Culture and Art - rubric Fine arts

Abstract: Purpose of this article is analysis of painting by P. I. Sokolov (1753-1791) «Mercury and Argus» (1776) in context preferences of era. Objectives of study: analyze preparatory drawings and picture; study archival sources, artist reports; reveal process of painting; represent aesthetic ideals of epoch and perception of personality. Our focus will be on artistic process of creation historical picture in second half of XVIII century on example of work by P. I. Sokolov «Mercury and Argus». Research subject is role of sketches from nature, sketch composition in work of P. I. Sokolov on picture «Mercury and Argus». Author considers of visual technique, graphic-plastic composition, preparatory graphic, identifying process of working on picture based on academic education system. Citing quotes from letters, reports and writings of second half of XVIII century author analyses what was typical for art of period under study, what tasks artist set for himself, what conditions were necessary for expressiveness of visual image and idea of picture as well as her positive evaluation by her contemporaries. During study were applied: formal, formal-stylistic, art criticism analysis. Author comes to conclusion that work on historical painting in second half of XVIII century included a large systematic creative process dictated by academic education system at Imperial Academy of Arts. Analysis showed that execution of sketches and drawings from nature became basis for subsequent search for better image. Historical painting of second half of XVIII century reflected aesthetic views and ideals of era, being an artistic embodiment of ideas of theoretical treatises aimed at improving visual image. Novelty of research lies in considering painting not only as part of artistic heritage, but also as a reflection of academic education system at Imperial Academy of Arts in second half of XVIII century and aesthetics of educational classicism.

Keywords: painting, life drawing, classicism, preparatory drawing, The Imperial Academy of arts, academician of historical painting, Petr Ivanovich Sokolov, art of XVIII century, historical painting, graphics

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2019.2.28743

Abstract: The subject of the study is contemporary art practices, examined by the author in the context of neo-mythologism and tendencies of posthumanism. In the article, the contemporary approach to the creation of pieces of art using the latest digital technology on the example of works of Russian and foreign artists E. Ostrova, K. Khudyakova, B. Viola, AES-F group, is analyzed. The spread of VR technology becomes a new method of conducting a dialogue with art images of the past, reconsidering a cultural tradition, and defining an own place in it. Contemporary art criticism and aesthetic discourse, as well as the concept of postmodernism, are actively used as a methodological basis. The main conclusions: avant-garde denial of tradition led to the exclusion, archiving of culture, and the destruction of the connection between the past and the future. Individual neo-myth, created by a modern artist - is a kind of compensatory mechanism, an attempt to put "shadows" of artistic images of the past in the context of the growing trends of posthumanism. The author's special contribution consists in the development of the concept of neo-mythologism in relation to the visual arts of the XX-XXI centuries. The novelty of the study is due to the detection of specific features of neo-mythologism in visual art, customary for the modern period.

Keywords: video-art, video installations, digital art, VR technology, neo-mythologism, contemporary, art, myth, modernism, postmodernism

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2022.5.37942

Abstract: The article analyzes the international activities of the outstanding representative of the Chinese art world Xu Beihong. The subject of consideration is the artist's trips to the countries of Europe, Southeast Asia and the USSR in the 30s - early 40s of the XX century. Special attention is paid to how the painter organized the participation of Chinese artists in international exhibition projects. A detailed description of the most significant of them is given. The emphasis is on how Xu Beihong selected works for exhibition projects that could be called "pure and representative Chinese art." The role of Xu Beihong in the popularization of Chinese art is also revealed. The article reveals for the first time the stages and features of the activities of the outstanding Chinese artist Xu Beihong, focused on the popularization of Chinese fine art and culture outside China. As a conclusion, it is argued and argued that Xu Beihong's activities abroad, which included a variety of forms of representation of Chinese painting вЂ“ exhibitions, lectures, master classes, scientific reports, information platforms, etc., was the first serious step that allowed showing the heritage of Chinese art culture to the general public outside China, to bring Chinese painting to the international arena.

Keywords: chinese artist, China, painting, exhibition project, cultural exchanges, Xu Beihong, chinese painting, international exhibitions, chinese art, history

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2024.4.70387

Abstract: The subject of the study of the proposed article is the early plein-air works of the German expressionist artist Gabriele Munter, later a member of the Blue Horseman art association, a student and friend of Vasily Kandinsky. The authors of the article aim to review and introduce into scientific circulation a number of Munter's sketches created by her during summer trips to the plein air in 1902-1903 to the Alpine towns of Kochel and Kalmunz with the Munich art school "Phalanx", headed by Kandinsky. The article also examines the picturesque plein-air works by Kandinsky, created by him in the same years there, in Bavaria - mainly landscapes and sketches of figures in the landscape. The authors of the study see as their task to trace the influence of Kandinsky's artistic manner and his role as a teacher on the formation of a Munter painter. The research methodology includes formal stylistic, comparative methods of art criticism analysis, as well as a comprehensive historical and biographical approach. The relevance of the study is due to its scientific novelty: the authors of the article for the first time in Russian-language art history literature describe the pre-expressionist works of Munter during the period of joint plein-airs with Kandinsky, trace the formation of her artistic vision and picturesque manner, the influence of Kandinsky on her formation. The development of the impressionistic technique common to Munter and Kandinsky in the early 1900s, according to the authors of the article, is combined with individual searches for expressiveness of form and color. The first experiments of plein-air oil painting in a special "spatula technique" under the guidance of Kandinsky were accompanied by the successful search for Munter in the field of graphics, mastering the technique of printing color woodcuts. The authors of the article come to the conclusion that the formation of the original manner of Munter was equally influenced by both pictorial emancipation through sketching practice in oil, as well as their own experiences in drawing and engraving.

Keywords: study, impressionism, expressionism, landscape, The Blue Rider, woodblock print, graphics, painting, Wassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Münter

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2018.4.26030

Abstract: The object of this research is the iconographic composition of the dome of an early Christian mausoleum that is often referred to as the Exodus Chapel (Bagawat necropolis, Kharga, Egypt). The subject of the research is the compositional and semantic interactions between three compositions depicted on the western wall of the mausoleum. The author of the article examines such aspects of the topic as the mutual location, iconography and semiotic relations between these compositions. She pays special attention to the origin of iconographic types, sequence of how those compositions were created, their interpretation and the place they take in a range of Egyptian and Eastern Mediterranean memorials of those times. Particular features of the research matter predetermined the author's choice of methods, in particular, the author applied the iconographic approach and methods of historical contextualisation and semiotic analysis as the main research methods. The main conclusion of the research is the author's proved hypothesis that initially the orant entered the Sacrifice of Abraham scene and it was Isaac. Later, as a result of compositions being drawn in a limited space and united according to the gender and virginity features, the orant figure was depicted in a new composition that was most likely to be devoted to the deceased. The author's special contribution to the topic is her analysis of the influence of the mainstream and local artistic traditions on early Christian funeral art of the Kharga Oasis. The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author defines probable stages of creation of that group of compositions and clarifies precedent hypotheses about their semantics. The author also evaluates the role of the memorial in the history of the Coptic Art development.

Keywords: Mausoleum, Al Bagawat, Coptic Art, Orant, Saint Thekla, Sacrifice of Abraham, Early Christian Art, composition, group of compositions, iconographic types

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2019.12.31616

Abstract: The subject of this research is the main fugitive pigments used in easel oil painting at the various stages of its evolution (cinnabar, ultramarine blue, white lead, verdigris, orpiment, yellow chrome). Depending of its chemical composition, the degradation of pigments may vary based on the three main mechanisms described in the article. Grouping of fugitive pigments in accordance with degradation mechanism allow to more accurately rectify the methods of preventative conservation of paintings for obstructing the process of changing of coloristic characteristics of the paint layer. The author’s main contribution consists in demarcation of degenerative processes into passive and active, which results in precise structuring of problematic of the change of color of the paintings carried out in oil technique. It is determined all options of degenerative mechanisms occur throughout the entire history of easel oil painting. The article also provides general recommendation on storage, exhibition and restoration of paintings prone to degeneration of color characteristics due to the physical-chemical properties of the paint layer.

Keywords: pigments in paintings, unstable pigments, color degradation, material degradation, Western European oil painting, easel painting, oil painting, paintings degradation, conservation, painting’s color change

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2020.5.32729

Abstract: This article examines the impact of Chinese traditional painting upon the formation of Western expressionism, as well as interprets the influence of Western expressionism upon Chinese painting in expressionist manner of different periods. The author reveals the mutual influence, similarities and differences between Western expressionism and Chinese painting in expressionist manner, Chinese imagery oil painting, Chinese colored ink painting, and Chinese imagery painting in Western style. Based on correlation between the spiritual ideology of painting and artistic form, the author carries out a comparative analysis of spiritual and formal factors of Chinese and Western painting systems for the purpose of determination of their mutual influence, and how it affects the emergence of new concepts in painting. The structure of brush stroke of the artist defines his aesthetic spirit. The article determines the “cyclic” nature of interinfluence processes between Chinese and Western painting systems that stimulate the development of human civilization. The analysis of corresponding cultural factors allows assessing the individual artistic characteristics of painting. Both, Chinese and Western painting systems entered the period when spiritual ideology of painting interacts with the artistic forms, opening the era of “globalization” of the language of painting.

Keywords: Subject consciousness, western expressionist painting, Chinese imagery oil painting, Colored ink painting, Form factor, Spiritual factor, European traditional painting, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese traditional painting, Localization

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2022.4.37855

Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of Chinese landscapes painting by Chinese and Russian artists. Comparative analysis of landscape painting by Chinese and Russian artists dedicated to China allows to identify the most important trends and patterns in the methods of landscapes painting in Russia and China of the late XX в - early XXI century. The purpose of this study is to determine the main intersections in the approaches of artists of the two countries. The specificity of the artistic and expressive language of Chinese and Russian landscape artists in the embodiment of landscapes of China is determined primarily by the influence of the modern national school of painting, as well as the desire to develop and update existing traditions, finding inspiration in foreign experience, coming into contact with foreign culture and artistic tradition. The main conclusions of the study are that landscape painting by artists of Russia and China reveals similarities in formal terms: artists of both countries use techniques of both, realistic school and impressionism. Scientific novelty is determined by the fact that the mechanism of integration of the principles of realism and Western impressionism by Chinese painters is revealed. The author introduces an extensive body of artistic materials of Russian and Chinese painters into Russian science, notes that there are significant differences between the artists of the two countries.

Keywords: Yao Lu, Vasilyeva, Burtov, Tian Haibo, Hong Leung, Lavrenko, modern russian painting, modern chinese painting, landscape painting, cultural exchange

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2024.4.70482

Abstract: This paper examines the impact of Russian realism on Chinese visual art, focusing on how Chinese artists have adapted and reinterpreted Russian aesthetic concepts. The study highlights the role of cross-cultural exchanges in enriching both traditional Chinese art and the broader understanding of realism. Through a detailed analysis, the author explores the reflection of Russian realism's social criticism and humanistic ideals in Chinese artistic practices, and how these influences have fostered new artistic forms and themes within China.The research employs comparative analysis of artworks and artistic traditions alongside historical and cultural contexts of both Russia and China. This approach underscores the importance of international artistic exchanges in creating a more diverse and multicultural art world. The study's novelty lies in uncovering the mechanisms of cultural integration and innovation through artistic exchanges between the two countries, detailing how Russian realism has not only shaped Chinese art but also spurred the creation of unique forms that reflect contemporary societal and cultural demands.Significantly, the fusion of Russian realism and traditional Chinese aesthetics has led to a new artistic direction in China that melds global artistic trends with local cultural values. This synthesis has facilitated deeper cultural dialogues and mutual understanding, enriching the artistic traditions of both Russia and China. Artists have been provided with new opportunities to explore innovative ideas and forms, thus strengthening cross-cultural ties and expanding the boundaries of artistic interaction. The paper emphasizes the transformative power of this artistic merger in enriching the global art space and fostering a more inclusive and varied artistic milieu.

Keywords: Artistic traditions, Intercultural interaction, Innovation, Adaptation, Humanistic ideals, Social criticism, Cultural exchange, Chinese visual art, Russian realism, Cultural integration

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2019.5.29620

Abstract: The subject of the research attention is the determination of a circle as a method of spatial and compositional organization of visual material. The article presents the thesis that a plastic movement, arising from the use of a rounded geometric shape in the figurative structure, determines the mechanics of visual perception. A circle, being a styling element of a composition, possesses an ability to enhance both artistic and conceptual expression of the image. The article draws attention to the priority value of the circle in the compositional construction of paintings by Raphael. The regularities of plastic construction are determined by the analytical consideration of the peculiarities of the artistic language and compositional techniques of a number of works of the Italian master. Based on the conducted research, the author comes to the conclusion that a circle, dominating in a compositional organization of the artist's works, remains spatially neutral. Architectonical use of a circle as a planar figure allows relating the art of Raphael, both with the traditions of medieval painting and with the heritage of Pietro Perugino.

Keywords: composition, spatial construction, visual perception, painting, architectonics, circle, Raphael, semicircle, Perugino, picture plane

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2019.3.29187

Abstract: The article is devoted to the definition of 'art space' that is usually opposed to a traditional concept of space. Rozin analyzes the process and stages of the development of art space as part of the scheme theory. In particular, Rozin studies four stages of how views on art space have developed. At the first stage the archaic culture created schemes that described various kinds of animals and humans. The second stage was the stage of ancient kingdoms that developed the method of depicting extended spaces by layering one kinds over others. The third stage, the era of Renaissance, represented the concept of one-point perspective, and the concept of reverse perspective was developed at the fourth stage. Rozin also focuses on cultural circumstances and schemes that contributed to the development of art space at all four stages. The researcher has used the following methods: problem statement, situtional analysis, comparative analysis, statement of definitions and description of the process and visual imagery argumentation. As a result of the research, the author has defined the term 'art space' and described four stages of its development as well as demonstrated the dependence of ideas about art space on the cultural environment (worldview and type of communication) as well as space schematization (schemes and means of operation with it).

Keywords: length, subject, type, formation, becoming, art, scheme, space, personality, culture

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2021.3.32960

Abstract: The subject of this research is such a means of harmonization of composition of the image in a plane as the contrast. The article assesses the possibility and factors of using contrast for increasing the attractiveness of the designed photographic image. The author reviews the examples of photo images with appropriate use of contrast; provides the research data on the perception[WU1] of contrast by human visual system.; explores correlation between contrast and the conditions for a harmonious composition; as well as reviews the connection between the properties of compositional elements of photography and the components of visual perception, discovered by R. Barthes in his work “Camera Lucida”. The author carries out the analysis of photographic images; compares the empirical data on the study of perception of contrast by a human; applies the methods of induction and deduction in analyzing the acquitted results and comparing them with the characteristics of a harmonious composition. The author’s special contribution consists in comparison of the results of empirical research of perception of contrast by a human in the context of dependence of the sensitivity of human visual system on the size of observable alternating contrast lines and the size of the dominant in relation to the image field object of composition. It is proposed to use high contrasts of the elements of detail drawing for reaching harmonization of composition of the designed image elements. [WU1]

Keywords: photography, bright dot, contrast perception, image projecting, focus of attention, detailed drafting, harmonious composition, light and darkness, tonal contrast, visual perception

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2023.12.69255

Abstract: Author consider a number of works that have been identified by various researchers as portraits of D. A. Golitsyn, a prominent statesman of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 18th century. The Prince's interest in art determined his special role in the artistic world of Europe, as well as in the formation of the Hermitage collection and in attracting foreign artists to the country. The subject of research is the connection of existing portrait images with the milestones of the fate of Golitsyn and in the context of interaction with the artistic world of the 18th century. Despite the prince’s close contacts with painters, sculptors, and graphic artists, few portraits of him are currently known. Research method used in the article is the iconographic elucidation of the main features of Prince Golitsyn's appearance, which allow to identify his images. The scientific novelty of the study consists in the systematization of the iconographic series of images of D. A. Golitsyn available today, as a result of which his well-known silhouette portrait turned out to be created by a modern graphic artist I. V. Golitsyn based on an engraving depicting the son of the prince, a priest of the Catholic Church D. D. Golitsyn. The attribution of one of D. A. Golitsyn's portraits from the collection of his daughter's heirs, the German aristocrats Salm-Salm, is recognized as erroneous, since it is a copy of the work of the French painter of the first half of the 18th century from the Coypel family and depicts another person. The circle of absolutely indisputable images of Prince has been determined. Golitsyn, which include sculptural portraits by French artist Marie-Anne Collot, one of which is now in a private collection in Moscow, as well as a profile drawing by her husband Pierre-Etienne Falconet.

Keywords: drawing, engraving, silhouette, sculptural bust, Pierre-Etienne Falconet, Marie-Anne Collot, iconography, portrait, Catherine the Second, Dmitry A. Golitsyn

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2023.7.43570

Abstract: The realist ideas and revolutionary concepts characteristic of Russian oil painting were of special significance for the development of art in China in the 20th century. In particular, in the 1950s, the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party praised and promoted Russian and Soviet painting at the state level, which greatly contributed to the formation of the idea of realist painting and the scientific system of teaching oil painting in Chinese society. This paper examines the core values of socialism embodied in Russian oil painting and their derivatives; traces the development of oil painting in China; records the significant role of socialist features in the development of oil painting from different perspectives; and explains the influence of the Soviet art education system on the development of oil painting in China. This paper comprehensively examines the positive impact of Soviet painting on the development of Chinese art education, which contributed to the development of modern Chinese art in terms of artistic creativity, artistic organization and the construction of a system of art education.

Keywords: art education, Chinese oil painting, art of socialist realism, socialist realism, Fine Arts, artistic development, Soviet oil painting, realistic oil painting, art development, art history

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2015.1.13677

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2022.5.38062

Abstract: The article discusses the origin and evolution of women's visual art in China. The development of this artistic direction was due to the radical social transformations since the beginning of the Open Door Policy in 1978. Analysis of the art by Li Hong, Cui Xiuwen, Feng Jiali, Yuan Yaomin and others reveals main features of the evolution of women's creativity in China. The search and acquisition of female identity, the destruction of psychological barriers imposed by traditional ideas and stereotypes about a woman, her physicality, beauty, etc., the study of gender differences, the reflection of female subjectivity, the assertion of a new status for women in modern society - all this makes the content of Chinese women's art. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the article studies the works of quite reputable Chinese artists who were not presented earlier in Russian art history science. This article is intended to contribute to the study of the processes of emancipation of the consciousness of the Chinese and raising the status of women artists in society. Reflections on personal experience, social problems and historical destinies determine the specifics of the artistic language of women's works. In view of the active feminist movements of our time, increasing attention to the inner world of women and criticism of patriarchal foundations, addressing this topic seems very relevant today.

Keywords: female image, female identity, female subjectivity, physicality, artistic language, feminist art, women's art of china, chinese painting, chinese art, a new woman

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2015.1.65884

Abstract: The article presents commentaries on a famous book written by N. Volkov ‘The Color in Painting’. In his book Volkov tried to create the theory comparable to the theories in music studies. However, comparison of color in painting with the musical sound shows that it is rather impossible. Rozin points out that Volkov distinguishes between the color as an art form and coloristic art events which refer to artistic reality. Rozin discusses peculiarities of artistic reality in painting and analyzes the two color systems (offered by Newton and Goethe) compared by Volkov. Rozin also establishes and substantiates the hypothesis about the role of these color systems in painting being comparable to the ‘single point perspective’ concept. The other hypothesis is based on Rozin’s analysis of the concept of ‘expression’ of human feelings and ideas as it is presented in art studies. Rozin questions this concept and proves quite the opposite. Based on Rozin, the development of art and ‘color practice’ constitute the emotional life of human but not vice versa. The research article is based on such methods as the comparative analysis, problematization, reference to the author’s teaching about psychic (mental) realities as well as his studies of art and music. As a result, Rozin has managed, in some ways, to distinguish between music and color practice, provide a substantive commentary on N. Volkov’s book emphasizing the most interesting provisions of that book, discuss peculiarities of artistic reality which events are described based on the color and establish the hypothesis about the role of the color concepts offered by Newton and Goethe.

Keywords: Color, sound, music, color practice, creation, art studies, theory, system, painting, music studies.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2018.12.27863

Abstract: In her research Aganina analyzes calligraphy as a time-related intermedia and this is why the nature of the line movement and the sign pattern in general is one of the main criteria for evaluating the caligraphic piece. Considering that the aesthetics of the handwriting movement is more developed in the calligraphy of the Far East, the purpose of this research is to analyze movement as a category that creates the identity of Chinese, Korean and Japanese handwriting in order to review and to use the experience of Far Eastern calligraphy in the European writing. The methodological basis of the research involves the following: the problem statement, classification of aesthetic categories, comparative historical and axiological analysis, and iconological method. As a result of the research, the author concludes that the compositional movement of signs in the Far Eastern calligraphy directly and symbolically relates to the free movement of human body (and spirit) through the space. The fact that China, Korea and Japan have different concepts of the movement of spirit dictates differences in the nature of the sign pattern in the calligraphy of these countries.

Keywords: Japanese calligraphy, Korean calligraphy, Chinese calligraphy, ink brush calligraphy, handwriting, aesthetics of movement, white space, fengliu, meot, mono-no aware

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2020.11.34375

Abstract: This article analyzes the examples of formal compliance with global trends in Russian print design of the XX – early XXI centuries. The subject of this research is the comparative characteristics of Russian and world practice in the area of contemporary graphic art. In this context, the author highlights the stylistic characteristics of expressionism (1910 – 1920) and neo-expressionism (1960s – 1980s). Comparative analysis allows determining the points of intersection of Russian examples to Western analogues, as well as their originalities outlying the formal criteria. Emphasis is placed on the sources of determination of the uniqueness of graphics as a form of art within the history of Russian art studies. In the course of this research, the author brings the examples of “expressive” graphics in the works of N. N. Kupreyanov and A. I. Kravchenko in relation to printmaking of German expressionism, and some recent examples of Russian graphics (Saint Petersburg artists P. S. Bely, P. M. Shvetsov) in comparison to the graphic experiments of A. Kiefer. The conclusions lie in determination of the unique tradition of Russian realism (V. A. Vetrogonsky and V. I. Shistko), which in the author’s opinion, should be considered the crucial actor in the identity of Russian graphics against the trends leveling national cultural differences of international contemporary art.

Keywords: St. Petersburg art, Russian graphics, contemporary Russian art, Realism, Neo-Expressionism, Expressionism, printed graphics, history of graphics, interpretation, identity

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2017.2.22012

Abstract: The present article is devoted to defining and describing the modelling method used by Leonardo da Vinci in his painting. The author's detailed analysis of a number of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings has allowed to define this unique method which key feature is the horizontal or inclined position of a model. Being typical only for da Vinci's creative work, this method was the basis for creating complex contrappostos and light-and-shade effects as well as reflections of the artist's emotions and mood which were so typical for his creative work. The topic of innovations and singularities of Leonardo da Vinci's artistic language is very well studied and presented in both Russian and foreign researches on art history. As it seems, his individual style based on applying new painting and compositional techniques should have made his paintings quite recognizable. However, the question about attributions of his paintings still remains unresolved in Russian art history. Despite availability of modern expertise methods, experts still cannot define which paintings were actually created by Leonardo except for very few paintings kept mostly in the the Louvre. Considering the fact that it is still a rather debatable question in most cases, the purpose of the present research was to discover additional, never before discovered singularities of the artist's individual style which may help to solve the above mentioned problem. The object of the research is Leonardo da Vinci's paintings Gioconda and St. John the Baptist, the copy of his painting Leda and the Swan made by an uknown artist and kept in the Galleria Borghese and Francesco Melzi's painting Colombina. The subject of the research is contrappostos in these paintings. The main method of the research is a detailed analysis of paintings. To prove the thesis about the horizontal posing, the author of the article has carried out a testing experiment based on drawing from nature. Taking into account that the main feature of the modelling method (horizontal posing) is directly related to the research of Gioconda's smile, the author of the article provides a brief analysis of art history theories and hypotheses the explain the phenomenon of that mysterious smile from different points of view. Special attention is paid to analyzing historical sources containing information about Gioconda painting. As a result of the research, for the first time in the academic literature the author defines a unique painting method typical for Leonardo da Vinci's creative work as well as describes his methods of painting from nature as the basis of the aforesaid method. The theoretical importance of teh research is caused by the fact that the author offers totally new concepts and interpretations of The St. John the Baptist and Gioconda as paintings. The detailed analysis of Colombina has also allowed to conclude that that painting initially had another painting plot which was not completed by the artist. Based on that, the author makes a hypothesis that the true portrait of Mona Liza is kept in the State Hermitage. The research results can be used to make an attribution of the artist's paintings. The horizontal posing can be used as an essential feature of Leonardo da Vinci's unique style when attributing and analyzing his paintings.

Keywords: modelling method, horizontal posing, painting from nature, contrapposto, perspective, sfumato, aerial perspective , mystery of a smile, Gioconda , attribution

Abstract: The article reveals peculiarities of the image of a revolutionary – populist in fi ne arts at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th century and its transformation under the infl uence of events ongoing in Russia in those times. Special attention is paid at the creative works by Iterinants such as I. E. Repin and his follower N. I. Verkhoturov as well as N. A. Kasatkin.

Keywords: art history, revolutionary – populist, ‘Popular Will; socialist revolutionary, proletarian, Museum of the Revolution, fi rst Russian revolution in 1905-1907, intellectual – commoner, fi ne art, Iterinants.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2024.4.69933

Abstract: The subject of the study is one of the features of the iconography of the artists of the Viennese Secession, namely the mixing in one work of elements belonging to different cultural traditions, and the use of the Nietzschean concept of decadence (primarily presented by the philosopher in his work "Casus Wagner") to understand the reasons for such a misplacement of boundaries. The author pays special attention to the combination of elements of Christian cult and ancient Greek and Roman mythology in one work (as in the cases of the "Beethoven Frieze" by G. Klimt or such works by M. Klinger as the sculpture of Beethoven for the 1902 Secession exhibition and the monumental canvas "Christ on Olympus"). Another aspect of the above-mentioned cultural mixing was the blurring of the boundary between the fantastic and the real, which is especially evident in such a work as "Self-Portrait with a Mermaid" by K. Moser. The main method of this work is the iconographic analysis of works of art in the collections of museums in Vienna. The conclusion of the article is that the artists of the Vienna Secession, who worked in the last years of the existence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was disintegrating due to many factors, despite their desire to create a new artistic language capable of uniting the peoples of the collapsing country, reflected the destruction of the social order surrounding them in their works. Decadence, which F. Nietzsche associates with the disintegration of a single whole and the loss of hierarchical relationships in favor of individual individuals, released the creative energy of an entire generation of Austrian artists who created their works, ignoring the boundaries that existed before between secular and religious and, as a result, between Christian and pagan, real and imaginary. The novelty of this study lies in the use of special optics, the core of which is the phenomenon of decadence. Through this prism, it is possible to consider the legacy of the Vienna Secession not as a regional vesrion of European art nouveau or the forerunner of twentieth-century modernism, but as part of a different stream of cultural phenomena permeating the culture of Europe of the XIX-XX centuries, not bound by strict stylistic (art nouveau) or iconographic (symbolism) restrictions.

Keywords: myphological imageries, religious art, painting, Koloman Moser, Gustav Klimt, Austro-Hungary, symbolism, art nouveau, decadence, Vienna

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2023.12.69025

Abstract: The article examines two studies of the early period of Mstislav Dobuzhinsky's work, relating to the time of his life and studies in Germany (Munich): "A Street in Munich" (circa 1899-1901) and "Workshop of the Anton Ashbe School" (1899). The author of the article, based on the artistic and critical literature devoted to Dobuzhinsky's work, as well as correspondence and memoirs of the artist and his contemporaries, examines the urban pastel landscape and interior sketch of the late 90s. In the context of the tasks that the artist set himself during his studies abroad at the schools of Anton Ashbe and Shimon Holloshi, as well as in line with the conceptual searches of the artist both in the early and mature periods of creativity. In the analysis of the works under consideration, the author of the article uses formal stylistic, descriptive methods, the study of the features of artistic manner, the nature of the figurative and plastic language of the works, emotional and aesthetic assessment. The author of the article discovers an unconditional coincidence of artistic images, mood and texture of the early sketches of the artist's Munich period with verbal descriptions of the atmosphere of Munich in the late 1890s and the school of Anton Ashbe and his method, left by the artist and his contemporaries in letters, memoirs, art-critical and historical notes. Summing up the analysis of the "Streets of Munich" and the "Workshop of the Anton Ashbe School" by Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, the author of the article concludes that the special, subtle poetic mood of the two works under consideration, a gloomy autumn landscape and a bright sunny interior sketch, representing the early stage of the evolution of the artistic manner of the master, thoughtfully and figuratively reflect the concept "quiet poetry", characteristic of the artist's mature graphics and paintings, consistently developed by him in his further work.

Keywords: World of Art artists, painting study, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Russian Munich, Mir iskusstva, symbolism, painting, graphics, study, landscape

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2013.4.9203

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2013.4.63016

Abstract: Analyzing Arkady Plastov’s late works, we can define the main images and meanings there. Internal harmony typical for work by this master, does not disappear under the influence of new ideas and events in the country’s social and art life. Work created by Plastov during his last ten years of life reflected his attitude to the word. Narrative , selected topics and his preferences in genres were closely connected to his art goals. Opposing to sketches in painting, the artist used expressive opportunities of ‘fast work with nature’ in some of his late works. The author of the article pays special attention at such Arkady Plastov’s portraits and paintings as ‘Grandma Katerina and Tanya Yudina’, ‘Death of the tree’, ‘The Blinds’ and ‘April’. In his late paintings, Arkady Plastov shared his own perception of the world that is based on traditional Russian religious and esthetical views and holistic perception of the world.

Keywords: art history, Arkady Plastov, religious grounds of creative work, Christian system of values, traditional peasant life, composite structure, emphasis on image and meanings, blind, children in art, fine art.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2016.5.20391

Abstract: The article is devoted to the evolution of fractal images in photography as an aesthetic means and creative paradigm in the art of the 20th century. The subject of the research is the means of representing the recursion infinity in analogous and digital art photography. In her research Nikolaeva defines parallels between fractal recursion in photography and traditional and post-modernist paintings (medieval iconography mise en abime, Salvador Dali's and J. Pollock's paintings, M. S. Escher's graphic art and advertising graphic design). Special attention is paid to the creative and cognitive meaning of fractal forms in different genres of photography. The aesthetics of recursion infinity is viewed from the point of view of the interdisciplinary approach that integrates the ideas of philosophy, art theory, art history, choas theory, fractality concept and computer technologies. Based on the analysis of a wide range of photographs made by both Russian and foreign professional photographers and semi-professional members of informatl art socieities, the researcher defines the following types of representation of fractal recursion in art photography: fixed fractal forms of the real world; fractals constructed by special photographic techniques; fractalisation of images bu using the digital post-processing; and algorithmic construction of fractal compositions. It is concluded that the first photographic experience of fractal recursions were deliberately performed by the anachronic method and the source of fractal images was the natural enviromment as it is. Later images of infinite recursion in photography became the result of the application of specific digital techniques and the 'fractal zone' of the search was shifted into the sphere of human nature and culture.

Keywords: recursion, fractal, Droste effect, fractal abstraction, fractal suprematism, aesthetics of infinity, art photography, fractal art, image post-processing, digital art

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2016.5.68270

Keywords: khudozhestvennaya fotografiya, estetika beskonechnosti, effekt Droste, fraktal, rekursiya, post-obrabotka izobrazheniya, tsifrovoe iskusstvo

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0625.2016.6.21405

Abstract: The article is devoted to a unique print of a portrait depicting Paul I of Russia. The engraved portrait is stocked in the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and was made and printed using the calligraphic etching and cutting method by a German craftsman I. Nilson in Augsburg supposedly in the last third of the XVIIIth century and has a complex allegoric program. However, besides associated texts and allegoric images, the engraving has one very interesting feature. Over the entire engraving, there are small cuts that make an individual decorate pattern elegantly completing the general image. This distinguishes the aforesaid portrait from other artwork of the kind and thus provokes special interest. Appealing to the stylistic and iconological research methods, the author makes an attempt to decode the image program, to define circumstances and reasons for making such cuts, and to get an insight about the personality of the one who created them. The cuts are associated with the meaning of the engraving encoded in the image. The name of the owner of the engraving who was so witty to improve the composition in this way is still a mystery. However, based on the evidence, the author of the article tries to create a ‘portrait’ of the owner as well as to describe the cultural and political environment in which the engraving was created. By introducing such a unique piece of art, the author of the article makes a valuable contribution and extends our image of the cultural life of that epoch