Allegorical painting. School encyclopedia

GENRES OF PAINTING(French genre - genus, type) - a historically established division of works of art in accordance with the themes and objects of the image. In modern painting there are the following genres: portrait, historical, mythological, battle, everyday, landscape, still life, animalistic genre.

Although the concept of “genre” appeared in painting relatively recently, certain genre differences have existed since ancient times: images of animals in Paleolithic caves, portraits of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia from 3 thousand BC, landscapes and still lifes in Hellenistic and Roman mosaics and frescoes. The formation of the genre as a system in easel painting began in Europe in the 15th–16th centuries. and ended mainly in the 17th century, when, in addition to the division of fine art into genres, the concept of the so-called appeared. “high” and “low” genres depending on the subject of the image, theme, plot. The “high” genre included historical and mythological genres, and the “low” genre included portrait, landscape, and still life. This gradation of genres lasted until the 19th century. although with exceptions.

So, in the 17th century. in Holland, it was the “low” genres that became leading in painting (landscape, everyday life, still life), but the ceremonial portrait, which formally belonged to the “low” genre of portraiture, did not belong to that. Having become a form of displaying life, genres of painting, despite the stability of their general features, are not immutable; they develop along with life, changing as art develops. Some genres die out or acquire a new meaning (for example, the mythological genre), new ones arise, usually within previously existing ones (for example, within the landscape genre architectural landscape And marina). Works appear that combine various genres (for example, a combination of an everyday genre with a landscape, a group portrait with a historical genre).

A genre of fine art that reflects the external and internal appearance of a person or group of people is called portrait. This genre is widespread not only in painting, but also in sculpture, graphics, etc. The main requirements for a portrait are the conveyance of external resemblance and the disclosure of the inner world, the essence of a person’s character. Based on the nature of the image, two main groups are distinguished: ceremonial and chamber portraits. A ceremonial portrait shows a person in full growth (on a horse, standing or sitting), against an architectural or landscape background. A chamber portrait uses a half-length or chest-length image against a neutral background. There are double and group portraits. Portraits painted on different canvases, but coordinated with each other in composition, format and color, are called paired. Portraits can form ensembles - portrait galleries, united according to professional, family and other characteristics (galleries of portraits of members of a corporation, guild, regiment officers, etc.). Self-portrait is a special group - the artist’s depiction of himself.

Portrait is one of the oldest genres of fine art; initially it had a cult purpose and was identified with the soul of the deceased. In the ancient world, portraiture developed more in sculpture, as well as in painted portraits - Fayyum portraits of the 1st–3rd centuries. In the Middle Ages, the concept of a portrait was replaced by generalized images, although in frescoes, mosaics, icons, and miniatures there were some individual features in the depiction of historical figures. Late Gothic and Renaissance are a turbulent period in the development of portraiture, when the formation of the portrait genre takes place, reaching the heights of humanistic faith in man and understanding of his spiritual life. In the 16th century the following types of portrait appear: traditional (half-length or full-length), allegorical (with attributes of the divine), symbolic (based on a literary work), self-portrait and group portrait: Giotto Enrico Scrovegni(c. 1305, Padua), Jan van Eyck Portrait of the Arnolfini couple(1434, London, National Gallery), Leonardo da Vinci Gioconda(c. 1508, Paris, Louvre), Raphael Lady with a veil(c. 1516, Florence, Pitti Gallery), Titian Portrait of a young man with a glove(1515–1520, Paris, Louvre), A. Durer Portrait of a young man person(1500, Munich, Alte Pinakothek), H. Holbein Messengers(London, National Gallery), Rembrandt The night Watch(1642, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum), Self-portrait with Saskia on her knees(c. 1636, Dresden, Picture Gallery). Thanks to Van Dyck, Rubens and Velazquez, a type of royal, court portrait appears: the model is shown full-length against the background of drapery, landscape, architectural motif (Van Dyck Portrait of Charles I, OK. 1653, Paris, Louvre).

In parallel, there is a line of psychological portrait, character portrait, group portrait: F. Hals Group portrait of the company of St. Adriana(1633, Haarlem, Frans Hals Museum), Rembrandt Syndics(1662, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum), El Greco Portrait of Niño de Guevara(1601, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art), D. Velazquez Portrait of Philip IV(1628, Madrid, Prado), F. Goya Thrush from Bordeaux(1827, Madrid, Prado), T. Gainsborough Portrait of actress Sarah Siddons(1784–1785, London, National Gallery), F.S. Rokotov Portrait of Maykov(c. 1765, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery), D. G. Levitsky Portrait of M.A. Dyakova(1778, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery). Interesting and varied portrait of the 19th–20th centuries: D. Ingres Portrait of Madame Recamier(1800, Paris, Louvre), E. Manet Flutist(1866, Paris, Louvre), O. Renoir Portrait of Jeanne Samary(1877, Moscow, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), V. Van Gogh Self-portrait with bandaged ear(1889, Chicago, Blok collection), O.A. Kiprensky Portrait of a poet Pushkin(1827, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery), I.N. Kramskoy Portrait of the writer Leo Tolstoy(1873, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery), I.E. Repin Mussorgsky(1881, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery).

A genre of fine art dedicated to historical events and characters is called historical genre. The historical genre, which is characterized by monumentality, has been developing for a long time in wall painting. From the Renaissance to the 19th century. artists used subjects from ancient mythology and Christian legends. Often real historical events depicted in the picture were saturated with mythological or biblical allegorical characters. The historical genre is intertwined with others - the everyday genre (historical and everyday scenes), the portrait (depictions of historical figures of the past, portrait-historical compositions), landscape ("historical landscape"), and merges with the battle genre.

The historical genre is embodied in easel and monumental forms, in miniatures, and illustrations. Originating in ancient times, the historical genre combined real historical events with myths. In the countries of the Ancient East, there were even types of symbolic compositions (the apotheosis of the military victories of the monarch, the transfer of power to him by a deity) and narrative cycles of paintings and reliefs.

In Ancient Greece there were sculptural images of historical heroes ( Tyrannicides, 477 BC), in Ancient Rome reliefs were created with scenes of military campaigns and triumphs ( Trajan's Column in Rome, approx. 111–114). In the Middle Ages in Europe, historical events were reflected in miniature chronicles and icons. The historical genre in easel painting began to take shape in Europe during the Renaissance, in the 17th–18th centuries. it was considered as a “high” genre, highlighting (religious, mythological, allegorical, historical subjects). One of the first realistic easel paintings was Surrender of Breda Velazquez (1629–1631, Madrid, Prado). Paintings of the historical genre were filled with dramatic content, high aesthetic ideals, and the depth of human relationships: Tintoretto Battle of Zara(c. 1585, Venice, Doge's Palace), N. Poussin The Generosity of Scipio(1643, Moscow, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), J.L. David Oath of the Horatii(1784, Paris, Louvre), E. Manet Execution Emperor Maximilian(1871, Budapest, Museum of Fine Arts). Early 19th century – a new stage in the development of the historical genre, which began with the emergence of romanticism and the rise of utopian expectations: E. Delacroix Capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders(1840, Paris, Louvre), K. Bryullov The last day of Pompeii(1830–1833, St. Petersburg, Russian Museum), A.A.Ivanov The Appearance of Christ to the People(1837–1857, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery). Realism of the 2nd half of the 19th century. turns to understanding the historical tragedies of peoples and individuals: I.E. Repin Ivan Grozny and his son Ivan(1885, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery), V.I.Surikov Menshikov in Berezov(1883, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery). In the art of the 20th century. there is an interest in antiquity as a source of beauty and poetry: V.A. Serov Peter I(1907, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery), artists of the World of Art association. In Soviet art, historical and revolutionary composition took the leading place: B.M. Kustodiev Bolshevik(1920, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery).

A genre of fine art dedicated to the heroes and events that the myths of ancient peoples tell about is called mythological genre(from the Greek mythos - legend). The mythological genre comes into contact with the historical and takes shape during the Renaissance, when ancient legends provided rich opportunities for the embodiment of stories and characters with complex ethical, often allegorical overtones: S. Botticelli Birth of Venus(c. 1484, Florence, Uffizi), A. Mantegna Parnassus(1497, Paris, Louvre), Giorgione Sleeping Venus(c. 1508–1510, Dresden, Picture Gallery), Raphael Athens school(1509–1510, Rome, Vatican). In the 17th century – beginning 19th century in works of the mythological genre, the range of moral and aesthetic problems expands, which are embodied in high artistic ideals and either come closer to life or create a festive spectacle: N. Poussin Sleeping Venus(1620s, Dresden, Picture Gallery), P.P. Rubens Bacchanalia(1619–1620, Moscow, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), D. Velasquez Bacchus (Drunkards) (1628–1629, Madrid, Prado), Rembrandt Danae(1636, St. Petersburg, Hermitage), G. B. Tiepolo Triumph of Amphitrite(c. 1740, Dresden, Picture Gallery). From the 19th–20th centuries. Themes of Germanic, Celtic, Indian, and Slavic myths became popular.

Battle genre(from the French bataille - battle) is a genre of painting that is part of the historical, mythological genre and specializes in depicting battles, military exploits, military operations, glorifying military valor, the fury of battle, and the triumph of victory. Battle painting may include elements of other genres - domestic, portrait, landscape, animalistic, still life. Artists regularly turned to the battle genre: Leonardo da Vinci Battle of Anghiari(not preserved), Michelangelo Battle of Kashin(not preserved), Tintoretto Battle of Zara(c. 1585, Venice, Doge's Palace), N. Poussin, A. Watteau The hardships of war(c. 1716, St. Petersburg, Hermitage), F. Goya Disasters of War(1810–1820), T. Gericault Wounded Cuirassier(1814, Paris, Louvre), E. Delacroix Chios massacre(1824, Paris, Louvre), V.M. Vasnetsov After the massacre of Igor Svyatoslavovich with Polovtsians(1880, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery).

A genre of fine art that shows scenes of a person’s everyday, personal life, everyday life from peasant and urban life is called everyday genre. Appeals to the life and morals of people are already found in the paintings and reliefs of the Ancient East, in ancient vase painting and sculpture, in medieval icons and books of hours. But the everyday genre stood out and acquired characteristic forms only as a phenomenon of secular easel art. Its main features began to take shape in the 14th–15th centuries. in altar paintings, reliefs, tapestries, miniatures in the Netherlands, Germany, France. In the 16th century In the Netherlands, the everyday genre began to develop rapidly and became isolated. One of its founders was I. Bosch ( Seven deadly sins, Madrid, Prado). The development of the everyday genre in Europe was greatly influenced by the work of P. Bruegel: he moves to a pure everyday genre, shows that everyday life can be an object of study and a source of beauty ( Peasant dance, Peasant wedding- OK. 1568, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum). 17th century can be called the century of “genre” in all painting schools in Europe: Michelangelo and Caravaggio Fortune teller(Paris, Louvre), P.P. Rubens Peasant dance(1636–1640, Madrid, Prado), J. Jordans Bean King Festival(c. 1638, St. Petersburg, Hermitage), A. van Ostade Flutist(c. 1660, Moscow, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), Jan Steen Patient and doctor(c. 1660, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum), F. Hals Gypsy(c. 1630, Paris, Louvre), John Vermeer of Delft Girl with a letter(late 1650s, Dresden, Picture Gallery). In the 18th century in France, genre painting is associated with the depiction of gallant scenes, “pastorals”, it becomes refined and graceful, ironic: A. Watteau Bivouac(c. 1710, Moscow, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), J.B. Chardin Prayer before lunch(c. 1737, St. Petersburg, Hermitage). Works of the everyday genre were varied: they showed the warmth of home life and the exoticism of distant countries, sentimental experiences and romantic passions. Household genre in the 19th century. in painting he affirmed democratic ideals, often with critical overtones: O. Daumier Laundress(1863, Paris, Louvre), G. Courbet Artist's workshop(1855, Paris, Orsay Museum). The everyday genre, focused on showing peasant life and the life of a city dweller, developed vividly in Russian painting of the 19th century: A.G. Venetsianov On the arable land. Spring(1820s, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery), P.A. Fedotov Major's matchmaking(1848, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery), V.G. Perov The last tavern at the outpost(1868, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery), I.E. Repin We didn't wait(1884, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery).

The genre of fine art, where the main thing is the image of nature, the environment, views of the countryside, cities, historical monuments, is called landscape (French paysage). There are rural, urban landscapes (including veduta), architectural, industrial, images of the water element - sea (marina) and river landscapes

In antiquity and the Middle Ages, landscapes appear in paintings of temples, palaces, icons and miniatures. In European art, the Venetian painters of the Renaissance (A. Canaletto) were the first to turn to the depiction of nature. From the 16th century landscape becomes an independent genre, its varieties and directions are formed: lyrical, heroic, documentary landscape: P. Bruegel It's a nasty day (Spring Eve) (1565, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum), P.P. Rubens Lion hunt(c. 1615, Munich, Alte Pinakothek), Rembrandt Landscape with a pond and arched bridge(1638, Berlin – Dahlem), J. van Ruisdael forest swamp(1660s, Dresden, Art Gallery), N. Poussin Landscape with Polyphemus(1649, Moscow, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), K. Lorrain Noon(1651, St. Petersburg, Hermitage), F. Guardi Piazza San Marco, view of the basilica(c. 1760–1765, London, National Gallery). In the 19th century creative discoveries of landscape masters, saturation of it with social issues, development of plein air (depiction of the natural environment) culminated in the achievements of impressionism, which gave new opportunities in the pictorial transmission of spatial depth, variability of the light-air environment, complexity of colors: the Barbizons, C. Corot Morning in Venice(c. 1834, Moscow, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), A.K. Savrasov The Rooks Have Arrived(1871, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery), I.I. Shishkin Rye V.D. Polenov Moscow courtyard(1878, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery), I.I. Levitan Golden autumn(1895, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery), E. Manet Breakfast on the grass(1863, Paris, Louvre), C. Monet Boulevard Capuchin girls in Paris(1873, Moscow, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), O. Renoir Paddling pool(1869, Stockholm, National Museum).

Marina(Italian marina, from Latin marinus - sea) - one of the types of landscape, the object of which is the sea. The marina became an independent genre in Holland at the beginning of the 17th century: J. Porcellis, S. de Vlieger, W. van de Velle, J. Vernet, W. Turner Funeral at sea(1842, London, Tate Gallery), C. Monet Impression, sunrise sun(1873, Paris, Marmottan Museum), S.F. Shchedrin Small harbor in Sorrento(1826, Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery).

Architectural landscape- a type of landscape, one of the types of perspective painting, an image of real or imaginary architecture in a natural environment. A major role in the architectural landscape is played by linear and aerial perspective, connecting nature and architecture. In the architectural landscape, urban perspective views are distinguished, which were called in the 18th century. vedutami (A. Canaletto, B. Bellotto, F. Guardi in Venice), views of estates, park ensembles with buildings, landscapes with ancient or medieval ruins (Y. Robert; K. D. Friedrich Abbey in Oak grove, 1809–1810, Berlin, State Museum; S.F. Shchedrin), landscapes with imaginary structures and ruins (D.B. Piranesi, D. Pannini).

Veduta(Italian veduta, lit. - seen) - a landscape that accurately documents the appearance of an area, a city, one of the sources of the art of panorama. The term appeared in the 18th century, when a camera obscura was used to reproduce views. The leading artist working in this genre was A. Canaletto: Piazza San Marco(1727–1728, Washington, National Gallery).

A genre of fine art that shows household items, labor, creativity, flowers, fruits, dead game, caught fish, placed in a real everyday environment, is called still life (fr. nature morte - dead nature). A still life can be endowed with a complex symbolic meaning, play the role of a decorative panel, or be a so-called “trick”, which gives an illusory reproduction of real objects or figures that evoke the effect of the presence of a genuine nature.

The depiction of objects is known in the art of antiquity and the Middle Ages. But the first still life in easel painting is considered to be a painting by the artist from Venice Jacopo de Barbari Partridge with arrow and gloves(1504, Munich, Alte Pinakothek). Already in the 16th century. still life is divided into many types: a kitchen interior with or without people, a laid table in a rural setting, “vanitas” with symbolic objects (a vase of flowers, an extinguished candle, musical instruments). In the 17th century the genre of still life is flourishing: the monumentality of F. Snyders’s paintings ( Still life with a swan, Moscow, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), F. Zurbaran, who composed simple compositions from a few objects ( Still life with four vessels, 1632–1634, Madrid, Prado). The Dutch still life was especially rich, modest in color and in the things depicted, but exquisite in the expressive texture of objects, in the play of color and light (P. Klas, V. Heda, V. Kalf, A. Beyeren). In the 18th century in the laconic still lifes of J.B. Chardin, the value and dignity hidden in everyday life are affirmed: Attributes of art(1766, St. Petersburg, Hermitage). Still lifes of the 19th century are diverse: social implications in the paintings of O. Daumier; transparency, airiness in the paintings of E. Manet; monumentality, constructiveness, precise modeling of the form with color by P. Cezanne. In the 20th century new possibilities for still life are opening up: P. Picasso, J. Braque made the subject the main object of artistic experiment, studying and dissecting its geometric structure.

A genre of fine art showing animals is called animalistic genre(from lat. animal - animal). The animal artist pays attention to the artistic and figurative characteristics of the animal, its habits, the decorative expressiveness of the figure and silhouette. Often animals are endowed with traits, actions and experiences inherent in humans. Images of animals are often found in ancient sculpture and vase painting.

Nina Bayor

Literature:

Suzdalev P. About genres of painting.– “Creativity” magazine, 1964, No. 2, 3
History of foreign art. M., Fine Arts, 1984
Whipper B.R. An introduction to the historical study of art. M., Fine Arts, 1985
History of world art. BMM JSC, M., 1998

Allegory (from ancient Greek ἀλληγορία - allegory) in the visual arts appeared in ancient times and was known in antiquity. If we express in simple words what an allegory is in painting and art in general, then we can say that it is an artistic image with subtext. Specific images, for example, figures of people, animals, objects, objects, and so on, in allegorical painting express a concept, idea, philosophy. Paintings by artists that are filled with symbols are quite common, and at the time they were very developed and popular. In this regard, a whole doctrine of allegorical symbols and images appeared.

Many artists of the past encrypted such allegorical symbols, which criticized power, religion, way of life, specific people, and so on, but were completely incomprehensible to ordinary viewers and could only be deciphered by people who were well versed in the symbols of allegory. Otherwise, artists create paintings that can be understood by the average viewer and freely interpreted by them. For example, if a woman holds scales, then there is an allegory of justice, if a sword, then war is implied, winter can be expressed by white clothes, autumn by an abundance of ripe fruits, winged cupids express love, a scythe - death, an hourglass - passing time, and so on and so on. There can be a countless number of symbols or allegories. In addition, each artist can create his own allegorical formulas and symbols in accordance with the ideas of his time, which we can observe, for example, in modern magazine cartoons. Ancient gods, deities, demigods, and heroes are often used as allegorical images. Since in ancient times almost every phenomenon in human life had its own god, patron, muse, and so on, they are best suited to express the essence of an idea with the help of beautiful, poetic, romantic images.

With the help of allegory, the artist achieves meaningful depth in his work. By placing one or more allegorical symbols in the area of ​​the plot, the artist achieves a real philosophical concept, which is perceived all the more clearly by a person when expressed with the help of beautiful external images. It is also worth noting that the allegorical thinking of artists directly influenced the subsequent development of painting in general. It was the veiled images, the hidden meaning, the symbolic code of painting, which were originally inherent in the art of Hellenism, and then classicism, that subsequently began to transform into more complex and developed designs, turning into various avant-garde arts.

Allegorical paintings

Emile Auguste Pinchart – Allegory of Spring

Benjamin West - The Power of Love in the Three Elements

Willem van Mieris - Allegory of Wrath

Dossi Dosso - Allegory of luck

Jean-Baptiste Oudry - Abundance

Maella Mariano Salvador – Spring

Ribera and Fernandez, Juan Antonio - Allegory of Summer

Watts George Frederick - Hope

Charles-Joseph Natoire - Allegory of Architecture

Works of painting are divided by genre. Having become a form of reflecting life, genres are not constant, they develop, change, are born along with life, changing as art develops.

A genre that has abandoned the depiction of forms close to reality. Achieving harmonization by depicting certain color combinations and geometric shapes, evoking in the beholder a feeling of completeness and completeness of the composition.

- a portrait of yourself. There are two main types: professional and personal. It also offers a more detailed classification: inserted self-portrait - the artist is depicted in a group of characters from some plot; representative - the artist depicts himself in the image of a historical figure or religious hero; group portrait - the artist is depicted with family members or other real persons; separate - the artist is depicted alone.

- a genre in which a hidden and secret meaning is embedded in a work of art. Difficult to depict goodness, strength, power, justice, love, etc., are shown allegorically through images of living beings, animals or human figures with attributes that have historically been assigned a symbolic, easily readable meaning.

Animalistics- a genre whose main object is animals.

- a genre dedicated to the themes of war and military life. The main place is occupied by scenes of land, sea battles and military campaigns. The desire to capture a particularly important or characteristic moment of the battle, to reveal the historical meaning of military events, which brings the battle genre closer to the historical one. Scenes of military life connect it with the everyday genre.

Biddinga- a genre of paintings and graphics depicting female beauty in the traditional art of Japan. The designation bijinga can thus also be used for modern media depicting the classical image of a beautiful Japanese woman, usually dressed in a kimono.

- a genre of fine art that depicts scenes from epics and folklore.

- a genre dedicated to everyday, private and public life, usually contemporary with the artist.

Vanitas- genre of painting of the Baroque era, allegorical still life, the compositional center of which is traditionally the human skull. Such paintings, an early stage in the development of still life, were intended to serve as reminders of the transience of life, the futility of pleasure and the inevitability of death.

Veduta- a genre especially popular in Venice in the 18th century. It is a painting, drawing or engraving of a detailed depiction of an everyday city landscape.

Cityscape- a genre in which the main subject of the image is city streets and buildings. Equivalent to an urban landscape, the difference in definitions is only that the first refers to large urbanized cities, and the second to small ones.

Illustration- drawing, engraving or other image explaining the text. Illustrations are used to convey the emotional atmosphere of a work of art, visualize the characters in the story, demonstrate objects, and display step-by-step instructions in technical documentation.

Interior- a genre in which the subject of the image is an image of the interior of a room.

- a genre depicting a horse. It reached a particular peak in the 18th and 19th centuries, when, along with genre and battle works that included generalized images of horses, animal artists began to create portraits of famous horses and trotters, achieving documentary similarities.

- originates in the Renaissance and includes works not only based on real events, but also mythological, biblical and evangelical paintings. One of the main genres dedicated to events of the past and present, socially significant phenomena in the history of peoples.

Calligraphy- the genre is often called the art of beautiful writing, the art of designing characters in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner.

Capriccio- a genre of landscape painting, popular in the 17th-18th centuries. The paintings of the genre depicted architectural fantasies, mainly the ruins of fictitious ancient structures. Capriccio is closely related to the vedata genre.

Karik atura- a genre that is the main form of visual satire, in a satirical or humorous form depicts any social, socio-political, everyday phenomena, real persons or characteristic types of people.

Marina (seascape)- a genre depicting a sea view, a scene of a naval battle or other events taking place at sea. It is a type of landscape. Marina emerged as an independent type of landscape painting in Holland at the beginning of the 17th century.

Miniature- a genre of works of small forms, as well as the art of their creation.

- a genre that draws plots from the mythologies of different peoples. The peculiarity of the mythological genre is the free interpretation of legendary plots. It developed in ancient art, and reached its peak during the Renaissance.

Mosaic- a genre of works that involve the formation of an image by arranging, setting and fixing multi-colored stones, smalt, ceramic tiles and other materials on the surface.

Still life- a genre depicting inanimate everyday objects.

New- a genre depicting the beauty and aesthetics of the naked human body. The nude originated in the Renaissance within the framework of mythological, allegorical, historical and everyday genres. The formation of nudes as a genre occurred in the 17th century with the spread of ideas of sensualism.

Blende- one of the genres of fine art, the characteristic feature of which is special techniques of perspective painting, which create the effect of optical illusion and blur the line between reality and image.

Parsuna- an early primitive genre of portraiture in the Russian kingdom, which in its pictorial means was dependent on icon painting.

The allegorical direction is a type of fine art, represented by almost all genres: still life, portrait, landscape. Exists as a type of historical painting. In essence, it is the transmission in illustrative form of a secret meaning, in an image that can be interpreted ambiguously, of characters from myths or religious parables, symbols.

Each allegorical painting carries a secret meaning - the artist’s message hidden in the symbolism of the image. The most popular symbol meanings are strength, death, love, freedom, good, power, justice, evil, faith. The canvas can depict people, animals, objects that carry hidden meaning. Human or animal images can be conveyed through the attributes possessed by the central character of the canvas.

Peculiarities

Allegory in painting is an allegorical genre that requires the viewer to have a subtle feeling and deep perception. This direction was most popular during the times of mannerism, baroque, classics, and the Renaissance.

Tromple or trompe l'oeil

It is believed that the genre originated during the times of Ancient Rome; the Greeks were not inclined to symbolism and preferred the direct meaning of the images in the picture. As religion developed, allegory became more popular and called for spirituality and correct life guidelines. Allegorical paintings are a way to remind people of the transience of life and call for observing moral standards in order to avoid sin. Lifestyle can be called intellectual.

Vanitas

During the Baroque period, the genre "vanitas" - translated as "vanity" - developed. The origin of the term is associated with a biblical quote from Ecclesiastes. “Everything is vanity” is the main message of the Vanitas movement.

Genre: still life. The main feature of this direction is the presence of a human skull as the central image on the canvas. The skull could be accompanied by flowers, fruits, kitchen utensils and household items, and things for religious purposes. The emergence of the genre is an early stage in the development of still life. The meaning of vanitas is simple - the inevitability of death, the transience of life, its brevity and fleetingness, all pleasures are vain and base, and in the face of death everyone is equal. This meaning is conveyed by the image of the skull in the picture.

Mythological painting

Geographically, the genre is most widespread in the countries of Northern Europe - Holland, Flanders. Works with a characteristic style are found in France and Spain.
Examples of paintings are works by Franciscus Geisbrechts, Philippe de Champagne, Peter Boyle, and artists of the 17th century.

Attributes

The main attribute of Venitas is the skull, which serves as a reminder that no one is eternal. This is a reflection of the transience of life, the frailty of existence.

• Withered flowers surrounding a skull. The most popular image of roses is a flower of love, passion, beauty. A withered rose means aging, mortal sin, vanity. The image of a poppy was often used - a symbol of laziness and sleep. A tulip is a sign of unreasonable handling of wealth, rash actions. The image of a tulip is typical of the Netherlands.
• Grain sprouts and ivy branches are a rare but common attribute. This is a symbol of rebirth, the cycle of life.
• Fruits - withered or rotten - are a sign of death, aging, poverty. Sinfulness is symbolized by plums, figs, apples, and peaches. In other words, fresh, ripe fruit is a sign of prosperity, life, health; rotten ones have the opposite meaning. To create an allegory of the Fall, artists depicted tomatoes, grapes, pears, and cherries on the canvas.
• Dice, chess, cards - the absence of a goal or its illusory nature, fallacy. Gambling accessories also mean sinfulness and hedonism.
• Snails - symbolize lust, as one of the deadly sins, laziness, duplicity. Sea shells are a sign of death.
• Soap bubbles are a sign of the transience of life, the suddenness of death.
• A dying candle, a cinder block, a dying fire is death, the end of life’s journey, the transition of the soul to another world.
• The mirror is an interesting symbol in painting. It is used to convey the illusory nature of all living things, the embodiment of pride and vanity, unrealism, since the image is not the living creature itself.
• A mask for a carnival - the ghostliness of real nature, hedonism, emptiness of nature, irresponsibility.
• Shards of dishes, mirrors, glass - death, destruction of personality. The mortar symbolizes sexuality, the empty glass symbolizes death, the exhaustion of human life.
• A watch – mechanical or hourglass – is a sign of the end of life’s journey.
• A knife or dagger is a sign of sexuality, primarily masculine. Other meanings are the fragility of life, the transience of death.
• Globe, maps - a sign of science.
• Notes and musical instruments mean art or the illusory nature of life.
• Medical objects, images of anatomical figures are a sign of human relationships, illness, mortality.
• Weapons are a sign of power, strength.
• The crown means dominance, in combination with the skull - the transience of power, its fragility.
• Coins, wallet - emptiness of the soul, vanity, narcissism, imaginary, external beauty.
• Ruins - death, completion of the life cycle.
• The key is housekeeping.

Battle painting

This is a partial list of possible attributes that were used to create the paintings.
The allegorical genre is also represented by dance of death scenes. The plot appeared in the Middle Ages. Used for painting religious paintings. The symbol means the frailty of life, the transience of the life cycle.

The symbol was first recorded in the 14th century - it meant the equality of everyone before death: merchants, kings, peasants, and townspeople.

The meaning of genre

Symbolism and hidden meaning are always popular, and such paintings spark debates that last for centuries. In modern art, allegory is the main direction of creativity of painters. Avant-garde artists use allegory for paintings, photographs, and sculpture.

Sculpture and symphony, painting and story, film and palace, performance and dance - all these are works of various types of art.

Arts are classified according to different criteria. Fine Arts show external reality in artistic images, non-fine arts express the inner world. Non-fine arts: music, dance and literature, as well as architecture. There are also mixed (synthetic) types of arts: cinema, theater, ballet, circus, etc.
Within each art form there are divisions called genres in accordance with the themes and objects of the image. This is what we will talk to you about today.

Kinds of art

Fine arts

Painting

Perhaps this is one of the most widespread forms of art. The very first works of painting date back to ancient times; they were discovered on the walls of caves of ancient people.
Monumental painting, which developed in the form of mosaics And frescoes(painting on wet plaster).

St Nicholas. Fresco of Dionysius. Ferapontov Monastery
Easel painting– these are paintings of different genres, painted on canvas (cardboard, paper) most often with oil paints.

Genres of painting

In modern painting there are the following genres: portrait, historical, mythological, battle, everyday, landscape, still life, animalistic genre.
Portrait genre reflects the external and internal appearance of a person or group of people. This genre is widespread not only in painting, but also in sculpture, graphics, etc. The main task of the portrait genre is to convey external resemblance and reveal the inner world, the essence of a person’s character.

I. Kramskoy “Portrait of Sofia Ivanovna Kramskoy”
Historical genre(depiction of historical events and characters). Of course, genres in painting are often intertwined, because... when depicting, for example, some historical event, the artist has to turn to the portrait genre, etc.
Mythological genre– illustration of myths and legends of different peoples.

S. Botticelli “Birth of Venus”
Battle genre- an image of battles, military exploits, military operations, glorifying battles, the triumph of victory. The battle genre can also include elements of other genres - domestic, portrait, landscape, animalistic, still life.

V. Vasnetsov “After the massacre of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsians”
Everyday genre– depiction of scenes from a person’s everyday, personal life.

A. Venetsianov “On the arable land”
Scenery– depiction of nature, the environment, views of the countryside, cities, historical monuments, etc.

And Savrasov “The rooks have arrived”
Marina- seascape.
Still life(translated from French - “dead nature”) - an image of household items, labor, creativity, flowers, fruits, dead game, caught fish, placed in a real everyday environment.
Animalistic genre– image of animals.

Graphic arts

The name of this type of fine art comes from the Greek word grapho - I write, I draw.
Graphics primarily include drawing and engraving, in which the design is created mainly using a line on a sheet of paper or a cutter on a solid material, from which the image is imprinted onto a sheet of paper.

Types of graphics

Engraving- a design is applied to the flat surface of the material, which is then covered with paint and stamped on paper. The number of impressions varies depending on the engraving technique and material. The main materials for engraving are metal (copper, zinc, steel), wood (boxwood, palm, pear, cherry, etc.), linoleum, cardboard, plastic, plexiglass. The engraving board is processed by mechanical means, steel tools or acid etching.
Printmaking– a print from an engraving board (engraving, lithography, silk-screen printing, monotype), which is an easel work of artistic graphics. The print is printed from a board that the artist himself engraved; often he also makes the impressions. Such works are usually signed, author's copies and are considered originals. Prints are available in black and white and color.
Book graphics- design of the book, its decorative design, illustrations.
Industrial graphics – creation of product labels, brand names, publishing marks, packaging, advertising publications, forms and envelopes. It comes into contact with advertising and is included in the design system.
Bookplate- a sign indicating the owner of the book. The bookplate is attached to the inside of a book binding or cover. Book signs are engraved on wood, copper, linoleum, zincographic or lithographic methods.

Bookplate of Greta Garbo

Poster- an image designed for general attention, created for propaganda or educational purposes.
Linocut- engraving on linoleum.
Lithography– type of engraving: drawing a picture on a stone and making an impression from it.
Woodcut– wood engraving.

Katsushika Hokusai "The Great Wave off Kanagawa", woodcut
Etching– type of engraving on metal, engraving method and impression obtained by this method.
Computer graphics– images are compiled on a computer and shown dynamically or statically. When creating this type of graphics, it is possible to see how the image is formed at all stages and make unlimited adjustments.

Sculpture

This type of art also originated in ancient times. Many images of animals sculpted from clay or carved from stone have been found, quite accurately conveying their appearance. Many female figurines have been preserved that embody the powerful feminine principle. Perhaps these are primitive images of goddesses. Ancient sculptors exaggerated their fertile powers, depicting them with powerful hips, and archaeologists call them “Venuses.”

Venus of Willendorf, about 23 thousand years BC. e., Central Europe
Sculpture is divided into round, freely placed in space, and relief, in which three-dimensional images are located on a plane.
As in painting, in sculpture there are easel and monumental forms. Monumental sculpture designed for streets and squares, such a monument is created for a long time, so it is usually made of bronze, marble, granite. Easel sculpture– these are portraits or small genre groups made of wood, plaster and other materials.

Monument to the postman. Nizhny Novgorod

Arts and crafts

The creators of works of decorative and applied art set themselves two goals: to create a thing that is necessary for everyday life, but this thing at the same time must have certain artistic qualities. Everyday objects should not only serve a person practically, but also decorate life, delight the eye with the perfection of shapes and colors.
Of course, now many works of decorative and applied art have mainly aesthetic significance, but this was not always the case.

Main types of decorative and applied arts

Batik– hand painting on fabric

Work using the hot batik technique (using wax)
Beading
Embroidery
Knitting

Lace making
Carpet weaving
Tapestry
Quilling- the art of making flat or three-dimensional compositions from long and narrow strips of paper twisted into spirals.

Quilling technique
Ceramics
Mosaic
Jewelry Art
Lacquer miniature

Palekh lacquer miniature
Artistic painting on wood
Artistic painting on metal

Zhostovo tray
Artistic carving
Artistic processing of leather

Artistic painting on ceramics

Artistic metal processing
Pyrography(burning on wood, leather, fabric, etc.)
Working with glass

Upper half of a window at Canterbury Cathedral, UK
Origami

Photographic art

The art of artistic photography. The genres are basically the same as in painting.

Graffiti

Images on walls or other surfaces. Graffiti refers to any type of street painting on walls, on which you can find everything from simple written words to elaborate drawings.

Graffiti

Comic

Drawn stories, stories in pictures. Comics combine the features of such art forms as literature and fine art.

Artist Winsor McCay "Little Sammy Sneezes"

Non-fine arts

Architecture

Architecture– the art of designing and constructing buildings. Architectural structures can exist in the form of individual buildings or in the form of ensembles. But sometimes ensembles develop historically: buildings built at different times form a single whole. An example is Moscow's Red Square.
Architecture allows us to judge the technical achievements and artistic styles of different eras. The Egyptian pyramids, built about 5 thousand years ago, and the temples of Ancient Greece and Rome have survived to this day. Any city in any country is famous for its architectural structures.

Palace Square in St. Petersburg

Literature

In the broadest sense of the word: the totality of any written texts.
Types of literature: fiction, documentary prose, memoirs, scientific and popular science, reference, educational, technical.

Genres of literature

A literary work can be classified as a particular genre according to various criteria: by form (short story, ode, opus, essay, story, play, short story, novel, sketch, epic, epos, essay), by content (comedy, farce, vaudeville , sideshow, sketch, parody, sitcom, comedy of characters, tragedy, drama), by gender.
Epic kind: fable, epic, ballad, myth, short story, story, short story, novel, epic novel, fairy tale, epic.
Lyrical gender: ode, message, stanzas, elegy, epigram.
Lyric-epic genus: ballad, poem.
Dramatic gender: drama, comedy, tragedy.

Music

Music- this is art, the means of embodying artistic images for which are sound and silence, organized in a special way in time. But in general, it is impossible to give one exhaustively precise definition of the concept “music”. This is a special type of creative activity, including a craft and profession.
The type and stylistic variety of music is great.
Classic (or serious)– professional musical compositions born in the culture of Europe mainly from the New Age (the turn of the 16th-17th centuries) and in the Middle Ages;
Popular– predominantly song and dance musical genres.
Extra-European (non-European)– music of those peoples (East) whose culture differs from the culture of Western European civilization.
Ethnic (folk)– folklore musical works of different peoples, emphasizing the identity of an ethnic group, nation, tribe.
Variety (easy)– music of an entertaining nature, intended for relaxation.
Jazz– performing traditions of American blacks reinterpreted by Europeans, based on a synthesis of African and European musical elements.
Rock– music of small vocal and instrumental groups of young people, characterized by the obligatory presence of percussion and electric musical instruments, primarily guitars.
Avant-garde (experimental)- direction in professional composing in the 20th century.
Alternative– new musical compositions or performances (sound presentations, “performances”), fundamentally different from all types of music known today.
Types of music can also be determined by the function it performs: military, church, religious, theater, dance, film music, etc.
Or by the nature of the performance: vocal, instrumental, chamber, vocal-instrumental, choral, solo, electronic, piano, etc.

Each type of music has its own genres. Let's take an example genres of instrumental music.
Instrumental music- This is music performed on instruments, without the participation of the human voice. Instrumental music can be symphonic or chamber music.
Chamber music– compositions intended for performance in small spaces, for home, “room” music playing. Chamber music has great potential for conveying lyrical emotions and subtle mental states of a person. The genres of chamber music include: sonatas, quartets, plays, quintets, etc.
Sonata– one of the main genres of instrumental chamber music. Usually consists of 3 (4) parts.
Etude– a musical piece designed to improve technical skills in playing an instrument.
Nocturne(French “night”) is a genre of a small one-part melodious lyrical piece for piano.
Prelude(Latin for “introduction”) – a short instrumental piece. Improvisational introduction to the main piece. But it can also be an independent work.

Quartet– a piece of music for 4 performers.
Within each type of music, their own styles and trends can arise and develop, distinguished by stable and characteristic structural and aesthetic features: classicism, romanticism, impressionism, expressionism, neoclassicism, serialism, avant-garde, etc.

Choreography

Choreography is the art of dance.

Spectacular (mixed or synthetic) arts

Theater

A spectacular form of art, which is a synthesis of various arts: literature, music, choreography, vocals, visual arts and others.

Puppet show
Types of theaters: drama, opera, ballet, puppet theater, pantomime theater, etc. The art of theater has been known for a long time: theater was born from the most ancient ritual festivals, which in allegorical form reproduced natural phenomena or labor processes.

Opera

An art form in which poetry and dramatic art, vocal and instrumental music, facial expressions, dancing, painting, scenery and costumes are fused into a single whole.

Teatro alla Scala (Milan)

Stage

This type of art of small forms is predominantly popular and entertaining. Variety includes the following directions: singing, dancing, circus on stage, illusionism, conversational genre, clowning.

Circus

A type of entertainment art, according to the laws of which an entertaining performance is built. The content of modern circus performances is the demonstration of magic tricks, pantomime, clowning, reprise, demonstration of exceptional abilities, often associated with risk (physical strength, acrobatics, balancing act), trained animals.

Film art

A type of entertainment art, which is also a synthesis of the arts: literature, theater, dance, fine arts (scenery), etc.

Ballet

Type of performing arts; a performance whose content is embodied in musical and choreographic images. The basis of a classical ballet performance is a certain plot, a dramatic concept. In the 20th century a plotless ballet appeared, the dramaturgy of which was based on the development inherent in the music.