Chinese motifs in the works of contemporary Saint Petersburg academic artists

Abstract

The creative interest of Saint Petersburg academic artists has been associated with an intensive focus on interaction with Chinese culture in recent decades. The Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts has great prestige in China, and the works of its artist-teachers are popular in this country. A large number of Chinese students study at the academy in all departments. Cultural contacts in the field of art are constantly being carried out, which result in the mutual enrichment of cultures and the diversity of images created. Cultural communications that exist at different levels produce interesting results and attract the active attention of specialists. Not only does the Russian art school have an impact on Chinese art, but the culture of China also leaves an indelible mark on the souls of Russian artists, and it influences the thinking of Russian masters. The image of China often appears in the works of representatives of the modern Saint Petersburg academic school. This is manifested through an appeal to the nature and culture of China, to symbolic elements, visual techniques, and meanings contained in works of Chinese art. In this study, an attempt is made to analyse the peculiarities of interpretation and reflection of the image of China in the works of modern Saint Petersburg academic artists. The research aims to identify key themes, motifs, and symbols associated with China, as well as to analyse how these elements have been adapted and reinterpreted in the context of the Saint Petersburg artistic tradition. The object of the study was Saint Petersburg academic painting of the 21st century related to the theme of China. Methods of artistic, stylistic, iconographic, and comparative analysis were used to study it. The article shows that in the years 2010–2020, the image of China often attracts the attention of artists who interpret it not only in plein-air landscape painting but also study the culture of this country comprehensively, immersing themselves in its philosophy, literature, theatre, traditional painting, and calligraphy.