The seventeenth century is the heyday of the feudal period in Russia. At this time, the feudal-serf system was strengthened and the bourgeois ties in the bowels of the same system were born. The rapid development of cities and the public at large has led to a 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 horizons of the Russian people also expanded the beginning of industrial production, which made us take a closer look at the distant regions of the country. Various secular elements penetrate the painting of the 17th century in Russia. Pictures are becoming more popular.
The impact of the church on art
The great power of the influence of art, in particular painting, was also recognized by the church. Representatives of the clergy tried to control the writing of paintings, trying to subordinate them to religious dogma. The persecution was subjected to folk artists - painters, who, in their opinion, departed from the established canons.
Painting in the 17th century in Russia was still far from realistic trends and developed extremely slowly. In the foreground there was still an abstract-dogmatic and allegorical vision of painting. Icons and murals were characterized by overloading with small scenes and objects around the main image. Explanatory inscriptions in the paintings were still characteristic for that time.
Personality and paintings of the 17th century
Describing painting in the 17th century in Russia, one cannot fail to mention the artist Simon Fedorovich Ushakov, who is the author of such famous paintings as “The Holy Savior”, “Trinity” and “Planting the Tree of the Russian State”. A remarkable phenomenon in painting was an interest in a person as a person. This was evidenced by the widespread portraiture 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 of themselves on the artist’s canvas. 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. Families could also order portraits, but did not flaunt them, but left them in their circle. They could even decorate the poor St. Petersburg apartments of intellectuals who tried to follow trends and fashion in society.
Influence on Russian painting of Western European culture
It should be noted that painting in the 17th century in Russia has changed a lot, especially portraiture. The real world began to come to the fore with real fates and processes. Everything became more secular and life-like. Great influence came from the west. The aesthetic tastes of the West gradually began to flow into Russia. This applies not only to art as a whole, but also to such artistic things as dishes, carriages, clothes and much more. It has become popular to engage in portraits as a hobby. It was fashionable to bring pictures of monarchs as a gift to the king. In addition to this, the envoys were not averse to acquiring portraits of interest to them in world capitals. A little later it became popular to imitate the writing skills on canvas of foreign artists. The first “Titulars” appear, in which portraits of foreign and Russian sovereigns 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 restrain 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, in which more than one hundred paintings were painted by two dozen artists under the guidance of Loputsky, Wuhters and Bezmin. Their works reflected the existing conflicting trends in painting. Some of the paintings were made in the official style, and another part - in Western European.
Novelty in Portraiture
Painting in the 17th century in Russia changed its appearance. The secular genre, portrait, took on a new form. 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" faded into the background and gave way to worldly relations and the individual as a whole. The poetry became worthy of a real person, and not just divine or holy. The ceremonial portrait came off the stage of Russian art. Naturally, his influence did not end today, but it has become not so significant. In the Petrine period, he also finds a place on Russian soil, and even exists on a par with the European portrait.
Conclusion
This is how 17th century painting developed in Russia. We can conclude briefly that it was in this century that a turning point in art occurred, affecting the culture of the country and its further development.