The influence of Chinese culture and images on the work of 19th-century Russian artists who were part of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing

The object of the study is the Russian fine art of the XIX century. The subject of the research is the history of the interaction of Russian artists with Chinese culture, history and art, their perception and interpretation, as well as the features of the artistic embodiment of images and motifs. Iconographic, as well as stylistic and compositional analysis help to identify the content of the artists' works, their language and individual techniques. Comparing the works created both during their stay in China and after the completion of the mission allows us to show how Russian authors developed their impressions, contributing to the creation of a certain image of China in the eyes of Russians. The research methodology is based on a combination of techniques aimed at studying various aspects of the phenomenon of representation of Chinese art and culture in Russia. The methodology is based on a comprehensive study and comparison of various types of sources, research of artistic material, namely: works by Russian artists who participated in the activities of the mission, reflecting images and motives, techniques in their work. The interaction of Chinese and Russian art is an urgent topic of research in the art history of both countries. Against the background of the appeal to the assessment of the current situation and the history of such contacts, it is necessary to analyze the processes that influenced their formation. Russian Russian Orthodox Mission in the XIX century. The main, and sometimes almost the only means of maintaining communication between the two states was the activity of the Russian Orthodox Mission, which included painters associated with the Imperial Academy of Arts and, thus, the best traditions of the Russian art school. The stay of Russian artists in China left a certain imprint on their own creative manner, the choice of subjects, the specifics of the composition and the symbols used in conditions of maintaining adherence to academicism and realism.

The Russian Orthodox Mission, academic painting, Russian school, Chinese culture, A. M. Legashev, portrait, household genre, cultural contacts, Russian-Chinese relations, Imperial Academy of Arts