Volotovo

Volotovo

 

a village near Novgorod; known for an out-standing monument of Russian art, the Church of the Assumption (1352; the wall paintings were done between 1363 and 1390). It is a single-dome cubic cathedral with two vestibules and one apse, finished with triple-faced facades (which were later changed). The church was constructed of large stone blocks and is distinguished by its strict simplicity and the lucidity of its architectural form. The frescoes of the church include complicated scenes, with many figures against a background of architectural structures or a mountainous landscape, and portraits. The dynamic and expressive nature of the compositions, the spiritual quality and vigor of the style of painting, the boldly generalized outlines, and the use of bright—but tonally harmonious—colors all combine into an image of lofty emotional concentration and a truly lifelike, impassioned quality. In 1941-43 the church was destroyed by the fascist German invaders; restoration has been under way since 1964.

REFERENCES

Matsulevich, L. “Tserkov’ Uspeniia Presviatoi Bogoroditsy v Volotove.” In Pamiatniki drevnerusskogo iskusstva, part 4. St. Petersburg, 1912.
Alpatov, M. “Freski khrama Uspeniia na volotovom pole.” In Pamiatniki iskusstva, razrushennye nemetskimi zakhvatchikami v SSSR. Moscow-Leningrad, 1948.