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Russian art
has its roots in pre-Christian folk traditions, primarily
woodworking. In Ancient Rus Russian wood carvers specialized in
making devotional objects such as crosses and exquisitely painted
figurines of saints. Only a few samples of this early art have
survived, as the Church mercilessly persecuted woodcarving, in which
it suspected a persistence of paganism. |
Icon and mural
painting (frescoes) came to Russia from Byzantium along with
Christianity. Russian icon painting began to flourish, in
particular, after the 14th century reaching its Golden Age in the
15th century in the work of such artists as Theophanes the Greek,
Andrei Rublev, and Dionysius.
In the 17th
century the emphasis shifted from religious to secular art with
court painting gaining particular prominence. Toward the end of the
17th century, Peter the Great’s reign brought sweeping changes to
all aspects of Russian life including art. New genres came from the
West, such as historical allegory, still life and landscape.
Portrait painting was at the height of fashion in the 18th century
practised by such brilliant artists as Fedor Rokotov, Ivan Argunov,
Dmitri Levitsky and Vladimir Borovikovsky.
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