The Rublev Trinity: The Icon of the Trinity by the Monk-painter Andrei Rublev [Hardcover]

Gabriel Bunge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2007

Many art historians and scholars have described the sublime icon of the Holy Trinity by St Andrei Rublev, but nothing equals this detailed and comprehensive theological explanation by Benedectine monk Gabriel Bunge. In this inspired and utterly sober work, Fr Gabriel aims to make the icon's timeless message accessible to the contemporary praying believer. The author understands precisely that Russian iconographic art, much more than the Romanesque and Gothic sacred art of the West, represents a theological confession of faith. Icon painters were conscious of this responsibility, and the monk-painters who learned their Orthodox faith through the prayer of the Hours and the Divine Liturgy, through the familiar texts of the hymns and the Gospel readings, reflected the revelation of God in their art. Fr Gabriel, completely attuned to this method of inspiration, upholds the palladium - the sign and meaning of Holy Russia - in this work, and reverently expounds upon the awesome utterance by Pavel Florensky: 'There exists the icon of the Trinity by St Andrei Rublev; therefore, God exists.' Includes 23 color plates.

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About the Author

Father Gabriel Bunge, OSB, possesses a thorough knowledge of patristic literature and is known worldwide for his writings on contemplative prayer.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Santa Fe (February 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881413100
• ISBN-13: 978-0881413106
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #559,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treaasure, January 21, 2008

By 

Jim Forest (Alkmaar Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rublev Trinity: The Icon of the Trinity by the Monk-painter Andrei Rublev (Hardcover)

An important event in the renewal of iconography occurred in Russia in 1904. This was the year that a commission was created to restore Rublev's "Holy Trinity" icon, then nearly four hundred years old. As was the case with many old icons, over time the smoke of candles had been absorbed by the varnish, gradually hiding the brilliant image beneath the varnish.

In the centuries when no safe method existed for removing the varnish without harming the image, the cure for blackened images was the repainting of icons. Thus a similar, often cruder, image was painted over the older one. In many cases, ancient icons bear several icons layered one on top of the other.

Often a more permanent solution was to place an oklad over the icon: a relief image in metal - silver or gold - that covered everything but the faces and hands. In 1904, the restoration commission carefully removed the oklad covering the Trinity icon. Then began the slow and painstaking removal of the layers of overpainting that masked Rublev's work. It took years, but what their effort finally revealed has ever since amazed those who have been privileged to stand in front of the actual icon (now in the care of the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow). The uncovering of the icon was a momentous event, doing much to inspire the return to classic iconography, and the restoration of a great many other old icons.

The author of this handsomely published book, the Benedictine monk Gabriel Bunge, has undertaken a parallel work of restoration, exploring many earlier images of the three angels who were the guests of Abraham and Sarah's hospitality by the oaks of Mamre, a story related in Genesis.

In this work of profound theological examination, the reader discovers how many centuries of meditation, biblical reflection and earlier artistic effort lie behind the icon painted by Rublev early in the 16th century.

The book is also a presentation of one of the most loved but least known Russian saints, Sergii of Radonezh. As the author writes in a chapter analyzing the Rublev image: "[The martyr and saint] Father Pavel Florensky was not completely wrong when he maintained that St. Sergii was, alongside Andrei Rublev, the true creator of [the icon]. One may even go a step further and suggest that this icon, painted in `the dwelling place of the Holy Trinity' built by Sergii, is intended to depict this mystery of the grace of the Holy Spirit... The attributes that Rublev used to make visible his interpretation are the postures and gestures of the three angels."

For anyone who seeks a deeper appreciation of icons in general, or of the Trinity icon in particular, this fine book, with its many color illustrations, is a treasure.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible scholarship, March 7, 2010

By 

Christopher Armstrong-Stevenson (St. Helens, Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rublev Trinity: The Icon of the Trinity by the Monk-painter Andrei Rublev (Hardcover)

This book is a highly detailed and critically researched work, providing an unusually well-informed understanding and explanation of this magnificent icon. It is obvious that the author, a Swiss Benedictine monk, was afforded significant assistance in access, viewing and studying the icon, by the staff of the Tretyakov Museum, Moscow, where this icon is now housed. Many questions of Rublev's technique and symbolism are explained along with relevant Biblical references. Also, many misconceptions and myths extant are disposed of by this work. I couldn't have found a more erudite and helpful study to help our students at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral's Iconography Institute in their re-creation of this icon. Highly recommended, although probably a bit too "deep" for the casual reader.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One piece of art can mean so much to so many people, August 11, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rublev Trinity: The Icon of the Trinity by the Monk-painter Andrei Rublev (Hardcover)

One piece of art can mean so much to so many people. "The Rublev Trinity" is a look at a monk named Andrei Rublev. Around 1400 A.D., he painted his depiction of the holy trinity of Christianity, which has stayed in the minds of practicing Eastern Orthodox Christians for the following six centuries. With a scholarly history on iconographic traditions of the western world and the power of Rublev's painting all the way up to the modern day, "The Rublev Trinity" is highly recommended to anyone studying the strong connection that exists between art and religion.