RUSSIA

By: Josefino Tulabing Larena AB, CPS, CPE ,MPA

Humanities 101

ARCHITECTURE

Russian architecture

• Russian architecture follows a tradition whose roots were established in the Eastern Slavic state of Kievan Rus'. After the fall of Kiev, Russian architectural history continued in the principalities of Vladimir-Suzdal, Novgorod, the succeeding states of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the modern Russian Federation.

Kievan Rus' (988–1230)

• The medieval state of Kievan Rus' was the predecessor of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine and their respective cultures (including architecture). The great churches of Kievan Rus', built after the adoption of Christianity in 988, were the first examples of monumental architecture in the East Slavic region. The architectural style of the Kievan state, which quickly established itself, was strongly influenced by Byzantine architecture. Early Eastern Orthodox churches were mainly built from wood, with their simplest form known as a cell church. Major cathedrals often featured many small domes, which has led some art historians to infer how the pagan Slavic temples may have appeared.

Cathedral of St. Sophia, Novgorod

• The Cathedral of St. Sophia (the Holy Wisdom of God) in Veliky Novgorod is the cathedral church of the Archbishop of Novgorod and the mother church of the NovgorodianEparchy.

Early Muscovite period (1230–1530)

• The Mongols looted the country so thoroughly that even capitals (such as Moscow or Tver) could not afford new stone churches for more than half a century. Novgorod and Pskov escaped the Mongol yoke, however, and evolved into successful commercial republics; dozens of medieval churches (from the 12th century and after) have been preserved in these towns. The churches of Novgorod (such as the Saviour-on-Ilyina-Street, built in 1374), are steep-roofed and roughly carved; some contain magnificent medieval frescoes. The tiny and picturesque churches of Pskov feature many novel elements: corbel arches, church porches, exterior galleries and bell towers. All these features were introduced by Pskov masons to Muscovy, where they constructed numerous buildings during the 15th century (including the Deposition Church of the Moscow Kremlin (1462) and the Holy Spirit Church of the Holy Trinity Lavra, built in 1476).

Andronikov Monastery

• Andronikov Monastery of the Saviour (Russian: Андро́ников монасты́рь, Спа́со-Андро́ников монасты́рь, or Андро́ников Нерукотво́рного Спа́са монасты́рь) is a former monastery on the left bank of the Yauza River in Moscow, consecrated to the Holy Image of Saviour Not Made by Hands and containing the oldest extant (i.e. outside the Kremlin) building in Moscow. It is home to Andrei RublevMuseum of Old Russian Art, named after the most famous monk of this abbey.

Middle Muscovite period (1530–1630)

• In the 16th century, the key development was the introduction of the tented roof in brick architecture. Tent-like roof construction is thought to have originated in northern Russia, since it prevented snow from piling up on wooden buildings during long winters. In wooden churches (even modern ones), this type of roof has been very popular. The first tent-like brick church is the Ascension church in Kolomenskoe (1531), designed to commemorate the birth of Ivan the Terrible. Its design gives rise to speculation; it is likely that this style (never found in other Orthodox countries) symbolized the ambition of the nascent Russian state and the liberation of Russian art from Byzantine canons after Constantinople's fall to the Turks.

• Tented churches were popular during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Two prime examples dating from his reign employ several tents of exotic shapes and colors, arranged in an intricate design: the Church of St John the Baptist in Kolomenskoye(1547) and Saint Basil's Cathedral on Red Square (1561). The latter church unites nine tented roofs in a striking circular composition.

Late Muscovite period (1630–1712)

• After the Time of Troubles the church and state were bankrupt, unable to finance any construction works; an initiative was taken by rich merchants in Yaroslavl, on the Volga. During the 17th century, they built many large cathedral-type churches with five onion-like cupolas, surrounding them with tents of bell towers and aisles. At first the churches' composition was sharply asymmetrical, with different parts balancing each other on the "scale-beam" principle (e.g., the Church of Elijah the Prophet, 1647–50). Subsequently the Yaroslavl churches were strictly symmetrical, with cupolas taller than the building itself, and amply decorated with polychrome tiles (e.g., the Church of John the Chrysostom on the Volga, 1649–54). A zenith of Volga architecture was reached in the Church of St John the Baptist (built 1671-87)—the largest in Yaroslavl, with 15 cupolas and more than 500 frescoes. The brick exterior of the church, from the cupolas down to the tall porches, was elaborately carved and decorated with tiles.

Imperial Russia (1712–1917)

• In 1712, Peter I of Russia moved the capital from Moscow to St Petersburg, which he planned to design in the Dutch style usually called Petrine baroque. Its major monuments include the Peter and Paul Cathedral and Menshikov Palace. During the reign of Empress Anna and Elizaveta Petrovna, Russian architecture was dominated by the luxurious baroque style of Bartolomeo Rastrelli; Rastrelli's signature buildings include the Winter Palace, the Catherine Palace and the Smolny Cathedral. Other distinctive monuments of the Elizabethan Baroque are the bell tower of the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra and the Red Gate.

Post-Revolution (1917–1932)

• In the first year of Soviet rule all architects refusing to emigrate (and the new generation) denounced any classical heritage in their work and began to propagate formalism, the most influential of all Revivalist themes. Great plans were drawn for large, technically advanced cities. The most ambitious of all was the Tower of the Third Internationale, planned in 1919 by Vladimir Tatlin (1885–1953)—а 400-meter spiral, wound around a tilted central axis with rotating glass chambers. Impossible in real life, the Tatlin Tower inspired a generation of constructivist architects in Russia and abroad. The Shukhov Tower, rising 160 metres (520 ft) above Moscow, was completed in 1922. According to the initial plans the Hyperboloid Tower by Vladimir Shukhov (with a height of 350 metres (1,150 ft) had an estimated mass of 2,200 tonnes (2,200,000 kg), while the Eiffel Tower in Paris (with a height of 350 metres (1,150 ft)) weighs 7,300 tonnes (7,300,000 kg).

Lenin's Mausoleum

• Lenin's Mausoleum (Russian: Мавзоле́й Ле́нина, tr. MavzoléyLénina; IPA: [məvzɐˈlʲej ˈlʲenʲɪnə]) also known as Lenin's Tomb, situated in Red Square in the center of Moscow, is the mausoleum that serves as the current resting place of Vladimir Lenin. His embalmed body has been on public display there since shortly after his death in 1924 (with rare exceptions in wartime). Aleksey Shchusev's diminutive but monumental granite structure incorporates some elements from ancient mausoleums, such as the Step Pyramid and the Tomb of Cyrus the Great.

Postwar Soviet Union• Stalinist architecture put a premium on conservative monumentalism.

During the 1930s there was rapid urbanisation as a result of Stalin's policies, and there was an international competition to build the Palace of the Soviets in Moscow at that time. After 1945, the focus was on both rebuilding structures destroyed in World War II and erecting new ones: seven high-rise buildings were built at symbolic points in the Moscow area. The construction of Moscow University (1948–1953), by Lev Rudnev and associates, is particularly notable for its use of space. Another example is the Exhibition Centre in Moscow, built for the second All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (VSKhV) in 1954. This featured a series of pavilions, each decorated in representative style. Other well-known examples are the stations of the Moscow and Saint Petersburg Metros built during the 1940s and 1950s, famous for their extravagant design and vivid decoration. In general, Stalinist architecture changed the appearance of many post-war cities; much survives to this day in central avenues and public buildings.

Stalinist architecture

• Stalinist architecture (Russian: ста́линский ампи́р –Stalin's Empire style or Russian: стал́инскийнеоренессан́с – Stalin's Neo-renaissance), also referred to as Stalinist Empire style, or Socialist Classicism, is a term given to architecture of the Soviet Union under the leadership of Joseph Stalin, between 1933, when Boris Iofan's draft for Palace of the Soviets was officially approved, and 1955, when Nikita Khrushchev condemned "excesses" of the past decades and disbanded the Soviet Academy of Architecture. Stalinist architecture is associated with the socialist realism school of art and architecture.

Modern Russia

• As the Soviet Union fell apart many of its projects were put on hold, and some cancelled altogether. However, for the first time there was no longer any control over what theme a building should have or how high it should be. As a result, with generally improving financial conditions architecture grew at a high rate. For the first time modern methods of skyscraper construction were implemented; this resulted in an ambitious business centre in Moscow, Moscow City. In other cases, architects returned to successful designs of Stalinist architecture, which resulted in buildings like the Triumph Palace in Moscow.

Triumph Palace

• Triumph Palace (Russian: Триу́мф-Пала́с, transliterated as Triumf Palas) is the tallest apartment building in Moscow and all of Europe. It is sometimes called the Eighth Sister[citation needed] because it is similar in appearance to the Seven Sisters skyscrapers built in Moscow by Joseph Stalin through the 1950s. Construction began in 2001.

• The 57-storey building, containing about 1,000 luxury apartments[citation needed], was topped out on 20 December 2003, making it Europe's[1] and Russia's tallest skyscraper at 264.1 metres (866 ft) until the inauguration in 2007 of Moscow's 268 metre NaberezhnayaTower block C.

VISUAL ART

Vasily Perov (1833-82)

• One of the most important Russian artists to follow the socially sympathetic but non-political generation of subject/genre painters such as Alexei Venetsianov (1780-1847) and Mikhail Shibanov (1749–1790), Vasily Perovpioneered the new style of critical realism in Russian art which was later greatly advanced by the likes of Ilya Repin(1844-1930), Konstantin Savitsky (1844-1905), Nikolai Kasatkin (1859-1930) and Sergei Ivanov (1864-1910). A founding member of the Wanderers (Itinerants) artist group, Perov painted a number of famous genre paintings (all purchased by Pavel Tretyakov for the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow) including: Easter Procession in the Country (1861), The Last Farewell (1865), The Drowned Girl (1867), and Hunters at Rest (1871). But Perov was by no means restricted to genre painting. He also produced outstanding landscapes such as The Last Tavern at the Town Gate (1868, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow); works of portraiture such as Portrait of the Playwright Alexander Ostrovsky(1871 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), Portrait of the Author Ivan Turgenev (1872 Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), and Portrait of the Author Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1872 TretyakovGallery, Moscow); and history paintings like The Condemnation of Pugachev (1879, The History Museum, Moscow). Lastly, he was an excellent teacher at the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture, whose pupils included Isaac Levitan (1860-1900) and Abram Arkhipov(1862-1930).

Vasily Surikov (1848-1916)

• The Siberian Cossack painter Vasily Surikov, along with Ilya Repin(1844-1930) is one of the greatest ever Russian artists to explore the genre of history painting. Based in Moscow, he travelled to Northern and Southern Russia, as well as to Italy, Germany, France and Spain. He was a member of the progressive artist group known as The Association of Travelling Art Exhibitions (aka The Wanderers, or Itinerants) and was frequently represented in their exhibitions. While Surikov's main contribution to Russian art is his series of large-scale historical canvases, he also painted landscapes, portraits, and watercolours. Patronized by several art collectors including Pavel Tretyakov (1832-98), and SavvaMamontov (1841-1918), his greatest masterpieces include narrative works, like The Morning of the Execution of the Streltsy(1878-81, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), Menshikov at Beriozov(1883, Tretyakov) and The Boyarina Morozova (1887, Tretyakov); portraiture, like Portrait of Unknown Girl Against a Yellow Background (1911, Russian Museum, St Petersburg) and Man with an Injured Arm (1913, Russian Museum); landscapes, like Zubovsky Boulevard in Winter (Tretyakov), and genre works like The Taking of the Snow Fortress (1891, Russian Museum, St Petersburg).

Valentin Serov (1865-1911)

• One of the last great Russian exponents of portrait art before the Bolshevik revolution, Valentin Serov ranks among the great modern artists of the late 19th century. Born into a privileged, though enlightened family, and schooled by some of Russia's best portrait artists, his contribution to Russian art - in particular his pioneer exploration of Impressionism - was immense. Among the best known masterpieces of his relatively short life are: Girl with Peaches (1887), Portrait of Isaac Levitan (1893), and Portrait of Maria Yermolova (1905), all in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow; In Summer (1895, Russian Museum, St Petersburg), and his chilly landscape Colts at a Watering Place, Domotkanovo (1904, Tretyakov). He remains one of the great Russian artists of the pre-Revolutionary period.

Alexei von Jawlensky (1864-1941)

• One of the best portrait artists of the Expressionism school, and ranked among the great modern artists from Russia, Alexei von Jawlensky, was classically trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg, under Ilya Repin (1844-1930). Jawlensky however was not destined to develop into a traditional artist, and instead became one of Europe's leading Expressionist painters. In 1896 he moved to Germany and became a founding member of the New Munich Artist's Association. Later he became one of the five core artists in Der Blaue Reiter - one of the most influential groups involved in German Expressionism. Known as the "Russian Matisse", Jawlensky vivid colourism and passionate brushstrokes were key features of his art. Early influences came from Henri Matisse, Wassily Kandinsky and Van Gogh. Jawlensky is best known for his portrait art, notably his sequences of Heads, including Mystical Heads (1917-19); Saviour's Faces (1918-20) and later a group of abstract/ constructivist Heads. His best known expressionist paintings include Landscape Murnau(1909, Museum Kunst Palast, Dusseldorf), Portrait of the Dancer Alexander Sakharov (1909, Lenbachhaus, Munich), Head (1910, Museum of Modern Art, New York); Head of a Woman (1911, Gallery of Modern Art, Scotland), Abstract Head (1928, private collection), and Schokko (1910, private collection). Jawlensky's expressionism is instantly recognizable and, along with that of Modigliani, ranks among the most sought after work from the early 20th century.

Mikhail Vrubel (1856-1910)

• Arguably the most innovative and versatile figure in Russian art of the late 19th century, and one of the best modern artists in Europe, the painter and designer Mikhail Vrubel is regarded as the finest exponent of Symbolism in his country. Known for his portraiture, as well as his symbolic expressionist paintings, his fragmented brushwork calls to mind the jigsaw patterns of medieval mosaic art. One of the leading Russian artists involved in the Art Nouveau decorative movement, he became increasingly absorbed in his pictorial representation of Mikhail Lermontov's poem "The Demon", an activity that sadly paralleled his increasing ill-health and descent into insanity. Despite this, Vrubel's reputation was assured by the time of his death, and although scholars remain divided as to whether he was closer to late Byzantine art or Art Nouveau, his influence on other early 20th century Russian artists should not be underestimated. His most famous works include The Seated Demon (1890, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), Portrait of Konstantin Artsybushev (1897, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), and Girl against a Persian Carpet (1886, Museum of Russian Art, Kiev, Ukraine). Vrubel was also a highly talented sculptor.

Saint Basil's Cathedral

• The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed (Russian: Собор Василия Блаженного), commonly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, is a church in Red Square in Moscow, Russia. The building, now a museum, is officially known as the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat (Russian: Собор Покрова пресвятой Богородицы, что на Рву) or Pokrovsky Cathedral (Russian: Покровский собор).[5] It was built from 1555–61 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. A world famous landmark[6][7] it was the city's tallest building until the completion of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in 1600.[8]

MUSIC

The Five

• The Five, also known as "The Mighty Handful", a circle of influential Russian musical nationalists, during the Romantic period in music:

1. Mily Balakirev (1837–1910)2. Alexander Borodin (1833–1887), perhaps best known for

Polovtsian Dances from his opera Prince Igor3. César Cui (1835–1918)4. Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881), perhaps best known for

Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on Bald Mountain5. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908), perhaps best known

Mily Balakirev

• Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev (Russian: Ми́лий Алексе́евич Бала́кирев, IPA: [ˈmʲilʲɪj ɐlʲɪkˈsʲeɪvʲɪtɕ bɐˈlakʲɪrʲɪf]; 2 January 1837 [O.S. 21 December 1836] – 29 May [O.S. 16 May] 1910) was a Russian pianist, conductor and composer known today primarily for his work promoting musical nationalism and his encouragement of more famous Russian composers, notably Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He began his career as a pivotal figure, extending the fusion of traditional folk music and experimental classical music practices begun by composer Mikhail Glinka. In the process, Balakirev developed musical patterns that could express overt nationalistic feeling. After a nervous breakdown and consequential sabbatical, he returned to classical music but did not wield the same level of influence as before.

Alexander Borodin

• Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (Russian: Алекса́ндр Порфи́рьевич Бороди́н; IPA: [ɐlʲɪkˈsandr pɐrˈfʲi rʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bərɐˈdʲin] ( listen), 12 November 1833 – 27 February 1887)[1] was a Russian Romantic composer, doctor and chemist. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five (or "The Mighty Handful"), who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music. He is best known for his symphonies, his two string quartets, In the Steppes of Central Asia and his opera Prince Igor. Music from Prince Igor and his string quartets was later adapted for the US musical Kismet.

• He was a notable advocate of women's rights and a proponent of education in Russia and was a founder of the School of Medicine for Women in St. Petersburg.

Modest Mussorgsky• Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (Russian: Модест

Петрович Мусоргский; IPA: [mɐˈdʲɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕˈmusərkskʲɪj]; 21 March [O.S. 9 March] 1839 – 28 March [O.S. 16 March] 1881) was a Russian composer, one of the group known as "The Five". He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period. He strove to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity, often in deliberate defiance of the established conventions of Western music.

• Many of his works were inspired by Russian history, Russian folklore, and other nationalist themes. Such works include the opera Boris Godunov, the orchestral tone poem Night on Bald Mountain, and the piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition.

• For many years Mussorgsky's works were mainly known in versions revised or completed by other composers. Many of his most important compositions have recently come into their own in their original forms, and some of the original scores are now also available.

César Cui

• César Antonovich Cui (Russian: Це́зарь Анто́нович Кюи́; 18 January [O.S. 6 January] 1835 – 13 March 1918)[2] was a Russian composer and music critic of French and Lithuanian descent. His profession was as an army officer (he rose to the rank of Engineer-General (compared to full general) of The Russian Imperial Army) and a teacher of fortifications, and his avocational life has particular significance in the history of music. In this sideline he is known as a member of The Five, a group of Russian composers under the leadership of Mily Balakirev dedicated to the production of a specifically Russian type of music.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

• Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: Никола́й Андре́евич Ри́мский-Ко́рсаков; IPA: [nʲɪkəˈlajɐˈndrʲejɪvʲɪtɕ ˈrʲimskʲɪj ˈkorsəkəf] ( listen); 18 March [O.S. 6 March] 1844[a 1] – 21 June [O.S. 8 June] 1908) was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five. He was a master of orchestration. His best-known orchestral compositions—Capriccio Espagnol, the Russian Easter Festival Overture, and the symphonic suite Scheherazade—are staples of the classical music repertoire, along with suites and excerpts from some of his 15 operas. Scheherazade is an example of his frequent use of fairy tale and folk subjects.

SOURCES

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Russian_composers

• http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-artists.htm

• http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-artists.htm#russianlandscape

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