Rublyov

The era of Rublev was an era of the revival of faith in the human being—in one’s moral strength, in one’s ability to sacrifice oneself for high ideals. It was a time of renewed interest in one’s own history, in the culture of the age of independence of Rus that preceded the Mongol-Tatar invasion. The era of Rublev was a period of flourishing of literature, epic, and political self-consciousness. The ideals embodied in Rublev’s works are so high that they would be a miracle if they were not, in a way, a reflection of what one might observe in reality. And in reality there were not only examples of meanness, servility, and betrayal, but also devoted service to people and to the Fatherland, to the ideals of good and beauty that create a sense of dignity and calm confidence in the future.