Tretyakov Gallery

In the context of Russian art culture, Ivan Morozov occupies a position of distinction as a prominent collector of contemporary French and Russian art. The influence of his collection on the subsequent development of Russian art, most notably on the generation of young avant-garde artists, is indisputable in the present day. However, it was not until relatively recently that the full significance of the collection and the role of I.A. Morozov in the history of Russian culture was fully recognized. The period of Morozov’s immersion in the European art market, spanning approximately ten years from 1903, is of particular interest. Initially, he acquired “quiet” Impressionist canvases, and by 1913, his collection had grown to include signifi cant works by P. Picasso. It is notable that Morozov’s collection of major works of French new art developed at a time when the vast majority of the public rejected this painting. Modern European art was perceived in Russia as a result of decadence and degeneration. Consequently, the promotion of the works of Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, Cubists, Fauvists, and German Expressionists at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries appeared highly pertinent. Art magazines played an instrumental role in this movement, shaping the development of collecting in Russia. The most prolifi c phase of Morozov’s collecting of French avant-garde artists, now categorized as Post-Impressionists, occurred between 1906 and 1912. These artists exerted a profound and direct influence on Russian radical art. During this period, Morozov acquired works that would prove to be pivotal in shaping the future trajectory of Russian art. These acquisitions included pieces by the delicately Symbolist representatives of the Blue Rose association, as well as the naïve primitivist works of Larionov and Goncharova. A notable aspect of Morozov’s collection was the preponderance of Russian artworks over French masterpieces, with a ratio of approximately two to one. Notwithstanding, he was able to demonstrate, as early as the 1910s, a dialogue between the art of the two countries. In the contemporary context, the implications of the Morozov Collection on Russian painting are of equal signifi cance. This influence is attributable to the its accessibility to artists, among other factors.

Abstract Microorganisms are a significant cause of damage to cultural heritage, including paintings. Currently, the palette of antiseptics that are used in painting has narrowed considerably. This is due to the increased demands placed on such substances. It was shown that low molecular weight chitosan (LMWC) obtained from the king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) exhibits high activity against dominant fungi-destructors of paintings in the State Tretyakov Gallery. Nevertheless, the increasing market demand for chitosan has prompted the exploration of alternative sources. Insects, notably the bioconverter black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), stand out as one of the most cultivated options. This study investigates the effectiveness of chitosan, isolated from H. illucens by a novel method developed by authors, in inhibiting fungi that damage tempera paintings. The activity of 33 and 39 kDa chitosans from H. illucens is comparable to the most active chitosans previously studied from P. camtschaticus. However, there are characteristic differences between these compounds, as shown by the results of FTIR spectroscopy, which may affect their consumer properties when used in paint materials. Our studies suggest that LMWC from H. illucens is a promising material that can expand the range of antiseptics used in painting.

Abstract This paper describes the research of iconic painting by Ilya Repin “Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan on November 16, 1581” from the collection of State Tretyakov gallery, damaged in a vandal attack on May 25th, 2018. The painting had a complicated story since its creation including the fact that in 1913 it was cut by a vandal’s knife. Extended technical study took place right after the accident and aimed at the evaluation of the painting condition and artistic materials. Significant part of this research is dedicated to the issue of paint layer flaking and it's reasons. This problem was observed and remained a topic for the regular conservation procedures since 1913. This research was carried out by museum laboratory and included the use of panoramic X-ray scanning, UV-Vis-IR photography, polarized light microscopy, micro-XRF, and FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. Second part of the paper touches upon a number of studies, which were held in support of the conservation process. These include a study of conservation materials used by previous generations of conservators, evaluation of various methods for the removal of lining glue, and tests of selected number of modern consolidation materials. It was performed in collaboration with Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics and Federal Research Centre “Fundamentals of Biotechnology” of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This lecture illustrates a sequence of methods and the achieved results of the work that took place over the span of 3 years together with and in the purpose of restoration.KeywordsTechnical studies in museumArtistic materialsVandal attackState Tretyakov GalleryPainting condition examination

The journal traditionally opens with an academic interview. In this issue, we present an interview between Irina N. Sedova — head of Sculpture department at The State Tretyakov Gallery, and Alexander N. Burganov — an outstanding Russian sculptor, National Artist of Russia, the academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, doctor of art history, professor, director of the Moscow State Museum Burganov House. This dialogue became part of the sculptor’s creative evening at the State Tretyakov Gallery, which combined a personal exhibition, a screening of an author’s film and a dialogue with the audience in the format of an interactive interview.

The plan of S. Maria Assunta in Torcello designed by the Russian architect and painter N. Brjullov in 1855 is analyzed in the context of less or more known written historic documents, of architectural and archaeological evidence, in order to virtually reconstruct by faithful images and interactive narratives the cathedral as it was immediately before the restorations 1854-58.

Abstract This article examines questions related to dilettantism, typically defined in negative terms as engagement in an activity without proper professional training. However, this concept can also prompt a positive association, connoting freedom from inertia, ossified techniques, and professional stereotypes and clichés. The present article contends that dilettantism is especially necessary in transitional periods of art history. At such moments, innovations may arise more readily in intimate and amateur circles, rather than in professional contexts. Such a circle developed in the 1870s-90s among the community of artists who gathered around the prominent industrialist and philanthropist Savva Mamontov, a man of diverse talents, who astutely intuited new trends in art. This group of artists came to be known as the Abramtsevo artistic circle, after the name of Mamontov’s country estate located just outside of Moscow, where the vast majority of their artistic activities took place. In Abramtsevo’s informal, creative atmosphere ideas for new aesthetic projects spontaneously materialized across a range of different artistic spheres—theater, architecture, decorative, and applied arts—in which members of the circle were essentially amateurs. But it is precisely in these areas that the artists would make their most significant contributions. Thus, the first seeds of a novel understanding of theatrical production as a single immersive entity were initially sown on the amateur stage of the Abramtsevo estate and subsequently fully blossomed in Mamontov’s Private Opera (1885-91; 1896-99), which played a foundational role in the development of Russian musical theater. The Church of the Spas nerukotvornyi [Savior Not Made by Human Hands], built by members of the Abramtsevo circle (1881-82), became the first exemplar of the Neo-Russian style in the history of Russian architecture, an important constituent of stil modern or Russian Art Nouveau. The activities of the kustar workshops in Abramtsevo—the carpentry workshop (1885) and the Abramtsevo ceramic studio (1890)—made a significant contribution to the development of the applied arts and industrial design in Russia, leading to their “rebirth” on a national level.