Andrei Rublev ending explained

What happens

Boriska's bell rings true, though he admits he never had his father's secret. Moved by his courage, Rublev ends his vow of silence and says they will work together. The film then shows his real icons in colour.

The last image

Horses stand quietly in the falling rain, after the colour images of Rublev's paintings.

What it says

Beauty can come from a lie, a gamble and great fear, and it is real anyway. Rublev returns to art through someone else's risk, not private inspiration. The colour icons show the result of everything he has endured.