Archaic and classicizing tendencies of the Russian provincial portrait

Abstract

The article is devoted to the artistic features of one of the striking phenomena of Russian painting of the XVIII – XIX centuries – the Russian provincial portrait. The purpose of the study is to identify trends in its development, thereby contributing to the definition of the role and place of the provincial portrait in the history of Russian art. Based on the historical-cultural, formal stylistic and iconographic methods of analyzing provincial painting, as well as on the results of restoration and technical and technological research, we propose to identify two trends in pro vincial portraiture: archaic and classicizing. The archaic trend is based on the iconographic parsunian tradition, which is associated with the system of provincial art education, widespread since the second half of the XVIII century. Nevertheless, the archaic trend continues to exist in the 19th century, developing in parallel with the second trend – the classicizing trend of pro vincial portrait. The classicizing trend was strongly developed in the first half – middle of the XIX century, which is associated with the educational activities of the artists of the aca demic school. This trend is focused on metropolitan art, primarily on classicism, but it captures various stylistic trends that existed against the background of classicism, trying on and adapting the latest trends in the provincial environment. The classicizing trend was strongly developed in the first half to the middle of the XIX century, which is associated with the educational activi ties of the artists of the academic school.