Abstract: This article is a study of the interaction of German and Dutch art in a genre unique to the Republic of the United Provinces of the 17th century – still life. The author examines the paintings of Dutch and Flemish still life masters and studies their contribution to German art, as well as the influence of the work of German artists on the evolution and transformation of still life in the Northern Netherlands of the 17th century. Particular attention is paid to the development trends of various directions of Dutch still life painting in interaction with German art. For the first time the key masters of the genre who worked there are highlighted. The methodology is based on the formal-stylistic method used to analyze still lifes of certain types and on the comparative stylistic analysis. Specific still lifes are analyzed, attention is paid to the socio-historical context that influenced the peculiarities of interaction between artists of the two countries and their artworks. The main conclusions of the study are about the great influence of the work of Dutch still life masters on the formation of the genre in Germany. A major role was played by the personal art preferences of the Great Elector Frederick William I and the artworks of the Dutch artists he invited to work at the court. Moreover, there were no individual genre trends that arose independently in Germany. Compositional features, style and even color choices – all this was dictated by the strong influence of the work of the Dutch masters. It is especially important that German art had virtually no influence on the development of Dutch still life; this genre received unprecedented development in the Northern and Southern Netherlands, largely under the influence of socio-cultural, political and economic processes occurring in two countries.

Keywords: hunting trophies still life, flower still life, trompe-l'œil, Dutch pronkstilleven, XVIIth century painting, baroque, realism painting, German still life, Dutch still life, Flemish still life

Abstract: The subject of the study is Scythian-Sarmatian art in the cultural landscape of Crimea, expressed in sculpture, monumental and decorative arts. The object of the study is the Crimean artifacts of the Scythian-Sarmatian culture (details of jewelry, weapons, sculpture, vase painting) in comparison with similar objects from other regions of settlement of the Scythian-Sarmatian nomadic peoples. The author pays special attention to the identification of the main distinctive features of the Scythian and Sarmatian culture, which is complicated by how much mixed culture develops in the Northern Black Sea region and transformations of the animal style of the Scythian-Sarmatian culture in the Crimean diaspora associated with the influence of ancient culture and Near Asian civilizations. The use of the animal style as part of all subsequent styles, including the Crimean Art Nouveau, which is a reflection of the synthesis of cultures of the multiethnic cultural landscape of Crimea, is also traced. The article uses the method of historicism in retrospect of Scythian-Sarmatian art in the cultural landscape of the Crimea, the comparative method in the comparative analysis of artifacts of the Crimea and the entire territory of Scythia, the method of stylistic analysis in the decorative and applied arts of the Crimea. The main conclusions of the study are: 1. The Crimean cultural landscape is diverse due to the historical polyethnicity of the region, associated with its geographical location and a unique natural complex, which has become a place of numerous ethnic migrations throughout history. This is also connected with the appearance of the Scythian-Sarmatian culture in the Crimea in the ancient era, which left a significant mark on the peninsula. 2. The characteristic features of the Scythian – Sarmatian animal style are simplification of form, linearity and geometrization, which harmoniously fits into the classical anthropomorphic proportions in sculpture, wall painting, vase painting of ancient art. The constructive expediency, conciseness and harmony inherent in the Scythian-Sarmatian animal style through the prism of ancient art became the reason for the global introduction into subsequent architectural and artistic styles, up to the present time. 3. The Scythian-Sarmatian art in the Crimean cultural landscape is unique in that it embodies the original style of the Scythian-Sarmatian people.

Keywords: Scythian animal style, Antique style, Polychromacy, Synthetism, Sarmatian signs, Art, Scythian-Sarmatian culture, Cultural landscape, Crimea, Stylization

Abstract: Since the end of the 17th century, personifications of the four parts of the world, or four continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, and America), have appeared in Russian art, along with many elements of the Western European allegorical vocabulary. These allegorical figures in some works of art attracted the attention of researchers, but their iconography has not yet been elaborately analyzed. The present article summarizes information about personifications of the four parts of the world in 18th-century Russian art. Their iconography is examined in Western European context and in comparison with their descriptions in iconological lexicons (e.g., Honoré Lacombe de Prézel’s "Dictionnaire iconologique, ou introduction à la connoissance des peintures, sculptures, médailles, estampes...") and literature. The iconography of the personifications of the four parts of the world, borrowed from European art, varied from case to case, following different patterns, but remained recognizable. Allegorical figures could be accompanied by various symbolic animals. Sometimes parts of the world could be depicted as children, also in accordance with one of the variations of European iconography. The appearance of allegorical figures of the four continents in panegyric art served to the purpose of glorifying the Russian Empire and its ruler. By pointing to the universality of their meaning, these allegorical figures helped to exalt the imperial nature of power. In addition to the examples of personifications of the four parts of the world in 18th-century Russian art which were already analyzed, the article adds works of art that had not previously attracted attention in connection with this topic, including images of not-preserved decorations of court celebrations, as well as alternative embodiments of universal meaning (such as images of the winds).

Keywords: the art of the eighteenth century, Russian art, Europe, America, Africa, Asia, Four continents, Four parts of the world, personification, allegory

Abstract: The subject of the study is monumental murals, as well as cardboard and sketches by the German artist, one of the founders of the "Union of St. Luke", Friedrich Overbeck (Johann Friedrich Overbeck; 1789-1869), in comparison with his easel works and frescoes by masters of his circle. The object of research is the specifics and evolution of the artist's approach to monumental painting. The purpose of this work is to identify the features of Friedrich Overbeck's fresco painting, and also to analyze the evolution of the manner of his work on monumental cycles. Stylistic, iconographic, historical and cultural analysis is used as the methodological basis of the study. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that despite the fact that Overbeck's activity became one of the important phenomena of European artistic life in the first half of the XIX century, the problem of the formation and development of his approach to fresco painting was practically not touched upon in Russian and Western historiography. This study traced the gradual transition in Overbeck's work from simple illustrative compositions to complex multi-level programs in their meaning. The main specificity of Overbeck's monumental cycles relative to other Nazarenes is the complication of the symbolic content of the works, primarily based on the use of "typological symbolism".

Keywords: Rome, Casino Massimo, Casa Bartholdi, The Nazarenes, monumental painting, Overback, frescoes, romanticism, german art, art of the XIX century

Abstract: The purpose of the study is to identify historical information in the text of the Georgian-language poem "Alguziani": the identification of the personalities mentioned in it is carried out, as well as the determination of the time of the events described. This is followed by an analysis of the text, which makes it possible to identify signs in it (terms, personalities, events) indicating a certain historical epoch. Then the events described in the poem are dated by comparing its plot with the real historical picture of the period determined during the study. In the course of a comprehensive analysis, a picture is formed that allows, firstly, to identify a number of the heroes of the poem with real historical figures of the XIV-XV centuries, and secondly, to point out specific socio–political processes reflected in the tendentious presentation and poetic form.   For the first time, as a result of the analysis, a hypothesis is put forward that determines the dating of specific incidents (the war with the Kalmyk Khan, the war with the Chechen tsar and other plots) and identifies the personalities of the main characters of the work (Alguz, Amakhuni, Cairo Khan, Bibor, Kurtagon and others). The study allows us to express a reasoned opinion according to which the events described in the poem "Alguziani" describe the processes of the XV century and reflect the confrontation of the Crimean Khanate and the Great Horde, as well as the peoples of the Caucasus involved in it. Thus, regardless of who the author of the poem was, it arouses historical interest and can serve as an appropriate source for researchers.

Keywords: The Big Horde, Hour, Weights, XV century, Cairo Khan, Chechnya, Circassia, Ossetia, Alguziani, Crimean Khanate

Abstract: The subject of the study is the issue of interaction between the artist – J.O. Fragonard - and an influential official institution, such as the Paris Academy of Painting and Sculpture in the XVIII century. From the standpoint of historical sociology and psychology, the author discusses why, having achieved significant success, won the Rome Prize and received the title of appointed, the artist preferred to move away from the Academy and deliberately refused to build an academic career. Analyzing the reasons for such a decision, the author draws on historical sources that allow to obtain data on the private life of the master, his relations with teachers, academic authorities, customers of various categories. Reconstructing the artistic environment of Paris of the period under consideration, the author places his hero in a broad cultural context, without which it is impossible to understand Fragonard's place among his predecessors and contemporaries. Of course, the author constantly checks with scientific works, where the problems of interest to him are touched upon.     For the first time in Russian historiography, the author examines in detail the main facts of the biography of J.O. Fragonard in the context of his relations with the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. However, the principal novelty of the study lies in the attention to how a new type of personality is formed in the French artistic environment of the middle of the XVIII century, unlike the type prevailing at the end of the previous century. Artists from the time of the foundation of the Royal Academy sought first of all to separate themselves from the craft environment, to prove their belonging to the creative elite and their equality with the advanced Italian masters. Now, the defense of creative freedom, including from the Royal Academy, comes to the fore, the search for one's own path, which is not always compatible with an academic career. According to the author, the experience of creative freedom gained by such Rococo masters as J.-O. Fragonard turned out to be especially important for the further development of French art.

Keywords: Paris Academy of Painting, patronage, art criticism, Salons, rococo, french art, the art of the XVIII century, School of patronized students, French Academy Rome, Fragonard

Abstract: The subject of this study is the analysis of the 50th anniversary of the Soviet craft of the Palekh lacquer miniature of 1974. The background and the course of the festive celebrations are revealed in detail, the characteristics of those areas of activity that were used by the Soviet state, the intelligentsia and society to popularize and recognize the Palekh craft are given. The purpose of the article is to try to prove the important role of the official celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Palekh lacquer miniature for the development of this craft, as well as to approve the fundamental thesis about the importance of studying this phenomenon - celebrating the anniversaries of the Palekh lacquer miniature craft of the Soviet period – for studying its history. Using narrative, retrospective and historical-systemic research methods, the author focuses on the importance of state and society support for the life of the Palekh fishery of the Soviet period, which is an extremely urgent problem in our time, when the fishery, according to many Palekh artists, is experiencing decline due to insufficient attention from the state. Thus, the scientific novelty of the study consists in an attempt to comprehensively describe a specific historical phenomenon that can serve as a model for future state policy towards Palekh as a unique heritage of Russian culture. The opinion expressed about the need to repeat the Soviet experience is the main conclusion of the proposed article.

Keywords: folk art, soviet art criticism, Ivanovo, Ivan Ivanovich Golikov, russian lacquer crafts, russian lacquer miniature, Palekh, exhibition activities, exhibition, arts and crafts

Abstract: The subject of research in this article is the iconography and cult of St. Martin of Tours in the Catalan altar painting tradition. The object of the study is a unique monument of the first half of the 12th century – the frontal of Sant Marti de Puigbo, once considered one of the most ancient works of Catalan Romanesque panel painting. The author made an attempt to dispel the historiographical myth about the antiquity of piece of art and embed it into the historical, cultural and political context. It was the method of iconographic analysis that made it possible to link the creation of the frontal of Sant' Marti de Puigbo with the special cult of Saint Martin of Tours in the Catalan Comarques, as well as with his patronage of the counts of Barcelona. In the course of the study, the author concluded that the creation of the Frontal Sant' Marti de Puigbo is connected with the reign of Count Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona, whose patron saint was Saint Martin. This conclusion made it possible to more accurately date the frontal from the church of Sant'marti de Puigbo. The connection between the veneration of the cult of St. Martin and the activities of Ramon Berenguer is evidenced by archival documents, as well as some monuments dedicated to St. Martin located in the territories controlled by the Count of Barcelona. The analysis made it possible to link the iconography of St. Martin on the frontal from Puigbo with the iconography of Ramon Berenguer III on the tombstone of the count from the monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll, which also allowed the author to conclude that the frontal and the sculptural tombstone could have been made in the same workshop. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that no attempt has yet been made to completely reconstruct the context of commission of this example of the Catalan altarpiece painting and determine the exact time and place of its creation.

Keywords: altarpiece, medieval art, Ramon Berenger III, panel painting, romanesque painting, Catalonia, altar painting, Saint Martin of Tours, iconography, frontal

Abstract: The subject of this research is the book illustration by F. Infante in comparison with his graphics and easel works. The object of this research is the image of space in the book illustration by Francisco Infante. The research employs the popular science and science fiction publications illustrated by Francisco Infante, as well as his graphics and painting. The article examines the specificity and uniqueness of the image of space in the artist’s works. Attention is given to comprehensive comparison of this image in the book illustration with the more extensive context F. Infante’s works. Based on the example of book graphics and analysis of theoretical concepts of F. Infante, the article aims to reveal the distinctness of his representations of space from the perspective of the utopia of relations between man and the Universe, as well as to determine how illustrations on this topic fit into the general context of the works of the artist. The main conclusion lies in description of the unique approach of F. Infante towards the indicated topic. The artist referred to the main motifs from his graphics and easel painting; however, modified them according to the specificity of plotline of the illustrated publication. Special attention is paid to the artist's preferred shapes: spiral and dot, with allowed reflecting the idea of the infinite space. The novelty of this article consists in reference to the material that has not yet been used for comprehensive scientific work in the field of art history. The author is first to introduce into the scientific context the book illustration by Francisco Infante on the space theme.

Keywords: soviet illustration, science fiction, graphics, Infante, space image, book illustration, Soviet Nonconformist Art, spiral, dot, space utopia

Abstract: The object of this research is the artistic heritage of Slovenian painter and teacher of painting Anton Ažbe (1862-1905) and its interpretation in the works of art historians and testimonies of his students and contemporaries. The subject of this research is the graphic and painting works of Anton Ažbe. The goal consists in reconsideration of the existing within modern art history understanding of the vector of creative path of the painter. Particular attention is given to his painting “The Black Girl” and clarification of the date of its creation. In the course of writing this article, the author applied the method of formal-stylistic analysis for meeting the precise purpose of the article. The scientific novelty of this study consists in reinterpretation of creative development of the Slovenian painter and teacher of painting Anton Ažbe based on the new information of the date of creation of one of his signature paintings – “The Black Girl”. The main conclusion lies in characteristics of the evolutionary stages of creative development of Anton Ažbe.

Keywords: Anton Ažbe, Anton Ažbe’s oeuvre, Ažbe’s paintings, Ažbe’s graphic works, Anton Ažbe’s pedagogical method, sphere principle, crystallization of color, Munich art, German art, 19th century art

Abstract: This article attempts to interpret the allegorical program of the recently introduced into the scientific discourse “Portrait of Empresses Anna Petrovna and Elizabeth Petrovna”, painted in 1721-1723 by the court artist Louis Caravaque (1684, Marseilles – 1754 Saint Petersburg) for the Marly Palace in Peterhof, as gauged by the photograph from the Scientific Archive of the State Museum-Reserve "Petergof” and a replica of the unknown artist from the Museum of Visual Arts of the Republic of Karelia (Petrozavodsk). The attributes of the models are interpreted in the context of the European traditions of emblem studies and iconography, which were known in Russia. The ordered for private interior portrait was meant for decorating the personal space of the monarch. In the portrait of Peter’s dearly loved daughters, the artist used symbolism and compositional solution reflected in the widespread version of allegorical iconography of the concept of Pax (peace) in a form of two female figures with corresponding attributes, which was relevant for Russian due to the Russia’s triumph in the Great Northern War and requested in 1723 by S. Raguzinsky in direct order of Peter sculptural group of Pietro Baratta. Celebrations dedicated to the Treaty of Nystad in the beginning of 1722 in Moscow concurred with the Name Day of Anna and announcement of Elizabeth’s age of majority. The creation of portrait could be associated with award the title of Tsesarevna for the daughters of Peter. It is not unlikely that the dominant role of Anna in the portrait could be not due to her seniority, but the plans that she would become the dynasty heiress.

Keywords: tsesarevna Anna Petrovna, Treaty of Nystad, myths of Empire, 18th century, Russian art, Peter I's children, allegorical portrait, Louis Caravaque, tsesarevna Elizaveta Petrovna, allegory of PAX

Abstract: The object of the study is the artistic life of the city of Krasnoyarsk during the First World War. As a subject of the study, the role of foreign artists-prisoners of war in the creative processes of the Siberian province (1914-1920) is studied. The activities of the prisoners, influencing the regional history of art has not been studied, although it is clear that the long stay of foreign masters in the Siberian camps, manifested in the artistic process of the Russian periphery, affect the creative search of local artists, significantly affected the Siberian culture. Using an interdisciplinary approach and methods of synthesis and analogy, isolated and little-known information together in holistic subjects and recreate the artistic processes of the city. In historical reconstructions, the role of prisoners of war becomes apparent and is associated with the introduction of various artistic traditions, the influence on local art education, the activation of the exposition process. In general, during the First World War it was the enrichment of the local creative gene pool, allowing the artistic life of the city to avoid stagnation and dynamic development not only in the period in question, but also refined at the subsequent stages of history.

Keywords: Siberia, art school, art education, art exhibition, Krasnoyarsk, First World War, camp for prisoners of war, artistic life, prisoners of war, artist

Abstract: The subject of this work is the iconographic program of the mosaic of apse of oratory of the Abbey Theodulf in Germigny-des-Prés. The object of this research is the oratory of the Abbey Fleury and Bishop of Orleans Theodulf in Germigny-des-Prés – a unique heritage of the Carolingien era, which not only allows touching the historical source as a priceless document and witness, but also raises multiple questions. The discussion field consists not only from the aspects of preservation of heritage, state and dating of the fragments of its decoration, but also the program of mosaic which is noted for a unusual iconographic and style of performance. In the presented research based on the iconographic method and interdisciplinary approach, the author analyzes the Old Testament images of Theodulf’s mosaic, comparing them with the texts of the Holy Scripture. The author examines the modern perception on the discussion iconographic program of the mosaic of apse of the oratory in Germigny-des-Prés and suggests its own version of explanation of Theodulf’s iconographic scheme, which complements the already existing interpretational picture. It is demonstrated that the Ark of the Covenant is the main conceptual object of this program, and the invisible Glory of the Lord that is present between the cherubs of the Ark is closely connected to the liturgical symbolic.

Keywords: Ark of the Covenant, Mosaic, Glory of God, Cherubs, Carolingien era, Eucharistic, Iconographic program, Oratory, Theodulf, Germigny-des-Prés