Fine Arts in St.-Petersburg in the XIX century

In the first half of the 19 century Petersburg remained the largest center of the artistic culture. The great role in the art development was played by the liberation ideas of the Patriotic War of 1812. The Academy of Arts was not the only one center, uniting artists.In 1801 the progressive "Free Society of the lovers of literature, sciences and art". The artists I.P.Martos G.I.Ugriumov, I.I.Terebenev, A.I.Ivanov and others. In 1821 the Society of the Encouragement of artists was organized (later it was renamed - the Society of the Encouragement of arts). This Society organized exhibitions (since 1825-1826), competitions and similar events and helped artists. In the start of the 19 century the Russian portrait art achieved the great success in the works of O.A.Kiprensky, the representative of realism, whose works were full of romantics (the portraits of A.K.Schvalbe, 1804 , Yev.Davydov, 1809 , A.S.Pushkin, 1827 ). In 1813 Kiprensky depicted the number of the pencil portraits of the Patriotic War of 1812 participants.

Despite the great success of realism in Russian painting, the artists very rare depicted the life of the lowest classes, first of all, peasants. The few exceptions are represented by the pictures of M.Shibanov and water-colours of I.A.Yermenev (18 century). Only A.G.Venetsianov and his numerous students (studied in his studio, out of the Academy of Arts) introduced the pictures of folk life. The first steps in the new genre creation were done by Venetsianov in Petersburg. His pictures, depicted simply, with love to the working people, has shown the life of the peasants and opened the charm of the native rural nature (the picture "Floor", probably 1821-1823, was shown at the exhibition in Petersburg in 1824, and others).

By the middle of the 19 century the crisis of the classic art became unavoidable. The great changes in the Russian society after the Patriotic War of 1812 and Decembrists uprising were reflected in the new demands to the art, formulated by V.G.Belinsky: " All the beauty is contained only in the living reality". At that time the false classic ideals reigned in the Academy of Arts. These ideals were very far removed from reality. In 1863 the severance between the group of the artists with the reactionary management of the Academy of Arts. This event opened the new ways in the development of the realistic art. The young artists, managed by I.N.Kramskoy refused to participate in the competition to win the golden medal, left the Academy of Arts and organized the "Artists cooperative" the first public organization of artists in Russia. The "Artists cooperative" prepared the emergence of the " Travelling artistic exhibitions association" in 1870. This association united the main Russian realistic artists. The works of the "travelers" were exhibited in many cities of the country and were very popular. These works truly and diversely reflected the Russian reality.

In the second half of the 19 century Petersburg was the place of work for many greatest progressive democratic artists. In the 60-s the founder of realism in Russian historical painting V.G.Schwartz and caricaturist N.A.Stepanov, the editor of the democratic revolutionary magazine "Iskra" ("Spark") worked here. Many "travelers" lived in Petersburg. I.N.Kramskoy - the prominent Russian portraitist and the fighter for the new realistic art was the organizer and the head of the "Artists cooperative" and the " Travelling artistic exhibitions association". The great role in the city life was played by the landscape artists-"travelers". In the pictures of I.I.Shishkin ("Rye", 1878 , "Morning in the pine forest", 1889 , "Ship's grove", 1898 ) his mighty realistic talent and his skill to impress the spectator with the magnificent beauty of the Russian nature revealed itself. The talented landscape artist F.A.Vassiliyev lived only 23 years, but his landscapes, full of the poetic excitement and life truth ("The thaw", 1871, "Wet meadow", 1872 ) occupy the honourable place in the Russian art of the 19 century. The number of the excellent Petersburg sights were depicted by A.P.Bogoliubov and A.K.Beggrov.The images of nature, created by A.I.Kuindji are full of the epic calm and power ("Birch grove", 1879 , "Moon night on the Dnieper", 1880 ).

The great part of the creative life of I.Ye.Repin is connected with Petersburg. In 1863 he came to the capital, where he studied in the Academy of Arts. His philosophy of life was formed in the communication with I.N.Kramskoy and his friends from the "Artists cooperative" and during the revolutionary democrats' esthetics studying. In his first large picture - "Barge haulers on the Volga" (1870-1873) Repin revealed itself the great realistic artist, who knows and loves people, notices the hard conditions of the life and the great hidden power. After four years living abroad Repin lived in his motherland, in Tchuguev, then - in Moscow. In 1882 he returned to Petersburg, where the most fruitful and successful period of his creative life was. In 1883 he exhibited the picture finished in Petersburg - "The religious procession in Kurskaya Gubernia". There is not only the religious procession depicted in this canvas, but the post-reforms peasant Russia with its conflicts and hopes is shown. In 1884 Repin exhibited the picture " Not expected". In the period of reaction the depiction of the exile revolutionary return was like the fresh wind, bursting into the sultry rooms. The brightness and psychological acuteness of the images and its picturesque perfection places this work among the masterpieces of the world painting of the 19 century. In 1885 the canvas "Ivan Grozny with his son Ivan" was finished. This picture is the height of his psychological realism. This picture, perceived by the spectators as the autocracy exposion, caused the reaction attacks. The strength, optimism and people's freedom-loving is glorified in the picture "Zaporozhtsy write the letter to the Turkish sultan" (1880-1891 ). The great artistic power could be seen in the portraits of the most prominent men of Russian culture of that time: N.I.Pirogov(1881 ), M.P.Mussorgsky (1881 ), P.A.Strepetova (1882), V.V.Stasov(1883), the number of L.N.Tolstoy's portraits. The sketches to the picture " The State Council session" is characterized with the acuteness of the characters and precision (1901- 1903).

In Petersburg Academy of Arts studied the great Russian historical artist, who worked mostly in Moscow, V.I.Surikov. The most famous work - "Snow city capture" (1891) is in the Russian Museum.