Scientific Papers of St Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts’74. Preservation of Cultural Heritage

In the 17th century Nizhny Novgorod became a major art centre. For the first time in the history of Nizhny Novgorod stone architecture, intensive construction begins here. The first half of the century was associated with the fulfillment of royal orders for the reconstruction of the Kremlin cathedrals, and since the middle of the century, the construction initiative has been transferred to the territory of the posad into the hands of wealthy merchants. An independent architectural tradition or school is emerging, the central monument of which is the Holy Myrrhbearers Church on Pochaina, which combined the Moscow type of pillar-less church and the artistic language of Nizhny Novgorod monuments of the first half of the 17th century and became a model for subsequent churches, in the architecture of which its features were more or less manifested

The article is devoted to the analysis of the decoration of the pulpit of Peter and Paul Cathedral. The monument of Peter the Great’s time is considered in the light of textual and pictorial sources that had a direct impact on its iconographic program related to the theme of the foundation and succession of the Apostolic Church. In the study, much attention is paid to the analysis of the work “The Word of the Great Work of God” by Archbishop Theophan Prokopovich. The author proves it was this literary source that formed the basis of the artistic program of the pulpit. Thanks to the rare iconography of one of the paintings (“The Ark of the Covenant”), the author traces the connection with the tradition of fresco painting of the Annunciation and Archangel cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin, on the other hand – with the images of engravings of Northern European countries, primarily Protestant. In general, the entire program of Peter and Paul Cathedral pulpit is united by the image of Pentecost, which is revealed both in painting, and with the help of hymnographic texts.

In St Petersburg, during the construction boom of the early 20th century, a large number of buildings (around several thousand) were created, the facades of which became recognizable symbols of the Silver Age. Unfortunately, very few documents confirming the authorship of any particular facade decoration have survived. Historical practical manuals and textbooks, information from the autobiographies of sculptors and plasterers who worked “at the constructions”, advertising announcements, and other materials, becoming elements of the research mosaic, help to imagine the creative atmosphere in which the work was created. For a modern restorer, the individual recipes and techniques used by the master in each specific case are extremely important, since they may vary (in the absence of common methodologies) in individual practices. In the article, the author highlights the production process of making “stucco mouldings” and discusses the authorship of some compositions from the early 20th century that he has established. All constructions of that time, without exception, require research and partial reconstruction of lost details. The image of the work of the outstanding plasterers of St. Petersburg created from found information will increase the efficiency and artistic level of restoration activities.

In 1934, A. Bubnov, People’s Commissar of education, issued an order, by which the Museum of Architecture at the All-Russian Academy of Arts was created. The institution received the name of the Museum of World Architecture and became a subordinate branch of the Research Institute of Architecture, founded earlier. However, the implementation of the ambitious project faced serious difficulties, and soon the new museum joined the museum of the Academy of Arts as one of its departments, occupying a leading position among the other divisions of this organization. The forgotten initiative of M. Roslavlev and V. Yakovlev, that now can be studied at the Scientific archives of the Russian Academy of Arts, adds a significant page to the world history of architectural museums, which wasn’t rich on events in the first part of the 20th century. And even more important is this story for the local discussion on a possibility for a new architectural museum in St Petersburg going on nowadays.

In 1940, the architect Georgy Pribylovsky considered the fate of wooden buildings located on the territory of Peterhof. After the revolutionary events of 1917, the parks of the former imperial residence became part of the Museum of Peterhof palaces and parks, and then were excluded from the museum’s jurisdiction. In the 1930s, the formation of the museum’s boundaries from the former imperial residence began. The principle of inclusion or exclusion of territories from the museum was the idea of the necessity to preserve the parks of the time of Peter the Great, while the romantic landscape parks of the 19th century seemed less valuable. At the same time, the city of Peterhof itself was acquiring new boundaries. In an attempt to turn Peterhof into a city with a new destiny, separate from the museum, the architect of the department of the Leningrad City Executive Committee G. Pribylovsky worked on the project of the General Plan of the city. He recognized the artistic value of certain wooden buildings that lay outside the museum’s area, described them, kept records of them, and proposed creating a separate museum dedicated to these wooden buildings. The authors turn to the history of these wooden structures and their decorative and stylistic features, in order to realize the value of the buildings that captivated Pribylovsky and led him to an attempt to save them.

In the personal archive of Anna Nikolaevna Voronikhina (1910–1987) – the art historian, curator of architectural graphics in the Drawing section of the Department of Western European Art of the State Hermitage Museum, a student of G. Grimm – a number of materials related to the history of the restoration in 1975–1978 of the work of her illustrious ancestor A. Voronikhin – the fence of the Kazan Cathedral (1811–1812), located on the territory of modern Voronikhin Square on Kazanskaya Street has preserved. Among these materials, which now belong to the heirs of Anna Nikolaevna, there are photographs of the fence, authentic fragments of its decor, clippings from the newspaper “Leningradskaya Pravda”, handwritten notes, drafts of her letters to participants in the restoration work, a copy of the order of the Leningrad City Executive Committee “On the composition of the State Commission for the Acceptance of the Voronikhin Fence” (1978). All of them allow us to get to know an important and insufficiently known page in the history of the outstanding architectural monument, as well as in the history of the Leningrad school of restoration of the Late Soviet period in more detail. Besides, the author’s name of the fence restoration project, architect Lev Sizikov, is introduced into scientific circulation.

This article examines Samarkand’s urban development during the second half of the 20th century within the context of Soviet Uzbekistan’s architectural practices. It analyzes key approaches to studying late Soviet Uzbekistan architecture and their relevance to the republic’s regional urban planning, and clarifies the thesis of “Orientalist influences” on architectural design. Particular attention is given to the transformation of historical Uzbek SSR cities under the influence of “modern architecture” and local political figures.

The article is devoted to the study and analysis of two Dutch Caravaggist paintings depicting musicians, which originate from the gallery of Empress Catherine II, and had not previously been the object of special attention. Their attributions, subjects, dating, and program have contained a lot of erroneous information so far. This article examines the problems of authorship, iconography and stylistics of compositions in detail, which allows us to present them in the context of Dutch painting of the 1620s, and its contacts with the Italian tradition. The interest in these two canvases in Russia is evidenced by the fact that both of them were reproduced at the end of the 18th century on tapestries made in St. Petersburg Imperial Manufactory. It should be emphasized that one of the paintings, “A young man playing the flute” (previously: “The girl playing the pipe”), is an example of the early Leiden refined manner of Jan Lievens (1607–1674), a friend and a rival of Rembrandt, whose work has aroused great interest in recent decades.

The article is dedicated to the study of the light-coloristic system of Yan Tsionglinsky, known as “silvery illuminative impressionism”. The main principles of Tsionglinsky’s pedagogical practice and artistic works are analyzed, with a particular focus on the concept of “silvery light” and the dynamic variability of color under the influence of lighting. The article examines the impact of Tsionglinsky’s artistic method on Mikhail Matyushin’s works and research in the context of his development of the concept of “expanded vision.” The continuity and further development of Tsionglinsky’s ideas in Matyushin’s theoretical and practical work are emphasized, highlighting the relevance of studying these issues for contemporary art theory and practice.

The article is devoted to the evolution of artistic techniques used by Nathan Altman in his work on illustrations for children’s books after his return to the USSR from Paris in 1935. The works of the second half of the 1930s, both published and not accepted for publication, are considered. In the children’s books that Nathan Altman illustrated in the late 1930s, one can trace the influence of the solutions found by the artist in his Parisian illustrations. The changes in the artist’s plasticity language are reflected in the drawings for Zoshchenko’s stories “Smart Animals”, Mayakovsky’s poems “To Children” and in “The Merry Alphabet”.

The article deals with the history of creation, existence, and restoration of the fountains in Rumyantsev Square. They appeared in this place in 1866. They were acquired by S. Solovyov at his own expense in France. The functioning of the fountains periodically became a problem for the city authorities. In 2023, by the time the restoration began, the condition of the monument was assessed as unsatisfactory. During the restoration, all types of contamination were removed. Structural internal elements were strengthened, cracks and split seams were repaired, and original plastic parts were restored. At the end of the large-scale restoration work, landscaping was completed, and the fountains in Rumyantsev Garden were set into operation.

The article is devoted to laser cleaning of books and documents. This work presents experimental results on the use of a pulsed ytterbium fibre laser at a wavelength of 1064 nm to clean model samples of paper, leather and parchment, as well as genuine artifacts: old books, fragments of bindings and manuscripts. The studied samples and artifacts were effectively and carefully cleaned from a number of contaminants, including biological ones caused by the vital activity of fungi. Two approaches to laser cleaning were used: dry cleaning method and wet cleaning.

The article examines the stylistic and technical features of the “renwu” (figure painting) genre through the analysis of Wu Daozi’s Tang Dynasty scroll “Heavenly King Delivering the Infant”. Tracing the evolution of Chinese figurative painting from the Shang era to the Tang Dynasty, the author emphasizes Wu Daozi’s innovative synthesis of Gu Kaizhi’s legacy (“transmitting spirit through form”) with calligraphic expressiveness in linear technique, creating his distinctive “Wind-Swept Draperies of Wu” style. Through analyzing the localization of Buddhist narratives, dynamic linework, and monochromatic ink tonal gradation, the study demonstrates the master’s revolutionary contribution to traditional painting. Wu Daozi’s liberated linear system and “xieyi” (“writing ideas”) philosophy not only established aesthetic canons for Chinese figure painting but also laid foundations for monochromatic landscape painting, marking the zenith of “renwu” genre development during the Tang era.

Intercultural interaction significantly expands the creative horizons of contemporary artists. Such interaction in the work of St Petersburg artist Alexander Krivonos is embodied in the themes and motifs of China. A. Krivonos is a representative of St Petersburg academic school of painting, so he is open to dialogue with other cultures, and images of China help him to understand reality through painting. The article analyzes those works of the artist that are inspired by interaction with China. A conclusion is made about their special role in revealing the themes that excite the artist.