NEW ART STUDIES

FRAGMENTS OF AN EMBROIDERED ICONOSTASIS FROM THE 1430S – PROBLEMS OF RECONSTRUCTION, ICONOGRAPHY, STYLE

2024-11-12T08:17:46+00:00

The embroidered iconostasis, which has come down to us in a number of scattered fragments with figures of saints (State Historical Museum, Stare Russian Museum, State Hermitage Museum, Moscow Kremlin Museums), is one of the most significant monuments of Moscow art in the 1430s. In addition to the highest artistic level of sewing, examples of which are known from isolated examples of this time, this is also a unique complex in design, shedding light on the early period of the formation of the high Russian iconostasis. Despite the special place that this monument occupies among the works of the post-Rublev era, with rare exceptions, it has not attracted the attention of researchers. The compositional features and consist of the surviving figures of saints suggest that it was originally an embroidered “camping” iconostasis, the general design of which is being reconstructed by the author. It had at least three horizontal registers with deesis and prophetic rows, as well as another, apparently, lower tier of saints, likened to the iconographic program of the eastern faces of the pillars and painted stone altar barriers of the Moscow princely cathedrals. Judging by the style of the monument and the consist of the saints, it was executed in one of the central, most likely Moscow princely workshops, and, apparently, was intended for palace use, as a home chamber prayer image, as well as on pilgrimage trips and travels. The highlighting of the figures of Saints Sergius and Nikon of Radonezh, which are the oldest images of them, along with early palls, testifies to the proximity of the customer to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.

WOODEN CHURCH ARCHITECTURE IN THE LANDS OF PSKOV IN XVI – EARLY XIX CENTURIES. TYPOLOGICAL CHARCTERISTICS

2024-11-12T08:17:46+00:00

The author overviews the wooden church building tradition in the lands of Pskov in 16th – early 19th centuries. The object of the article is to put the question of the evolution predominant trends, techniques and architectural types in the local wooden church building. There is a nowadays risk of the early Pskovian wooden churches’ rapid dilapidation and even loss. Therefore theoretical materials and clarifications are necessary for studying the buildings in-situ. In the article, the theme is highlighted on the basis of analyzed historical sources, in the context of internal sub-regional connections and external contacts between Pskov and neighboring lands. The author makes an attempt to describe a variety of architectural types, witnessed in the 17th century and in the earlier period; among these types kletsky (cell) churches with one altar cell were quite wide-spread, they usually had cascade rooftops or small mortise cells (rectangular in plan) on their tops. The author also considers new tendencies of tiered constructions which expanded on the turn of 17th–18th centuries under the influence of West Russian regions. The variations of tiered churches and the type of church with four-pitched roof were among the prevailing types before the beginning of the 19th century. Besides, not only architectural types, but also the specificity of external cladding and foreign impacts on cladding are reflected. Thereby, the author marks main characteristic features of the Pskovian tradition, generalizes the stages of the Pskovian wood church building before the Russian nationwide model projects spread.

ON ICONOGRAPHY OF ELIZAVETA ALEKSEEVNA, GRAND DUCHESS, EMPRESS, DOWAGER EMPRESS

2024-11-12T08:17:46+00:00

The paper complements Iu.V. Sharovskaia’s essay on iconography of Elizaveta Alekseevna with some observations on peculiarity of her representation in portraits reflecting her changing status at Russian court, that of grand duchess, empress, dowager empress. The most conventional are portraits of Elizaveta Alekseevna as grand duchess. They accentuate her youth and beauty, giving hope of progeny, and gentle heart giving hope of happy married life. Her status is defined as high, though lower than that of her mother-in-law grand duchess Maria Fedorovna to say nothing of ruling empress Catherine II. Portraits with children were not destine to come due to the life circumstances. Discord with her husband put an imprint on her iconography as empress. Whereas their paired portraits, demonstrating status, are created, double portraits implying emotional contact of sitters are exclusively rare and are of official character. The most evocative images of new warmth in their relationship are those of dowager Empress and her posthumous portraits symbolizing their reconciliation.

STYLISTIC FEATURES OF MINIATURE PAINTING OF THE KANGRA SCHOOL IN THE WORKS OF NAINSUKH (1710–1778)

2024-11-12T08:17:46+00:00

The article is dedicated to the eminent master of Rajput miniature painting of the 18th century named Nainsukh (1710–1778). The artist’s work is examined in connection with the general issues of Indian painting, in particular, the development of stylistic features of the Pahari school, which gained popularity in the foothills of the Himalayas. A brief overview of the historiography of the subject is provided, from the first monographs of the early 20th century to the contemporary exhibitions. The problem of style in Pahari painting is discussed, and two major schools, Basohli and Kangra, which chronologically succeeded each other, are identified. The article explains how the complexity of classifying the artistic characteristics of the region’s schools, based on the identification of individual centers, was overcome in the 1960s thanks to the discovery by Professor B.N. Goswamy of the entire genealogy of artists from the Pandit Seu family workshop, which Nainsukh also belonged to. The figure of Nainsukh is considered in terms of the formation and development of his artistic style. The analysis focuses on his most important works — both early ones, which are copies of the Great Mughal miniatures, and later ones, where the master achieves complete freedom, warmth, and a unique softness characteristic of the mature stage of the Pahari school. Special attention is given to the sketches of the shepherdess Radha, which served as the basis for the series “Gitagovinda” created in 1775–1780 by Nainsukh’s descendants after his death. It is concluded that Nainsukh’s works, which combine the experience and rich heritage of the Basohli artists with the achievements of the Mughal school, will become the basis for the Kangra school, a unique phenomenon in the history of Indian art, in the last quarter of the 18th century.

TO THE QUESTION OF THE BIRTH DATES OF ARTISTS ADOLF AND ISAAC LEVITAN

2024-11-12T08:17:47+00:00

Since in 2010, the author made, and later introduced into scientific circulation, the discovery of archival records from the Lithuanian State Historical Archive (LVIA) about the dates of birth in the family of a teacher from the town of Keidany in the Kovno province, Elyashiv Leibovich Levitan and his wife Basya, artist Abel (Abel, Adolf Ilyich) Levitan and his older sister Michle, shedding light on the biography of their famous brother Isaac Ilyich Levitan, new information has appeared that requires a rethinking of previously stated hypotheses, most of which were reliably confirmed or refuted. An interesting, anthropological observation is that the museum community (with rare exceptions), which ignored the discoveries that had occurred for almost fourteen years, turned out, as before, not ready to take active steps to recognize the fallacy of existing ideas, but interest in changes due to those or other reasons finally manifested itself. The relevance of the research topic is related to the influence of private biographical events on the possibility of interpreting the psychological features of the work of the outstanding master of “mood landscape”. The methodology of the work is based on scientific strategies for analyzing microhistory based on source analysis. The work confirms that the generally accepted dates of birth of Adolf and Isaac Levitan are incorrect, Adolf Ilyich Levitan was born on January 9, 1861 according to the old style, and Isaac Ilyich Levitan was born in 1861–1862. The vicissitudes of their father's second marriage could have influenced the psychological motives for creativity.

THE LATE PERIOD OF J.M.W. TURNER’S WORK (LATE 1830S – 1840S): THE PROBLEM OF STYLE

2024-11-12T08:17:47+00:00

The article deals with the problem of J.M.W. Turner’s ‘late style’ and the identification of the features of the master’s creative method based on the analysis of his aesthetic, thematic, plastic principles. The main ideas of the English aesthetics of the second half of the 18th – early 19th centuries not only do not lose their relevance, but acquire a new depth of understanding in the master’s work. Turner’s most important canvases of the late 1830s and 1840s culminate the development of a number of themes and motifs that the artist has developed since his earliest works: the theme of confrontation between the man and the elements, technological progress, life and death, and others. It was in the late period that the conceptual format of his historical painting expanded – the artist first turned to the form of a diptych. The transformation of Turner’s art language occurs in line with his consistent liberation from realistic conventions and the exploration of suggestive possibilities. As a result, his late works demonstrate the movement of color that produces almost abstract forms.

DECADENCE AESTHETICS IN AUBREY BEARDSLEY’S ILLUSTRATIONS FOR “THE YELLOW BOOK”

2024-11-12T08:17:47+00:00

The author analyzes the iconography and semantics of Aubrey Beardsley’s graphic works, published in the first four issues of the literary magazine «The Yellow Book» in 1894, to identify the features and understand the specifics of the aesthetics of decadence in the art of England at the end of the 19^th century. It should be noted that «The Yellow Book» for the first time appears as an independent object of study in Russian-language historiography. The relevance of the study is due to the lack of knowledge in Russia of both the phenomenon of decadence in general and the artistic activity of Aubrey Beardsley in particular. Decadence, as an artistic and literary movement, originated in France in the 30s of the 19^th century and spread to many European countries, including England, where it finally took shape in the fin de siècle era. One of the central representatives of the decadent line of art in England was Aubrey Beardsley (1872–1898), an artist, author of several cycles of illustrations for literary works (including «Le Morte d’Arthur» by Thomas Malory, «Salome» by Oscar Wilde, and «Lysistrata» by Aristophanes). One of his most important projects was work on the almanac «The Yellow Book». The magazine combined on its pages both literary and artistic works: essays, poetry, prose, graphics, reproductions of paintings, etc. «The Yellow Book» was published in hardcover, without advertising, and its content was emphatically elitist in nature. In his works for the book, Beardsley paid special attention to the motives of theatricalization and aestheticization of the surrounding reality: he tried to stylize everyday life, used introspection and retrospection to create a feeling of an illusory, staged world. The artist uses the principle of visual analogy, trying to add irony and paradox to the narrative. All these features are identified by the author in the article as elements of decadent aesthetics and analyzed in relation to the works of Aubrey Beardsley.

WOMEN ARTISTS IN THE USA AT THE TURN OF THE 19TH – 20TH CENTURIES: SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT, MAIN ART CENTERS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES

2024-11-12T08:17:47+00:00

The 19th century was marked by major social and economic changes that undoubtedly affected the art and culture of the United States. This period was largely marked by the struggle of women for their rights, and the gender aspect acted an important role in the formation and development of American art life at the turn of the century. The purpose of the study was to identify and analyze the contribution of female artists to the art life (environment) of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Briefly describing the socio-cultural and artistic context of United States at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, the author highlights the main art centers created in the USA which marked by the high activity of professional female artists. The author particularly analyzed the description of the creative formation process of the most significant representatives of them. Using historical-biographical and contextual approaches, the author, by the methods of comparison and analysis, identifies a variety of trends in the development of the art life of the United States at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In this regard, the author concludes that despite existing social restrictions, the role of women in the art life of the United States steadily increased during the reviewing period. Their attempts to redefine the significance of women in modern society were a part of the most important socio-cultural changes in America at the turn of the century and often became a stimulus for further development.

FELIX VALLOTTON’S "INTIMACIES" SERIES AS A CULTURAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL MIRROR OF A BELLE ÉPOQUE

2024-11-12T08:17:48+00:00

In recent years, the Post-Impressionist period has been the subject of an active reappraisal, which has been reflected in numerous scholarly publications. One of the key figures of the art scene of this period is Felix Vallotton (1865–1925). Unfortunately, there is not much literature in Russian about his activities. Traditionally, the artist is considered only as a member of the Nabi group, although he worked as part of it for a rather short time. We see him as an independent creative entity, illegally pushed into the background, who developed a new visual language of black and white prints that paved the way for subsequent generations. The present study attempts to characterise the figurative, thematic and semantic features of the graphic series Intimacies (1898), which comprises ten main prints and a preceding deconstruction sheet made up of fragments from each of the ten woodcuts. This series, which depicts the trauma of bourgeois family life and denounces the vices of French society, is not only the culmination of the artist’s search for a new graphic language, but also the culmination of his satirical and edgy studies of contemporary reality. The author’s main aim was to define the specificity of the series and place it in a specific historical and cultural context. In addition, this article reveals the specific artistic methods used by the master: for example, Vallotton managed to achieve greater expressiveness by adhering to the principles of economy of means.

THE IMAGE OF SARAH BERNARD IN COMMERCIAL PRINTED GRAPHICS OF THE LATE XIX – BEGINNING OF THE XX CENTURY

2024-11-12T08:17:48+00:00

The appearance of illustrated advertising in France was a significant event in the art of the 19th century. With the opening of large stores, print advertising took its place on the streets of Paris. The emerging commodity market needed increased sales. To attract buyers, images of the most famous personalities, including from theater circles, were placed on advertising posters, cards, and magazine covers. Having become the personification of success, feminine attractiveness and elegance, Sarah Bernhardt was one of the first. The article is devoted to the use of the image of Sarah Bernhardt in commercial printed graphics to promote various products in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. It is shown that using the image of Sarah Bernhardt, the artists offered the advertising consumer not so much a quality product, but a potential lifestyle of the great actress, which everyone can adopt and repeat simply by becoming a buyer.

FEATURES OF THE CONCEPT OF COLOR IN THE THEORY OF SPACE BY M.V. MATYUSHIN

2024-11-12T08:17:48+00:00

The purpose of this article is to clarify the concept of color in the coloristic system of Mikhail V. Matyushin, a key figure of the Russian avant-garde of the 1910s and 1920s. The critical and philosophical work of the artist is considered as the ideological context of his artistic heritage. The analysis of the concept of color in the context of the theory of “New spatial realism” is carried out. The main stages of its formation are traced in the texts of the artist’s articles and their editions, the key ideas and features of the concepts of space and “organic culture” are highlighted. A brief biographical description of M.V. Matyushin’s musical work is given, concerning the problem of microchromatics. By comparing the concepts of color and sound, artistic and musical theory and practice of M.V. Matyushin, their mutual influence was revealed, which occurred during the artist’s study of contrasting colors and overtone sounds as qualitatively and structurally similar phenomena. The analysis identifies possible sources of the master’s philosophy of art, in particular the concept of the “fourth dimension”, reveals the correspondence of the artist’s interests with trends in art and culture of the period under consideration. The result of the research was the definition of the place and role of the concept of color in the philosophical picture of the world by M.V. Matyushin. The conclusion is made about the psychophysical properties of this phenomenon, their significance as universal patterns in the context of the master’s research activity. An attempt to reconstruct M.V. Matyushin’s ideas about color is based on an analysis of the artist’s published and unpublished texts. The description of the phenomenon of chromaticity within the framework of a separate creative biography made it possible to identify common problems of the study of the Russian avant-garde and color systems.

PORCELAIN OF BESIEGED LENINGRAD

2024-11-12T08:17:48+00:00

The depiction of the multifaceted image of the city on the Neva became one of the traditional themes for porcelain art of the 18th–20th centuries. The masters of the porcelain factory created a number of works glorifying the beauty and grandeur of the city on the Neva. And only in the porcelain of the mid-1940s a special porcelain “iconography” of besieged Leningrad was formed, where the tragic events were reflected in the image of Northern Palmyra, its architectural monuments, conveyed with special drama and authenticity. At the same time, artists sought to emphasize the greatness of the city, its majestic monumentality and the heroism of its defenders.

«RETURN FROM CAPTIVITY». HISTORY OF A SCULPTURAL COMPOSITION BY ALEXANDER V. RAZUMOVSKY

2024-11-12T08:17:48+00:00

The article deals with the history of the sculptural composition “Return from Captivity”. This forgotten and poorly preserved work by Alexander Vasilyevich Razumovsky, a famous master of the school of Soviet realistic art, illustrates the terrible events of the Great Patriotic War.

BORIS M. KALAUSHIN’S CREATIVE METHOD IN ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHINESE FAIRY TALES

2024-11-12T08:17:48+00:00

The article deals with the creative heritage of the artist Boris Matveevich Kalaushin (1929–1999) in the field of illustrating Chinese fairy tales. B.M. Kalaushin is known as a researcher of the Russian avant-garde, a member of the Apollo Society, the founder of the art gallery of the same name and the almanac (1991). Nevertheless, his artistic heritage in the field of illustrating Chinese fairy tales has not been sufficiently studied, which determines the relevance of the topic. The author sets the task of studying the artistic, stylistic and aesthetic categories of B.M. Kalaushin's book graphics, his creative method in illustrations to Chinese fairy tales ("The Blade of Grass is invisible. Tales of the Peoples of China" (Detgiz, 1961), "The Secret of the Precious Pumpkin" ( Detskaia Literatura, 1958). Special attention is paid to the analysis of the interaction of symbols and images of traditional Chinese art with the expressive techniques of the Russian avant-garde. The study of this issue will complement the idea of the synthesis and integration of Chinese art and culture in the Russian and world artistic process.

ANIMALISM IN BOOK GRAPHICS BY T.P. KAPUSTINA

2024-11-12T08:17:48+00:00

The article introduces into scientific circulation and explores a number of works by T.P. Kapustina (1935–2020), analyzes the stylistic features and specifics of the graphic techniques used by the artist. The relevance of the topic is determined by the fact that T.P. Kapustina's illustrations for such works as "Kholstomer", "Khitretsy iz zooparka", "Pervoe solnyshko", as well as some lithographic works, for the first time became the object of research as works of fine art. The key methods in the work are a comprehensive and formal analysis of T.P. Kapustina's works, as well as a comparative analysis of her work in different periods. These methods were chosen as the most suitable in the study of the artistic evolution of images of animals in T.P. Kapustina's graphics. When working on the article, materials from the foundation of the Faculty of Graphics of the St. Petersburg Ilya Repin Academy of Arts and private collections were used. T.P. Kapustina is a recognized animal painter, but her contribution to art has not yet been fully introduced into a wide scientific art criticism. The article presents some previously unexplored works by this author.