BVA312 Art History 28 May 2019 Russian Art

The Art of Russia


Movement - Constructavism


episode one - Out of the Forest
3000 BC

Year 988 - uniting the country - ordered destruction of pagan idols and converted to Christianity.  Prince Vladimir - Santa Sophia Cathedral  11th C Kiev.  Byzantine in style - adopted a religion and an entire culture - from modern day Istanbul (Constantinople)   -


A simplicity that spoke directly to the people. 
The ICON - a painting on wood of a Saint, prophet or Jesus himself. 
This relates to my practice - my story characters are similar to icons - legends.  Worshiped a fertility figure, a mother figure - so they related well to Mary mother of Jesus.  The people needed something sacred to touch because of their isolation.

The BOOK - illuminations and texts - calligraphy.  Transcribed the bible so people could understand the words and text.  The text is a work of art itself. 

interior of Cathedral

 

The new religion was under threat, attacked by the Mongols from the East - they destroyed art unless it was gold and could be melted down.  City was looted and destroyed, cut off from the West.  Old  Russia developed its culture in isolation.  200 years Russian Christian culture existed in the forested lands, a subjected people who paid taxes to nomadic Mongol rulers.

A mix of Christian and pagan gods - due to the isolation.  Freedom of worship was granted - focused energies on the spiritual world - again like my practice of story telling.  Icons were almost like stencils which were traced out - in Russia they took a unique form - Hold Trinity Monastery   https://bridgetomoscow.com/the-holy-trinity-st-sergius-monastery_2





http://www.iconrussia.ru/eng/painting/iconostas/brief.php


The Iconostasis Candlemas
Monastery in Moscow. 
Photo by V.V.Chistyakov, 2005


The icons tell a story - this is interesting as this relates to my practice too.  Christianity is a refuge from the cold in Russia.  Warming themselves at the fire of the Christian faith.

Icons have also  become emblems for the Rich collectors in Russia - large private collections.

Icons represent the human aspect, eg Mary mother of Jesus. 

Ivan the Terrible - brought up in the Orthodox Christian faith - was a terrible psychopathic person, tortured and murdered people, small animals.  Had himself painted into icons -
  


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blessed_Be_the_Host_of_the_King_of_Heaven

Middle of 16th C - Ivan the Terrible was the first Russian Czar.  Painted the Holy city as an idealized vision of Moscow. 

Ivan IV Vasilyevich, commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of Russia from 1547 to 1584. Ivan was the crown prince of Vasili III, the Rurikid ruler of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and was appointed Grand Prince at three years-old after his father's death. Wikipedia

Born: 25 August 1530, Kolomenskoye, Moscow, Russia

Died: 28 March 1584, Moscow, Russia

Nickname: Grozny

Full name: Ivan IV Vasilyevich

Spouse: Maria Nagaya (m. 1580–1584), MORE

Children: Feodor I of Russia, Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich of Russia

Source - Wikipedia & https://www.historyonthenet.com/ivan-the-terrible

Peter The Great  - 1st Czar to travel abroad.  Saint Petersburg  

https://arthive.com/artists/1165~Alexey_Gavrilovich_Venetsianov/works/13958~Peter_The_Great_The_Foundation_Of_St_Petersburg

Peter the Great meditating the idea of building St Petersburg at the shore of the Baltic Sea – 1916 Painting by Alexandre Benois

https://learnodo-newtonic.com/peter-the-great-accomplishments

Changed the way people looked at art work.  Cultural exchange - iconography 

Hermitage Museum - https://maketimetoseetheworld.com/inside-the-hermitage-museum-st-petersburg-russia/

Homework link is on blackboard.

■http://watchdocumentaries.com/the-art-of-russia/