Landscape class of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in 1857-1882 under the direction of A.K. Savrasov: the evolution of the teaching method and the influence of the creative personality on the students

The article is devoted to the activities of the landscape class at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (MUZHVZ), which became a special phenomenon in Russian artistic culture, since some of the highest achievements of Russian realistic landscape are associated with the work of its graduates (A.K. Savrasov, I.I. Levitan, K.A. Korovin). In 1857–1882, the head of the class was Alexei Kondratievich Savrasov (1830–1897), thanks to whose influence the Moscow landscape school was formed. The central place in the study is occupied by the question of the role of A.K. Savrasov as a class leader, the evolution of his pedagogical method is analyzed, which changed during 25 years of his teaching practice, which was largely due to his creative searches. The study pays special attention to the revelation of the connections between the landscape class, its students, and Moscow artistic life. It was revealed that the students of the class were not only passive observers of the artistic process, attending meetings of Moscow collectors, but also its active participants. They took part in lotteries and competitions organized by Moscow artistic societies, and also exhibited their works at exhibitions, receiving responses in the press. The methodological basis of the research is based on cultural and historical analysis, including work with archival data, as well as personal sources and periodicals. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that the study presents a holistic picture of the life of the landscape class of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture of this period in the context of the historical and cultural situation in Moscow. The findings of the study demonstrate that the landscape class in 1857–1882 was already an established phenomenon in the educational system of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture with its own pedagogical developments that brought tangible results in the creativity of students, and the students of the class themselves were closely integrated into the artistic process taking place in Russian art in the late 1850s–early 1880s. In addition, the article identifies the circle of students in the landscape class, many of whom are little-known artists today. The study contributes to the introduction of their names into scientific circulation, which may become a starting point for further research into the history of Russian landscape.

Russian Art, landscape, realism, Moscow school of landscape, Moscow school of painting, A.K. Savrasov, I.I. Levitan, K.A. Korovin, art education, pedagogy of fine art