The whole world knows the Kyiv Sophia Cathedral,
preserved to our time. Its majestic architecture suggests that our ancestors,
who lived during the time of Kyiv Rus, were able to create excellent works of
art.
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| Kyiv Sophia Cathedral |
Kyiv in those days competed with the capital of the
Byzantine Empire - Constantinople. And for Kyiv masters to be inferior to
Byzantine artists was not at all becoming!
Decorating St. Sophia Cathedral, the ancient masters
very skillfully used glass. They covered the walls of the temple with paintings
of small pieces of colored opaque glass. Such glass is called smalt. And
paintings made from pieces of smalt are called mosaics.
Mosaic is a difficult and ancient art. It was known by
the Romans. During the excavation of the tragically dead Pompeii, houses were
found where the floors were decorated with bright mosaic patterns. In one house
on the floor, they found a big picture. It depicts the battle of the Greeks
with the Persians. Alexander the Great
is at the head of the Greeks. Reared up horses, bright clothes of warriors...
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| Mosaic of Kyiv Sophia Cathedral |
Similar mosaic paintings adorn the walls of St. Sophia
Cathedral. They most often depict saints, scenes from biblical legends. The
faces of the saints, their clothes are conveyed in such colorful shades that an
unforgettable impression is created. And what a wonderful mosaic floor was
discovered by the scientists who examined the cathedral! It was closed in later
centuries by brick tiles, and even later by cast-iron plates. But when all this
was taken away, a shining carpet woven from multi-colored pieces of glass
opened up to the eyes of scientists...
Undoubtedly, ancient Kyiv should have had its own
glass masters, just as the masters of other specialties lived and worked in it.
Margaret
Thursday, November 21, 2019
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