Paintings from an East Bay group of landscape artists working outdoors.
Start of the galleryIn the first half of the 19th century collecting art was the business of noblemen and rich landowners. With the emancipation of the serfs in 1861 many landowners were unable to cope with the new economic conditions. Some moved away from their estates, while others sold some of their properties. This led to a flooding of the Russian market with many art works. The economic power and prosperity shifted from the nobility to merchants and entrepreneurs. These new social groups took over practices of the upper classes, including collecting art. Thus, the emergence of a new generation of merchants provided a new impetus to the development of art in the cultural life of Russia. Some of them, like Pavel Tretyakov, were driven by a vision: Tretyakov sought to create a complete gallery of Russian national art.
Start of the gallery
ReplyDeleteIn the first half of the 19th century collecting art was the business of noblemen and rich landowners. With the emancipation of the serfs in 1861 many landowners were unable to cope with the new economic conditions. Some moved away from their estates, while others sold some of their properties. This led to a flooding of the Russian market with many art works. The economic power and prosperity shifted from the nobility to merchants and entrepreneurs. These new social groups took over practices of the upper classes, including collecting art. Thus, the emergence of a new generation of merchants provided a new impetus to the development of art in the cultural life of Russia. Some of them, like Pavel Tretyakov, were driven by a vision: Tretyakov sought to create a complete gallery of Russian national art.