A summary and overview of the developments in the history of Russian art, from the Middle Ages to the 1900s.
[Russian painting] Few anthologies of the history of Russian art are available today. Most are quite dated. This volume in the Painting in Europe series directed by Carlo Pirovano has several strong points. It devotes equal attention to the aspects of content (subjects, iconography, program) and those of artistic form. Its principal aim is to offer an overview of the artistic processes that have taken place in Russia as a whole, without lingering over local phenomena. The main issues discussed include the relationship between Russian and Byzantine art, and the complex dialectic with the cultures of Western Europe.
From the flourishing production of icons of Byzantine art to the 20th century, the book retraces all the phases of the Russian cultural adventure, illustrating works, artists, schools and movements with to sumptuous imagery, including many items never previously published. The work is edited by Engelina Smirnova, professor of Russian History at the University of Moscow. The thirteen essays in the two volumes are by eminent Russian scholars.