Keywords
theatrical and decorative art, Russian scenography, theatrical sketches, stage curtains, decorative and theatrical workshop of the Stroganov School, Russian lubok,
How to Cite
Troschinskiy A. V. Images of folk paintings in theatrical sketches by students of the Imperial Stroganov School of 1910s // The Art of Eurasia, 2026. № 3 (42). P. 288–299. URL: https://doi.org/10.46748/ARTEURAS.2026.03.015.
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Abstract
This article examines several little-known sketches for theatre curtains and panels created by students of the Imperial Stroganov School in the early 20th century for the Russian stage. The aim of the study is to identify stylistic and iconographic links between the visual language of popular prints and the early scenography of the Stroganov School. A distinctive feature of the young artists' work is their commitment to the Russian style, expressed in their interpretation of national antiquity — namely, iconography and lubok folk prints. The application of formal-stylistic analysis, as well as iconographic and cultural-historical methods, makes it possible to trace the stylistic changes in the Stroganov School's theatrical sketches: from an academic interest in national antiquity to a circus grotesque and proto-Cubist stylisation. It is determined that this evolution was conditioned by processes of acute cultural democratization, the spread of avant-garde trends that gained momentum in the pre-revolutionary period, as well as changes in stage technology and the refinement of theatre set design. As part of the study, a layer of new factual and pictorial material related to the activities of the decorative and theatrical workshop of the Imperial Stroganov School in the 1910s is introduced into scientific circulation.
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