Why painting in the 17th century in Russia is so important for the history of the country

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The seventeenth century is the heyday of the feudal period in Russia. At this time, the feudal-serf system was strengthened and bourgeois ties were born along the way in the depths of the same system. The rapid development of cities and society in general led to the flourishing of culture. Painting in the 17th century in Russia also gained strength. The masses began to concentrate in large cities, which, in turn, was the main reason for such a rapid development of culture. The horizons of the Russian people were also expanded by the beginning of industrial production, which forced them to take a closer look at the distant regions of the country. Various secular elements permeate 17th century painting in Russia. The paintings are becoming more and more popular.

Church impact on art

The church was also aware of the great power of the impact of art, in particular painting. Representatives of the clergy tried to control the writing of pictures, trying to subordinate them to religious dogma. People's masters were persecuted - painters, who, in their opinion, departed fromestablished canons.

Painting in the 17th century in Russia was still far from realistic tendencies and developed extremely slowly. In the foreground there was still an abstract dogmatic and allegorical vision of painting. Icons and murals were distinguished by congestion with small scenes and objects around the main image. Explanatory inscriptions on the pictures were also characteristic of that time.

17th century personality and paintings

Describing painting in the 17th century in Russia, one cannot fail to mention the artist Simon Fedorovich Ushakov, who is the author of such famous paintings as "The Savior Not Made by Hands", "Trinity" and "Planting the Tree of the Russian State". A remarkable phenomenon in painting was the interest in man as a person. This was evidenced by the widespread portraiture of the 17th century in Russia.

It should be noted that the portrait became the property of the masses only from the middle of the 18th century, and until that time only those close to the supreme power could leave a memory of themselves on the artist's canvas. A number of ceremonial and decorative paintings were created for large public spaces such as the Academy of Arts, the Senate, the Admir alty and the Imperial Palaces. Families could also order portraits, but they did not flaunt them, but left them in their own circle. They could decorate even the poor St. Petersburg apartments of the intelligentsia, who tried to follow the trends and fashion in society.

Influence on Russian paintingWestern European culture

It should be noted that painting in the 17th century in Russia has changed a lot, especially portraiture. The real world with real destinies and processes began to come to the fore. Everything became more secular and lifelike. Huge influence wafted from the West. The aesthetic tastes of the West gradually began to flow into Russia. This applied not only to art in general, but also to such artistic things as dishes, carriages, clothes, and much more. It became popular to engage in portraits as a hobby. It was fashionable to bring paintings depicting monarchs as a gift to the king. In addition to this, the envoys were not averse to acquiring portraits of interest to them in world capitals. A little later, it became popular to imitate the skill of painting on canvas by foreign artists. The first "Titulars" appear, which depict portraits of foreign and Russian sovereigns.

Despite the fact that the resistance of some circles grew in direct proportion to the increase in the popularity of folk art, it was simply impossible to contain the movement. In the second half of the century, painting in the 17th century gained momentum in Russia. One of the main workshops of art centers was the Armory, in which more than one hundred paintings were painted by two dozen masters under the guidance of Loputsky, Wukhters and Bezmin. Their works reflected the existing contradictory trends in painting. Some of the paintings were made in the official style, and the other part - in the Western European style.

New inportrait painting

Painting in the 17th century in Russia changed its appearance. The secular genre took on a new form - the portrait. Man became the main theme of art. It can be concluded that the role of the individual as a person has increased. Canonical "faces" faded into the background and gave way to worldly relations and the personality as a whole. Poetry became worthy of a real person, and not just a divine or saint. The ceremonial portrait has left the stage of Russian art. Naturally, his influence has not ended today, but it has become less significant. In the Petrine period, he also finds a place for himself on Russian soil, and even exists on a par with the European portrait.

Conclusion

This is how the painting of the 17th century developed in Russia. Briefly, we can conclude that it was in this century that a turning point occurred in art, which influenced the culture of the country and its further development.