The Russian Academy Of Arts

The Department of Art History and Art Criticism of the Russian Academy of Arts (RAA) and the Research Institute of Theory and History of Fine Arts of the Russian Academy of Arts invite you to take part in the research conference “The Society of Arts and Sciences”: Art and Science in the Cultural Space of the New Time…” - XXXV Alpatov Readings, that will take place in the White Hall of the Russian Academy of Arts (21 Prechistenka street, Moscow) on November 21^st -22^nd , 2024. The Conference is timed to the 300^th anniversary of the establishment of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Russia and is supervised by the Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Arts, Academician-Secretary of the Department of Art History and Art Criticism of the RAA, Rector of the Moscow Institute of Architecture, President of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences Dmitry O. Shvidkovsky.

 

The Conference marks the 300^th anniversary of the Academy in St. Petersburg which was established in 1724 and named “The Society of Arts and Sciences”. In accordance with the concept of Peter I the Academy was to unite both eminent scientists and outstanding artists. The initiative was further developed and in the second half of the 18^th century there appeared an independent Imperial Academy of Arts (1757) having its own creative goals. In the time of the Enlightenment the masters of fine arts had to have perfect technical skills, thorough knowledge of history, especially the Antique and Biblical ones, some knowledge of natural science. The passion for “natural history” as it was called then was expressed in the creation of cabinets of curiosities where works of art were exhibited together with the curious creatures of nature.   

 

The 19^th century has been distinguished by even more close interaction of art and science resulted from the technical progress, scientific discoveries, arrangement of World Arts and Industry Exhibitions. Moreover, a special role was played by the growing interest in antiquity. In the Imperial Academy of Arts for the first time in Russia they started studying old-Russian and foreign costume, graphic depiction of antiquities without which there were no meaningful and stylistic art innovations. There appeared such a discipline as the religious archaeology that greatly contributed to the study and development of the religious academic painting and sculpture.

 

The Conference goals are:

-various aspects of interaction of arts and science;

-art and science as a mutual source of inspiration;

-art in the service of science and science in the service of art;

-art education and science, inter-academic ties;

-interaction of artists and scientists, the role of figures of science in art and figures of art in science;

-art museums and collections of various research institutes and scientific societies (including portrait galleries of scientists), private art collections of some scientists;

-scientific drawing in the context of art culture;

-“mechanical rarities”: objects of decorative and applied arts, as well as jewelry art with complicated mechanisms (clock, musical, animated, etc);

- the role of science in the improvement of instruments and technologies in art (camera obscura, engraving techniques and others);

- art history as a science and its development stages.

 

The Conference will be accompanied by publication of its proceedings. Please, mail your applications till October 20, 2024 to art-rah@mail.ru

 

The application form:

1.Full name;

2.Name of the paper;

3.Place of work (full name); position, scientific degree;

4. E-mail, telephones.

 

For more detailed information, please, call to 8 495 637-5633 or mail to art-rah@mail.ru

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