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The themes of the exhibition
A Dream of Italy – La dolce vita
In genre painting, everyday life is shown either realistically or in an imaginary or idealised way. Italy was a popular theme among genre painters. Many Russian artists travelled there in the early 19th century as 'pensioners', paid by the St Petersburg Academy of Arts. The heritage of classical antiquity and the Renaissance were very much alive in Italy, but artists were also interested in contemporary culture. In their imagination, Italy was virtually a paradise on earth.
Beauty of Every Day Life
There were two main movements in late 19th century Russian art, academic and realistic. Drawing its inspiration from the people, realism sought to picture external reality faithfully and even critically. Academic art, by contrast, emphasised beauty and technical virtuosity, which led to an often conventional choice of subject matter and an idealised style of depiction.
Artists in both movements aimed to portray daily life, but the perspective was different. The realists were more critical than the academics, whose genre paintings sought to delight and to avoid evoking powerful emotions. Popular academic themes were poignant and entertaining scenes of popular feasts and celebrations.
Still Life
Still life was a favourite genre among academic artists. It was a neutral and safe subject that offered an opportunity to indulge in technical virtuosity. The still life was also open to stylistic reform: Russian Impressionism was a direct descendent of the still life.
Portrait
Salon art is the term for art that was accepted for salon exhibitions organised by art academies. It was characterised by meticulous composition, wealth of detail and literary themes. The most popular genre in Salon art was the portrait. The Russian masters of Salon portraiture Konstantin Makovsky, Alexei Kharlamov and Viktor Schtemberg, painted their sitters in a flattering way, underlining their social status.
Portraits of children were often idealisations of innocence. Children were depicted as sweet, angelic creatures. Artists also reused their child portraits as angels and cherubim in their biblical paintings. Sometimes childhood was addressed in a more earthly way, emphasising the directness and sweet temper of the young sitters, their joy of life and decorative costumes.
The World of Antiquity
Interest in classical Greek and Roman mythology, history and lifestyle was rekindled in Europe in the mid-18th century, which led to the emergence of a Neo-Classical movement in the St Petersburg Academy of Art in the 19th century. In Russia, the movement was known as the Neo-Grecian style. This new style embodied the world of antiquity in the form of impressive groups of human figures, bloodstained dramas and idyllic interiors.
The Old Europe
Historical paintings of imaginary, mythological or actual historical events were the very core of academic art. Russian artists in the 19th century were interested not only in antiquity but also in later periods of European history. Ages of particular fascination for them were those stylistic periods that were missing in Russia, the Gothic and the Renaissance. The lavishly depicted interiors of historical paintings inspired people also to decorate their private residences in the spirit of the Middle Ages, with statues of knights, armour and collections of weapons. The motifs and ornaments of Gothic architecture were also popular decorative motifs.
Biblical subjects
Painters of biblical subjects wanted to marry beauty with the sacred in their paintings. Beauty was portrayed as proof of the divine order in nature. In their depiction of biblical themes, Russian artists often followed European models – art of Italian Renaissance and French Classicism – thus following in the footsteps of Roman Catholic religious art.
The practices of the 19th and early 20th century art world allowed sacral paintings to be displayed in art exhibitions prior to their placement in the ecclesiastical space, and vice versa. Pictures painted for churches were generally icons, devotional religious images, which were not exhibited in art galleries. Such a combination of Western and Russian religious culture even gave rise to criticism within the Russian Orthodox Church.
Neo-Rococo
Revival styles were fashionable in the mid-19th century. A favourite period of Russian Salon art and interior design in particular was Rococo, a borrowing from the 18th century. Neo-Rococo was characteristically sensual, decorative, light, making use of capricious forms and sumptuous materials. Its glamour went well with the age of the Viennese waltz and the carefree lifestyle of the affluent class. Neo-Rococo was particularly popular in porcelain. The impact of the style was so strong that it almost developed into an emblem of bourgeois society. At the end of the 19th century Neo-Rococo merged easily with modern aesthetics.
The Russian Style
Russian artists' interest in the history and lifestyles of their own native country led to the emergence of a national romantic, so-called Russian Style, which is evident in architecture, applied art, arts and crafts, and visual art. Artists were fascinated by Russian 18th century folklife that was untouched by the reforms of Peter the Great. Influences from popular art included decorative motifs and the glowing colours of Russian embroidery. The national dress was one of the basic motifs of the Russian Style.
Orientalism
The interest in Eastern art and life that had emerged in European culture in the 18th century continued into the 19th. As early as the late 19th century, Russian artists were already taking trips to North Africa, India, Central Asia, China and Japan. Their impressions of these countries, their people and customs as well as Eastern architecture are evident in the sketches they made on the trips as well as the paintings later based on them. Through these popular works the great Russian public learned to know exotic countries and people. Oriental culture also influenced home decorators, with boudoirs reminiscent of harems, and bathrooms resembling Turkish baths.
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