Russian art developed from folk art and the Orthodox Church for much of its history as Russia was under Mongol rule during the Renaissance. Peter I and Catherine II secularized Russian culture in the 18th century. However, Russian artists often had to leave Russia to escape realism imposed by Russian critics, with many developing their styles in Western Europe. The document then discusses Russian literature, noting Russia's isolation from Western traditions and the complex relationship between embracing and rejecting Western influence that is seen in many Russian authors. It also provides overviews of Russian music, including contributions from various ethnic groups in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, as well as prominent 19th century composers. Famous Russian portrait painters and styles of realism and critical realism

1. Russian Arts.
Throughout most of Russia's history, art, music, literature, and history were either folk
art or that of the Orthodox Church. The reason for this is that during the Renaissance,
Russia was a hegemony of the Mongol-Tatar Empire and thus missed the rebirth of the
arts which swept Western Europe. Peter I and Catherine II changed all that with the
secularization of Russian culture in the 18th century. Russian artists, however, have
always had to leave Russia to escape realism imposed on them by the Russian critics
and art world. Chagal, Kandinsky, and many other progressive artists could only
develop their art in Western Europe. This page contains a growing list of sources on
Russian art: folk, ecclesiastical, and secular.
The Soviet literary scene is a peculiar one, and in order to understand it few analogies
from the West are of use. For a variety of causes Russia has in historical times led a life
to some degree isolated from the rest of the world, and never formed a genuine part of
the Western tradition; indeed her literature has at all times provided evidence of a
peculiarly ambivalent attitude to the uneasy relationship between herself and the West,
taking the form now of a violent and unsatisfied longing to enter and become part of the
mainstream of European life.
This mingled emotion of love and of hate permeates the writing of virtually every
well-known Russian author, sometimes rising to great vehemence in the protest against
foreign influence which, in one form or another, colors the masterpieces of Griboedov,
Pushkin, Gogol, Nekrasov, Dostoevsky, Herzen, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Blok.
Music of Russia denotes music produced in Russia and/or by the Russians. Russia is a
large and culturally diverse country, with many ethnic groups, each with their own
locally developed music. Russian music also includes significant contributions from
ethnic minorities (such as the Jewish, Ukrainians, Gypsies and others) who populated
the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and modern day Russia.
Russian music includes a variety of styles: from ritual folk song, to the sacred music of
the Russian orthodox church, and also included the legacy of several prominent 19th
century classical and romantic composers. Major contributions by 20th century Soviet
composers as well as various forms of popular music are also part of the make-up of
Russian music.
Notable portrait painters from Russia, include Ivan Argunov, Fyodor Rokotov, Dmitry
Levitzky, and Vladimir Borovikovsky.
Realism came into dominance in the 19th century. The realists captured Russian

2. identity in landscapes of wide rivers, forests, and birch clearings, as well as vigorous
genre scenes and robust portraits of their contemporaries. Other artists focused on social
criticism, showing the conditions of the poor and caricaturing authority; critical realism
flourished under the reign of Alexander II, with some artists making the circle of human
suffering their main theme. Others focused on depicting dramatic moments in Russian
history. The Peredvizhniki (wanderers) group of artists broke with Russian Academy
and initiated a school of art liberated from Academic restrictions. Leading realists
include Ivan Shishkin, Arkhip Kuindzhi, Ivan Kramskoi, Vasily Polenov, Isaac Levitan,
Vasily Surikov, Viktor Vasnetsov and Ilya Repin. By the turn of the 20th century and
on, many Russian artists developed their own unique styles, neither realist nor avante-
garde. These include Boris Kustodiev, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Mikhail Vrubel and
Nicholas Roerich.
About Russian Theater, the peak of theatrical art fell occurred in the 20th century
especially its second half. The theatrical repertoire included more and more plays by
Russian authors - Ostrovsky, Chekhov, Gorky. In 1898 Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-
Danchenko Moscow Art Theater was established (now the Moscow Arts Theater). The
main feature of Moscow Arts Theater was democratism and innovation. World’s
famous became the system of actor’s work at his/her role designed Stanislavsky. The
era spawned a galaxy of outstanding artists. After the revolution new forms of stage
expression were introduced in the theaters of Meyerhold and Vakhtangov.
From icons and onion domes to suprematism and the Stalin baroque, Russian art and
architecture seems to many visitors to Russia to be a rather baffling array of exotic
forms and alien sensibilities. ​