Abstract: The article examines two studies of the early period of Mstislav Dobuzhinsky's work, relating to the time of his life and studies in Germany (Munich): "A Street in Munich" (circa 1899-1901) and "Workshop of the Anton Ashbe School" (1899). The author of the article, based on the artistic and critical literature devoted to Dobuzhinsky's work, as well as correspondence and memoirs of the artist and his contemporaries, examines the urban pastel landscape and interior sketch of the late 90s. In the context of the tasks that the artist set himself during his studies abroad at the schools of Anton Ashbe and Shimon Holloshi, as well as in line with the conceptual searches of the artist both in the early and mature periods of creativity. In the analysis of the works under consideration, the author of the article uses formal stylistic, descriptive methods, the study of the features of artistic manner, the nature of the figurative and plastic language of the works, emotional and aesthetic assessment. The author of the article discovers an unconditional coincidence of artistic images, mood and texture of the early sketches of the artist's Munich period with verbal descriptions of the atmosphere of Munich in the late 1890s and the school of Anton Ashbe and his method, left by the artist and his contemporaries in letters, memoirs, art-critical and historical notes. Summing up the analysis of the "Streets of Munich" and the "Workshop of the Anton Ashbe School" by Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, the author of the article concludes that the special, subtle poetic mood of the two works under consideration, a gloomy autumn landscape and a bright sunny interior sketch, representing the early stage of the evolution of the artistic manner of the master, thoughtfully and figuratively reflect the concept "quiet poetry", characteristic of the artist's mature graphics and paintings, consistently developed by him in his further work.

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.