On the problem of artistic interpretation and embodiment of spiritual ascesis in historical-religious painting

The problem of artistic reflection of Orthodox asceticism in modern historical-religious painting has not been sufficiently studied, but is extremely relevant in the context of modern world processes, covering not only economics and politics, but also the spheres of spiritual life and culture. A vivid example of such creativity are easel canvases of Ilya Glazunov’s Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. A special pictorial language is considered in the article as a basis for revealing the idea of spiritual ascesis. As a result of the art history analysis of R. M. Abramochkin’s easel painting “New Martyrs of Optina” (2011) are revealed characteristic visual techniques, connection with the classical heritage of the Russian icon and realistic painting, innovations in the synthesized pictorial language, which are of particular value in Russian fine arts and Orthodox spiritual and artistic tradition as a whole.