Scientific Papers of St Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts'68. Issues of the Russian Art Development

The article is devoted to the study of Russian ornament of the 17th century. For the first time, the series “Portraits of Kings and Heroes” (“Heads of Kings and Heroes”, 1594) by Nicolaes de Bruyn (1571–1652/6) is introduced into scientific circulation. It was republished in the 17th century, and was used by Russian masters as an iconographic source for Russian ornamental engraving. De Bruyn’s motifs are repeated in the engravings of L. Bunin and other masters. The proof of the direct use of the Dutch master’s engravings by the Russian artists was a copy of the Matthäus Merian Bible discovered in the Scientific Library of Kazan State University, to which the series “Creation of the World” and “Portraits of Kings and Heroes” by Nicolaes de Bruyn were bound. By its appearance, this convolute was in everyday use of the icon painter, served as a kind of original icon painting.

The oeuvre of Procopy Chirin, who was the leading icon painter of the late 16th – first quarter of the 17th centuries – had a significant impact on the Russian 17th century painting. His icons were regarded as models by other Moscow artists as well as by painters of Veliky Ustyug, Solvychegodsk and Yaroslavl. Procopy Chirin was one of the main creators of the so-called “Stroganov” style. The study of the Siya book of samples (the National Library of Russia. OLDP. F. 88), which represents a compendium of 17th century graphics, originating from the Siya monastery of St. Anthonius, allows us to observe the ways of dissemination of “Stroganov” artistic ideals. We have previously established that a part of trace drawings from the Siya compendium goes back to Procopy Chirin’s icons, that have come down to us. This article takes a detailed look at one of these trace drawings. The work carried out made it possible for the first time to attribute a sheet that does not indicate the authorship of the original, as well as to better imagine the original appearance of the icon “Saints Dimitry and Roman of Uglich Praying to the Mother of God” by Prokopy Chirin from the collection of the Russian Museum.

The article is devoted to the compositional element of the ancient images of the Baptism of the Lord, which is incomprehensible to most modern viewers. The column crowned with a cross at the feet of Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan River, probably from the perspective of ancient theologian artists, has a very specific indication of the Old Testament history of the Jewish people.

The article discusses the fresco of 1502 located on the southern facade of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin above the burial place of St. Martinian at the Ferapontov Monastery. The features of the composition are investigated and for the first time its rhythmic relationship with the architecture of the facade is revealed. Since the image of the Mother of God on the throne surrounded by archangels and upcoming saints was a common version of the decoration of altar conches in Christian art, for the first time, the author puts forward and substantiates the hypothesis about Dionisy’s original idea to place a symbolic image of a temple or altar space over the burial of the former abbot of the monastery long before the appearance of a real tomb.

The wooden palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye is considered in the aspect of the creative method of medieval Russian architects. It is shown that the architecture of the palace is based on arithmetic architectural consciousness. It is characterized by the lack of a holistic vision of the building, and the aesthetic quality of the work is considered as the sum of the advantages of its individual structural elements. The article also analyzes the arsenal of creative possibilities of masters of wooden construction, thanks to which the expressiveness of architectural works was achieved.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Council of the Academy of Arts raised the issue of the establishment of the marble carving class. It was assumed that the sculptor, who designed sketches of the composition, couldn’t work without an assistant, when the sketch was converted into stone. Carving the sculpture of marble required special professional skills. Ivan Martos had taken some steps to introduce marble sculpture techniques into the educational concept and to include a marble carver into the staff of the Academy. Besides it became possible for Martos to support the artist B. Orlovsky who was a serf at that time. Thanks to the support of Martos Orlovsky received the privileges of an officially established artist and got the opportunity to study at the expense of the state. The professor’s initiative stayed without any consequences. In 1830–1840s, the carvers, who often finished in marble many statues and groups according to models of Academy’s undergraduates, were stripped of their Academy’s master status. Generally, their names stayed unknown.

The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago was the largest in the history of the 19th century, establishing the United States as an actively developing country. In Russia, participation in this exhibition was taken extremely seriously; an organizing committee were formed as well as the special commissions responsible for specific departments, including the fine arts department. Its task was to demonstrate the national school of fine arts and works of leading contemporary artists. Russian art was demonstrated in 16 different exhibition areas. The article provides an overview of the main sites, and specifics of the exhibitions.

The spring of 2024 marks the 110th anniversary of the opening of the Russian Art Pavilion in Venice. The construction was initiated by the Imperial Academy of Arts, which was the organizer of all art departments at world and international exhibitions. Here, for the first time, foreigners became widely acquainted with Russian fine and decorative arts, objects of industrial, agricultural and handicraft production, which significantly contributed to strengthening the prestige of Russia abroad.

The article for the first time, as an independent phenomenon, examines the work of Marian Peretyatkovich (1872−1916) in the field of church architecture. The conclusion is made about the significance of the master’s works both for his own creativity and for the church architecture of Russia of the late 19th – early 20th century.

The article is devoted to the study and specification of information about the works shown at the exhibition “Brothers Konstantin and Vladimir Makowski” in the Serpukhov Historical and Art Museum. The author proposed a new dating and names, studied the provenance and identified models for four paintings by Konstantin Makowski and one portrait by Vladimir Makowski.

The article examines the evolution of the artistic language of book covers created by Mstislav Dobuzhinsky from 1904 to 1951. During the course of the study, the covers related to different periods of creativity are analyzed, the traditional and innovative graphic techniques used by the artist are indicated. In the works of the revolutionary years and the period of emigration the influence of avant-garde trends and Art Deco is noted.

The creation of a new image of artistic space is one of the main problems in the art of early Russian avant-garde artists. Nicolay Akimov, an outstanding avant-garde stage designer and director, became one of the reformers of stage design, proposing a new understanding of artistic space. Using the grotesque and the technique of “defamiliarization”, the master of scenography achieves a “new artistic vision”, the display of “metaphorical reality”, determining the emotional structure of the performance. Identification of the main points of Akimov's method in the field of artistic space will be a stepping stone for further research of the master's heritage and his influence on the scenography of the twentieth century.

The article examines the creative fate of the Leningrad art historian Rostislav Kansky (1906–1948), analyzes his publications, as well as many works that have never been published. The study and analysis of R. Kansky's manuscripts, preserved in the family archive, allows us to draw a conclusion about his outstanding talent, the full realization of which was prevented by tragic life circumstances – years of repression and early death. The researcher's interests included the problems of history, psychology and sociology of art, issues of museum and exhibition work, participation in ethnographic expeditions and archaeological excavations. This article notes a wide range of R. Kansky’s creative interests, his work in Leningrad and in Central Asia. Previously inaccessible archival materials dating back to the 1920s – 1940s are being introduced into scientific circulation.

The article examines the architecture of modern free-standing temples at higher educational institutions of St Petersburg, both implemented and not implemented. Their stylistic features and spatial solution are analyzed. Based on the analysis, the works of great importance for modern church architecture are marked.

Petersburg sculpture of the last decades is a very diverse phenomenon both in typological and stylistic terms. Many new monuments, works of plein-air sculpture, and art objects have appeared on the streets and squares of the Northern Capital. Pavel Shevchenko (1954–2021) is one of the unique masters who created many monumental and easel works. He was a professor of the sculpture faculty in the St Petersburg Academy of Arts, who brought up more than one generation of sculptors. He experimented a lot in the field of form, achieving an almost picturesque effect in the plasticity of his works, using new technologies in sculptural objects, sometimes combining incongruous things. Pavel Shevchenko refers to the authors who worked a lot in easel, cabinet sculpture. The article also discusses his easel plastic works, made in different genres and in abstract way.

This article examines the image of St Petersburg in the works of the members of the creative association “Watercolor Class”. Artists who began their career in the last third of the 20th century and the turn of the 20th–2st century are still actively working for the benefit of St Petersburg watercolor school. The creative association considers the preservation of St Petersburg watercolor school, the presence of a semantic principle in the works, mastery of academic drawing as the fundamentals of the partnership. Today the creative association conducts active exhibition and educational activities, participates in social projects.