Why painting in the 17th century in Russia is so important for the history of the country

The seventeenth century is the heyday of the feudal period in Russia. At this time, the feudal-serf system is being strengthened and incidental emergence of bourgeois ties in the bowels of the same system is taking place. Rapid development of cities and the public as a whole led to the flourishing of culture. Painting in the 17th century in Russia also gained strength. The concentration of the masses in large cities began, which, in turn, was the main reason for such a rapid development of culture. The horizon of the Russian people also expanded the beginning of industrial production, which made it necessary to take a closer look at the far regions of the country. Various secular elements penetrate into the painting of the 17th century in Russia. Pictures are becoming more popular.

The impact of the church on art

A great force of the impact of art, in particular painting, was realized by the church. Representatives of the clergy tried to keep under control the writing of pictures, trying to subordinate them to religious dogmatics. People's craftsmen were persecuted - painters, who, in their opinion, departed from established canons.

Painting in the 17th century in Russia was still far from realistic trends and developed very slowly. In the foreground, there was still an abstract dogmatic and allegorical vision of painting. Icons and murals were characterized by an overload of small scenes and objects around the main image. Another characteristic for that time were explanatory inscriptions in the paintings.

Personality and paintings of the 17th century

Describing painting in the 17th century in Russia, we can not fail to mention the artist Simon Fyodorovich Ushakov, who is the author of such famous paintings as "The Savior Not Made by Hands", "The Trinity" and "Planting the Tree of the Russian State." An interesting phenomenon in painting was the interest in man as a person. This was spoken about by the spreading portrait painting of the 17th century in Russia.

It should be noted that the portrait became the property of the masses only from the middle of the 18th century, and until that time only those close to the supreme power could leave a memory for themselves on the canvas of the artist. A number of ceremonial and decorative paintings were created for large public spaces, such as the Academy of Arts, the Senate, the Admiralty and the Imperial Palaces. Portraits could also order families, but did not expose them for show, but left in their circle. They could decorate even the rather poor Petersburg apartments of intellectuals, who tried to follow trends and fashion in society.

Influence on the Russian painting of Western European culture

It should be noted that painting in the 17th century in Russia has changed a lot, especially in portraiture. The real world began to come to the fore with real destinies and processes. Everything became more secular and lifelike. A huge influence was cast from the west. The aesthetic tastes of the West gradually began to flow into Russia. This involved not only art in general, but also such artistic things as dishes, carriages, clothes and much more. It became popular to engage in portraits as a hobby. It was fashionable to bring a picture of the monarchs as a gift to the tsar. In addition to this, the envoys were not averse to acquiring interesting portraits in the world capitals. Already a little later it became popular to imitate the skill of writing on the canvas of foreign artists. The first "Titulars" appear, in which portraits of foreign and Russian princes are depicted.

Despite the fact that the resistance of some circles grew in direct proportion to the increase in the popularity of folk art, it was simply impossible to contain the movement. In the second half of the century, painting in the 17th century in Russia gained great momentum. One of the main workshops of art centers was the Armory Chamber, in which not one hundred paintings were painted by two dozen masters under the direction of Loputskiy, Vuhters and Bezmin. In their works reflected the existing contradictory trends in painting. Some of the paintings were made in the official style, and the other part - in Western European.

Novelty in portrait painting

Painting in the 17th century in Russia has changed its appearance. Has found a new form of secular genre - a portrait. The main theme of art was precisely man. It can be concluded that the role of the individual as a person has increased. The canonical "faces" receded into the background and gave way to everyday relations and the personality as a whole. Poetry has become worthy of a real person, not just a divine or a saint. The ceremonial portrait came off the stage of Russian art. Naturally, his influence did not end today, but it became less important. In the Petrovsky period, he also finds a place on Russian soil, and even exists on a par with the European portrait.

Conclusion

Thus, painting developed in the 17th century in Russia. In short, we can conclude that it was in this century that a turning point in art took place that affected the culture of the country and its further development.