The Novgorod school of icon painting is the oldest and the most peculiar in Russia. It absorbed many tendencies. As Novgorod was not affected by the Tartar-Mongol yoke, its icon painting school preserved the traditions of pre-Mongol painting, similar to Byzantine. By the 16th century, Novgorod icon painters added began to add a touch of local folklore to their works.

Primitivism was a distinctive feature of that school. The composition of icons was simple, without extra figures or details. The colors were bright, pure and contrasting. Cinnabar, a bright red pigment, was the favorite one of Novgorod painters. All that is reflected in the Old Testament Trinity icon, painted by an unknown artist in the years 1530-1540.

The author painted the Trinity in the traditional order, from left to right: first the Father, then the Son and the Holy Spirit. The landscape is not accidental and comprises important Christian symbols. Behind the back of the angel with the Father’s features, we can see a house, a symbol of the creating force. Behind the angel in the middle, there is a tree, a symbol of life and resurrection. On the right, behind the third angel’s back, we can see a mountain that symbolizes sublime spirit.

Besides that, over the head of the wanderer that represents Jesus there is a cruciform halo. Inside it, we can see a cross and Greek letters ΟΩΝ that mean ‘He who is’. In icon painting, such a halo was a distinctive characteristic of Christ.

All the figures represented in the icon fit into a circle. Such composition reminds us about the philosophic essence of the Trinity, the fact that it has no beginning and no end. The color scheme of the icon also forms a circle of alternating colors.

In The Trinity, as well as in most icons, inverted perspective is used. Unlike single-point perspective, inverted perspective implies that figures that are farther from the spectator look bigger and not smaller. In this way, the author emphasizes their importance and, in a certain way, opens a window into the divine world.