The Russian canvas
Subtitle: painting in imperial Russia, 1757-1881
By: Rosalind P. Blakesley
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 365
ISBN-13: 9780300184372
Subjects: Russian Painting; Art and society; History
Description: The Russian Canvas charts the remarkable rise of Russian painting in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the nature of its relationship with other European schools. Starting with the foundation of the Imperial Academy of the Arts in 1757 and culminating with the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881, it details the professionalization and wide-ranging activities of painters against a backdrop of dramatic social and political change. The Imperial Academy formalized artistic training but later became a foil for dissent, as successive generations of painters negotiated their own positions between pan-European engagement and local and national identities. Drawing on original archival research, this groundbreaking book recontextualizes the work of major artists, revives the reputations of others, and explores the complex developments that took Russian painters from provincial anonymity to international acclaim.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Creating an academy; title: The vanguard; title: Challenges and champions; title: Beyond St Petersberg; title: Travellers; title: History painters abroad; title: Outliers; title: Casting a critical eye; title: The realist debate; title: Women Artists; title: Coda: 1881.