Imperial Academy of Arts
Императорская Академия художеств | |
Saint-Petersburg , 59°56′15″N 30°17′25″E / 59.93750°N 30.29028°E |
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an
Formally abolished in 1918 after the
In Imperial Russia
The academy was initially located in the
Ivan Betskoy reorganized the academy into a de facto government department; it supervised matters concerning art throughout the country, distributing orders and awarding ranks to artists. The academy vigorously promoted the principles of Neoclassicism by sending the most notable Russian painters abroad, in order to learn the ancient and Renaissance styles of Italy and France. It also had its own sizable collection of choice artworks intended for study and copying.
In the mid-19th century, the
Higher Art School of the Academy of Arts
In 1893, Imperial Academy of Arts was divided into the Academy of Arts itself, which was responsible for all the artistic work in the Russian Empire, and the Higher Art School of the Academy of Arts, which dealt only with academic affairs. The initiator of the reform was the vice-president of the Academy, Count Ivan Ivanovich Tolstoy.
The Charter, approved at the end of 1893, divided the former Academy into two institutions:
- Academy itself (Academic «Assembly» consisting of the President, Vice-president, Conference secretary, 60 Full members and 20 Honorary members of the Academy), a state institution «for the maintenance, development and dissemination of art in Russia».
- Educational institution — Higher Art School at the Academy, managed by the «Council of Professors» with the Rector at the head.
Both institutions were located in St. Petersburg in the historic building of the Academy of Arts.
Instead of the old professors, peredvizhniki artists were invited to teaching positions at the Higher Art School. The program of study at the Higher School has changed significantly: the institute of professors and managers was established and free topics for competitive tests were established. New professors came to the academy, among whom Ilya Repin stood out. Famous artists were invited by the heads of personal workshops: Vladimir Makovsky, Ivan Shishkin, Arkhip Kuindzhi, Aleksey Kivshenko. Later came: Alexander Kiselyov, Dmitry Kardovsky, Nikolay Dubovskoy, Nikolay Samokish, Vasily Mate.
Big Gold Medal of the Imperial Academy of Arts
The Big Gold Medal, which granted the right to a foreign pensioner (from three to six years), was awarded in a competition to which the most talented graduates of the Academy were allowed to complete their studies, awarded to the beginning of the competition with the small gold medal of the Academy «For Success in Drawing». Graduates who received a large gold medal remained at the Academy of Arts for another year; they were provided with a separate workshop, materials for work and a generous cash allowance. Those admitted to the competition were obliged to execute the «program», to draw a picture according to the program (creative task), one for all, approved by the Council of the Academy of Arts. The task, most often on a historical theme, was made in such a way that the participant showed all the professional skills and knowledge he mastered during his studies.
Personalities of the Imperial Academy of Arts
- Category:Imperial Academy of Arts alumni
- Members of the Imperial Academy of Arts
- Full Members of the Imperial Academy of Arts
In the Soviet Union
After the
The national academy has stayed in Moscow. In 1991 it was renamed the Russian Academy of Arts. The old academy's art collection, which included major works by
During the Soviet era, academies were free of tuition fees as they were financed by the government, but admission was intensely competitive. Many would-be students would apply to the Academy for as many as six or seven years in a row without success. With just twenty places available and thousands of applicants, the competition was brutal.
Graduates of Ilya Repin Leningrad Institute (1930–1950)
Well-known graduates of Ilya Repin Leningrad Institute for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in 1930–1950s include:
Current situation
The
The historic building on the Neva River in St. Petersburg is used for the Repin Institute of Arts (in Russian: «Институт имени Репина»), full name: Ilya Repin St. Petersburg State Academic Institute for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, in honor of one of its well-known alumni. It is also called the St. Petersburg State Academic Institute of Fine Arts, Sculpture and Architecture (as on its website).
See also
- Russian Academy of Arts
- Academic art
- Alexander Kokorinov
- Peredvizhniki
- List of Russian artists
- List of 20th-century Russian painters
- List of painters of Saint Petersburg Union of Artists
Bibliography
- Howard, Jeremy (2006). East European Art, 1650–1950. Oxford History of Arts. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. OCLC 1148939700 – via the Internet Archive.
- Sergei V. Ivanov. Unknown Socialist Realism. The Leningrad School. – Saint Petersburg: NP-Print Edition, 2007. – p. 447. ISBN 978-5-901724-21-7.
- С. Н. Кондаков (1915). Юбилейный справочник Императорской Академии художеств. 1764–1914 (in Russian). Vol. 1. p. __.
- С. Н. Кондаков (1915). Юбилейный справочник Императорской Академии художеств. 1764–1914 (in Russian). Vol. 2. p. __.
- "Санкт-Петербургская академия художеств | Институт имени И. Е. Репина". artsacademy.ru. Retrieved 2015-08-15.