all and look more like ordinary printed images. For example, one of them, lithographs by PI Orekhov, tells “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish”. The main text is at the bottom, with only short titles below the images.
The Story of the Fisherman and the Fish, 1878
Lithograph, PI Orehova
Funny Pictures
Since its establishment, Soviet Russia has deemed it important to appeal to large masses of people and therefore has attached great importance to visual propaganda materials. Propaganda posters and cartoons can hardly be classified as comics, but they are united by the simplicity of thought and imagery. The artists of the Kukryniksy collective showed themselves especially clearly in this genre. The most famous are posters about the intrigues of capitalists, the “aggressive NATO bloc” or propaganda materials from the times of the Great Patriotic War.
Cartoon “Freedom American Style”
“Art”/Baylor University Libraries Digital Collections
His satires on Soviet society are much less common. For example, in one of the paintings, angels lift an unconvincing lecturer (apparently a teacher of “scientific communism”) to heaven for unconvincing propaganda of atheism. The other depicts a faceless bureaucrat: “… and suddenly you realize that this persona is just an accessory of the office.”
in a separate report
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But the children’s magazine “Funny Pictures” was often outwardly indistinguishable from Western comics. In them, the heroes – Karandash, Samodelkin, Buratino, Chipollino – found themselves either in funny situations or in adventures from which they had to save themselves. The children’s magazine was not subject to censorship, and therefore the best Soviet children’s writers and artists could appear here. The editors even managed to evade a directive to print a portrait of the late Leonid Brezhnev, which appeared in all Soviet newspapers. Soviet officials agreed that a mourning photo of cheerful men under the magazine’s colorful logo would have the opposite meaning.
The magazine continues to be published today, but it is not as popular as in previous years.
in a separate report
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Modern comics from Russian publishing houses mostly borrow concepts from Westerners, including the “superheroes” genre itself.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.