Painting of the XIX-XX centuries, Room 1

Russian painting's evolution is deeply entwined with the history of the Academy of Arts, reflecting its structure, traditions, and the quest for creative autonomy among its leading artists, marking a distinct era in Russian art.

The St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, founded in 1757 under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and spearheaded by Ivan Shuvalov, a notable public figure, echoes a connection to antiquity in its very name, reminiscent of Plato's Academy. Both the European and subsequently the Russian Academies of Arts emerged during the era of classicism, drawing inspiration from Antiquity and the Renaissance. A tradition was born in the Russian Academy to send its graduates on 'pensioner' trips to Italy, a nod to the ancient Roman culture and Renaissance art. The collection in this hall includes Italian landscapes, a portrait of an Italian woman, and scenes depicting life in fishing villages, the fruits of such journeys by St. Petersburg's academicians.

Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805), a professor at the Paris Academy of Arts, greatly influenced the young painters of the St. Petersburg school. His works, preserved in the Academy's museum and also part of the Hermitage collection, is exemplified by 'Boy with a puppy,' a piece that typifies Greuze's style, marked by a pronounced charm and a somewhat exaggerated adoration of child imagery. This French sentimentalist influence is perceptible in Russian portraiture of the early 19th century, notably in the esteemed female portraits by Vladimir Borovikovsky (1757-1825). The gallery also features Borovikovsky's 'Portrait of a man,' an early 19th-century work embodying the stringent neoclassical style. It was during this period that Borovikovsky was appointed as an academician and advisor to the Academy of Arts.

A remarkable moment in 1804 saw the first exhibition of works by Vasily Tropinin (1776-1857), a serf of extraordinary talent, who was an auditor at the Academy as serfs were barred from formal enrollment. He later achieved acclaim as a master and honorary member of the Moscow Society of Art Lovers, best known for his 'Lace Makers.' This hall displays two of Tropinin's portraits.

Karl Bryullov (1799-1852), a luminary of early 19th-century art and a member of numerous European Academies, is represented here by his earlier work 'Salvation from the water' (1824). His portrait style echoes in the 1853 work of Alexandr Lebedev (1830-1898), an academician who eventually transitioned from painting to becoming a renowned caricaturist.

The mid-19th century saw Romanticism challenging the classicist foundations of the Academy. Despite the efforts to preserve traditional norms, this shift led to the emergence of academism, a movement that stipulated thematic and stylistic conventions rooted in classicism. This period also highlighted a profound internal conflict within Russian art, as eloquently discussed by the renowned critic Vladimir Stasov in his essay 'Twenty-Five Years of Russian Art.' He critiqued the limited scope of academic artists, bound by their classical and academic subjects.

The 'revolt of the fourteen' in 1863, led by Ivan Kramskoy, marked a pivotal moment as fourteen students left the Academy in protest against its conservative policies. This gallery exhibits works from these 'rebels,' including a portrait by Kramskoy (1837-1887) and 'Small organ-grinders' by Konstantin Makovsky (1839-1915).

Kramskoy's later works, like the one displayed here, are renowned for their psychological depth, capturing not just the physical likeness but the essence of the subjects' personality, as seen in his famed 'Portrait of an unknown woman.' Kramskoy was instrumental in founding the St. Petersburg Artel of Artists and the Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions, focusing on themes of everyday life. Makovsky's 'Small organ-grinders,' in contrast to Greuze's idealized children, portray the harsh realities of struggling, freezing children earning their livelihood through music, reflecting the academic influence yet venturing into new, poignant themes.

The Wanderers, like Konstantin Savitsky (1844-1905), depicted real-life subjects without artifice. Their works, characterized by spontaneity and naturalness, marked a departure from traditional depictions of everyday scenes. Illarion Pryanishnikov (1840-1894), a founding member of the Wanderers, portrayed a barefoot spinner, elevating her simple beauty and spiritual essence.

Vasily Perov (1833-1882), another founding member, is represented by his 'Portrait of a beggar.' Perov's works, focusing on the tribulations of peasant children, stand in stark contrast to the compositions of his contemporaries, like Alexey Akininov (1949-1877). Perov's 'The funeral of a peasant' and Akininov's 'Winter. Waggon-train' demonstrates divergent approaches to similar themes, with Perov's work calling for compassion and social responsibility.

Each Wanderer artist embraced the freedom of theme and interpretation, propelling Russian painting toward critical realism. This era saw art often challenging the status quo, striving to make the world a little better and more just.