Abstract: The subject of the study of the proposed article is the early plein-air works of the German expressionist artist Gabriele Munter, later a member of the Blue Horseman art association, a student and friend of Vasily Kandinsky. The authors of the article aim to review and introduce into scientific circulation a number of Munter's sketches created by her during summer trips to the plein air in 1902-1903 to the Alpine towns of Kochel and Kalmunz with the Munich art school "Phalanx", headed by Kandinsky. The article also examines the picturesque plein-air works by Kandinsky, created by him in the same years there, in Bavaria - mainly landscapes and sketches of figures in the landscape. The authors of the study see as their task to trace the influence of Kandinsky's artistic manner and his role as a teacher on the formation of a Munter painter.  The research methodology includes formal stylistic, comparative methods of art criticism analysis, as well as a comprehensive historical and biographical approach. The relevance of the study is due to its scientific novelty: the authors of the article for the first time in Russian-language art history literature describe the pre-expressionist works of Munter during the period of joint plein-airs with Kandinsky, trace the formation of her artistic vision and picturesque manner, the influence of Kandinsky on her formation. The development of the impressionistic technique common to Munter and Kandinsky in the early 1900s, according to the authors of the article, is combined with individual searches for expressiveness of form and color. The first experiments of plein-air oil painting in a special "spatula technique" under the guidance of Kandinsky were accompanied by the successful search for Munter in the field of graphics, mastering the technique of printing color woodcuts. The authors of the article come to the conclusion that the formation of the original manner of Munter was equally influenced by both pictorial emancipation through sketching practice in oil, as well as their own experiences in drawing and engraving.

Abstract: In view of female portrait of the turn of the XIX – XX centuries, which stylistically belongs to “salon” painting of the Russian Art Nouveau, the authors analyzes the two works by the artists of “The World of Art” association – the portrait of Elena Olive by Konstantin Somov (1914) and the portrait of Marina Makovskaya by Alexander Golovin (1912). Both portraits are attributed to the series of female portraits created by Konstantin Somov and Alexander Golovin in the early 1910s. The general circle of  the artists’ clients, similar formats of works, compositional and stylistic techniques allow drawing parallels between the selected portraits and finding certain conceptual similarity. The determination of stylistic, formal and conceptual patterns of both works against the background of the series of similar portraits created by the artists indicates that the generally accepted criterion of “psychologism” of the images in assessing these works is inapplicable. The female portrait of the Art Nouveau appease to be representative, creating “stylish” images of the contemporaries, meeting the tastes of the clients and the moods of Belle Epoque, but virtually not oriented towards personal characteristics and psychologism of the image in traditional sense. However, in the considered portraits, the researchers reveal generalizations and characteristics that describe the psychology of the depicted models in a different way, as well as form a three-dimensional female image of the turn of centuries: the phenomenon of “hidden psychologism”, the prospects for studying which are outlined in this work.

Abstract: This article describes the practical experience of a group of pedagogues, organizers of the elective module “Theory and Practice of Contemporary Art” in Moscow City Pedagogical University (D. S. Matyunina, M. V. Nozdracheva, M. A. Semenova). The authors share their opinion on the role and effectiveness of the system of elective modules in modern university education, outline the primary tasks, and discuss the peculiarities of teaching general university courses of artistic orientation. The focus attention is the questions of motivation of students, who chose the module, possibility of flexible arrangement of the content of disciplines thereof in accordance with attainment level and requests of the student audience. The researchers assume that elective courses allow the students to adjust the content of their professional education. Based on the three-year experience of conducting a joint elective course, the co-authors conclude that elective courses can expand the professional competencies of students in adjacent fields, as well as give confidence to the students majoring in other disciplines to change their own educational trajectory. The article is addressed to the pedagogues and students of higher education institutions.

Abstract: The subject of this article is the picturesque portrait of Natalia Frantsevna Auber by Konstantin Andreevich Somov that refers to the early period of his works – mid of 1890’s. The portrait is viewed in the context of the scenic pursuits of the painter of the prior to “World of Art” stage. The scenic manner alongside the portrait concept are also analyzed with consideration of the impact upon the works of K. A. Somov of the relevant trends of Russian and European portrait paining of the turn of the XIX-XX centuries: traditions of the Russian realistic portrait, European and Scandinavian lines of impressionism and salon. The author applies the method of comparative art analysis, viewing the portrait of N. F. Auber made by K. A. Somov in contrast with other works of the painter and his contemporaries. A particularly valuable contribution into the research of Somov’s portrait concept is defined by the analysis of the new trends emerging in the portrait of N. F. Auber: compositional structure, decorativeness of painting, specificity of spatial structure, and color specificities. All of the listed features are emphasized by the author of the article as the key for establishment of iconography of Somov’s portrait of the “mature” period.