The 5th International Annual Conference “Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art” (Saint-Petersburg, October 28 - November 1, 2014).
Official partners of the conference: St. Petersburg State University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, the State Hermitage Museum.
Status: international
Number of participants: 229
Timing of the conference: October 28 - November 1, 2014 (5 days)
Place of the conference: Within five days the event will be held at various venues of St. Petersburg State University and the State Hermitage Museum (more on timing and the programme on the conference website www.actual-art.spbu.ru)
Annotation: The 5th International scientific conference «Actual problems of theory and history of art» is an annual forum which is organized in the framework of agreement on cooperation between St. Petersburg State University and Lomonosov Moscow State University in collaboration with the State Hermitage Museum. The conference is devoted to the discussion of the topical questions of the history and theory of fine arts and architecture, as well as the issues of the interaction of Russian and other national artistic cultures. After the two major universities in Russia - St. Petersburg State University and Lomonosov Moscow State University - have received a special status, a joint conference became an important milestone in the mutual cooperation of the leading schools of art history in the country, existed largely in isolation from each other before.
Organizing Committee: Dean of the Institute for History of St. Petersburg State University, prof. Abdulla H. Daudov (chairman); associate member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, director general of the State Hermitage Museum, prof. Mikhail B. Piotrovsky (co-chairman); member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, dean of the Faculty of History of Lomonosov Moscow State University, prof. Sergey P. Karpov (co-chairman); honorary prof. Tat’iana V. Il’ina (St. Petersburg State University); honorary prof. Euthymios Tsigaridas (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece); prof. Ivan Stevovich (University of Belgrade, Serbia); prof. Silvia Pedone (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy); head of the Universal art history Chair, prof. Ivan I. Tuchkov (Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of History); Ph.D. in Art history, associate prof. Valentin A. Bulkin (St. Petersburg State University, Institute for History, Russian art history Chair); prof. Anatolii V.Rykov(St. Petersburg State University, Institute for History, Western European art history Chair); deputy director, prof. Armen Iu. Kazarian (Research Institute of the Theory and History of Architecture and Town Planning of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences; State Institute for Art Studies under the Russian Ministry of Culture, Moscow); scientific Secretary, Ph.D. in History Mariam M. Dandamaeva (State Hermitage Museum); head of the Antiquities Department , Ph.D. in Art history Anna A. Trofimova (State Hermitage Museum); ass.prof. , Ph.D. in History Nadja C. Jijina (St. Petersburg State University, Institute for History, Russian art history Chair) (State Hermitage Museum); dean of the Art History Faculty, prof. Il’ia A.Doronchenkov (I. Repin St. Petersburg State Academy Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, Russian Academy of Arts), invited professor of Brown University (USA), Albert-Ludwigs Universitaet, Freiburg (Germany); ass.prof. Zaruhy Hakobian (Yerevan State University); senior research assistant Anna V. Zakharova, Ph.D. in Art history (Lomonosov Moscow State University); head lecturer Ekaterina Yu. Stanyukovich-Denisova (St. Petersburg State University, Institute for History, Russian art history Chair); head lecturer Svetlana V. Maltseva (St. Petersburg State University, Institute for History, Russian art history Chair); assistant Ekaterina A. Skvortsova, Ph.D. in Art history (St. Petersburg State University, Institute for History, Russian art history Chair).
The leading topic of the conference in 2014: “Images of Classical Antiquity. The Art of the Ancient World and Its Heritage in the World Culture”.
The basic theme provides for consideration of the issues associated with both the phenomenon of the ancient art and artistic culture, and transformation of the classical legacy in the course of development of the system of the European artistic values - in the process of constitution of the European culture as a whole, as well as in formation of various national cultures. The problem of forming, figurative way of thinking, creation, reproduction and replication of the consistent compositional schemes, statuary types and other representational solutions elaborated in the antiquity, their implementation by the artists of various epochs and regions, problems with reconstruction of the lost works of art and their recent interpretations, copying and artistic compilations, antique reminiscences in the art of the Modern period constitute the wide range of the topics under thorough consideration of the art historians. Almost all issues, which had been formulated using the material of the antique art and architecture, are discussed in other fields of the history and theory of the art and had been raised along with their basic concepts and aspects long before the present times. It should be considered as a significant factor of the research of an art historian, that the scholars on their way to solving the issues of the antique art use the scientific toolset and rely on the principles within the framework of the art history, as well as outside its boundaries, implementing the data of the adjoining disciplines. It is fundamentally important that during the recent years the antiquity and its influence on the culture and art of the following centuries (repetitions, imitations and transformations) has begun one of the main themes of the historiography, in other words, one of the most current issues of the art history. The conference will deal with both particular problems, showing the examples of using the antique models, and also the theoretical issues. The concepts of fundamental importance to the art history will be considered. The questions of typification, “model” and “imitation” categories, the concepts of “innovation” and “stereotype” has been in the centre of the research by the leading art historians and theorists since the 1960-ies. Expansion of the “classic” both in time and in geographically, its transformation on the periphery of the ancient world, in particular in the colonies, such as the northern Black Sea littoral, and also its adaptation by the cultures of the Mediterranean, East, Central Asia became the significant themes of the studies of the foreign and Russian antiquity researches during the second half of the 20th and the early 21st cc. The history of restoration, collecting, establishment of museums across Europe and Russia is also a specific aspect of the antiquity studies, theory and history of culture broadly defined. In addition to the mentioned above, the topics concerned with various approaches, applied by the humanities – by the art history, archeology, history and classic philology, will be presented in the papers considering the materials and problems of the subdisciplines listed above.
Main goals of the conference. The organizers of the conference «Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art» see their task in making agenda and quality of discussion of the problems announced consistent with the up-to-date standards adopted by the international scientific community. The range and depth of studying the issues should correspond to the modern approaches. This will ensure the interest of all those involved in antique and classic art studies to the results of this scientific forum.
Current issues. The priority in the work of the conference in 2014 is the studies of the ancient Greek and Roman art and of historical trends in the European and Russian art of the later times, which were based on the achievements of the ancient world. Due to the fact that the legacy of antiquity constitutes the basis of European culture, the studies of the ancient art history remain among the relevant and significant for the past two centuries. Recent decades have seen a surge of interest both in classical culture as such and also in abundant layers of European culture focused on antiquity. Study of antiquity as a vast field of knowledge today involves not only historical criticism, but also introducing the science of antiquity in the scope of its competence. Actually, new research in this area forms our current understanding of the motives and principal provisions of the artistic tendencies of the modern times. Creators and theorists of the latter thought the world of classical antiquity in all its diversity as an immutable model and an inexhaustible source of creative inspiration, defining the face of culture as a whole. Insight into the very essence and phenomena of art is impossible without studying conditions and nature of processing and creating new achievements on the basis of old - this is the mainstream of critical, historical, cultural and philosophical thought of the modern art. That is why the Conference in 2014 will not limit the range of issues discussed by papers directly related to the art of ancient Greece and Rome, the Northern Black Sea and other regions of ancient ecumene. According to the organizing committee, during the breakout sessions the participants will discuss the materials of art, historical and cultural studies devoted to the ancient part of the culture and art of Byzantium, European and Russian Middle Ages, art of the 17th-18th and 19th - early 20th century. Completeness of the current knowledge in the science of antiquity and preservation of the classical legacy in culture can only be achieved by joint efforts of specialists in different fields - art historians, critics, archaeologists, linguists etc. Thus to participate in the Conference in 2014 both young and experienced staff of art history departments of St. Petersburg State University and Moscow State University are invited, as well as colleagues of other historical specialities - archeology, history of ancient Greece and Rome, classical philology and history of philosophy from the Philological Faculty and the Institute of Philosophy of St. Petersburg State University.
Project of the programme of the conference. Within the conference it is intended to organize a plenary session «Classical Antiquity — Life through the Ages, and the Age of Topicality» (two sections) with participation of the leading experts in the field of antique art and arrange several working sessions:
- «Classical Antiquity and the World around Hellas»
- «Legacy of Classical Antiquity in the Byzantine World, European Middle Ages and Old Russia»
- «Harmony of the Classics under the Arches of Old Rus'»
- «Antiquity on the Ribs of the European Middle Ages»
- «Art of Classical Antiquity in the Mirror of the Renaissance»
- «Western European Art of the 17th –19th Centuries. Classical Tradition’s Destiny: from Model to Interpretation»
- «Russian Art of the 18th Century. Antique Fantasy of the Enlightenment»
- «Home Art of the 19th–20th Centuries and Classical Antiquity: Russian View»
- «Art of the 20th-21st Centuries. Faces of Classical Antiquity in the Labyrinth of Modernity»
Upon the results of the sessions the Round-table discussion is planned to discuss the topics, current for the present practices of the art historians and museums.
- «Fine Arts and Architecture within and outside the Heritage of Classical Antiquity»
- «Modern Art in the Old Museum. Discussion of the Conceptual Expositional Projects: Louise Bourgeois, Giovanni Battista Piranesi and Art-objects within the Programme of Manifesta-2014».
The collection of scientific articles from the conference in 2013 will be presented during the conference.
Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art: Collection of articles. Vol. 4. / Eds. A.V.Zakharova, S.V. Maltseva. – St. Petersburg: NP-Print, 2014 - 594 p.
In addition to discussing reports during the conference other activities representing different aspects of the art training and ways of its implementation will be held. First of all, it's an interactive project of the photo exhibition "Antiquity through the Centuries and Space." It will present photographs taken by professors and students of St. Petersburg State University during the expeditions organized on the initiative of art history departments of St. Petersburg State University and Moscow State University.
An important part of the conference is the specialized training in the leading museums of St. Petersburg (the State Hermitage Museum, Museum of the History of St. Petersburg, The State Museum of St Isaac’s Cathedral –the Museum Complex) and its suburbs (State museum preserves "Pavlovsk" and "Tsarskoye Selo") jointly prepared by colleagues from the museums and universities. For conference participants, mostly specialists in medieval art, a field seminar in Veliky Novgorod (November 1) will be a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the outstanding monuments of ancient Russian art. Comments given by the experts - researchers of Novgorod museum and restoration workshop, professors of St. Petersburg State University and Moscow State University, discussion of issues related to the examined monuments will be interesting for both foreign and Russian participants.
The objectives of the workshops are not only to acquaint foreign and Russian guests of the conference with the monuments and collections of St. Petersburg and Veliky Novgorod, but also demonstrate to our undergraduate and graduate art history students the most required option of practical application of their skills. Promotion of knowledge of art history and professional training in research, teaching, museum preservation and sightseeing activities is considered by the organizers to be one of the priorities of higher education.
The conference statistics. Number of participants: 229
Countries: 23 – Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia (Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia), the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Serbia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Ukraine.
St.Petersburg State University – 6 faculties – 52 participants (Institute for History, Institute for Philosophy, Philological Faculty, Faculty of the Liberal Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Biological Faculty)
Foreign participants: 64 (professors – 23, doctors in Art history – 38, PhD students – 3
Foreign institutes and universities: 60 – The Academy of Athens (Greece); Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports; Sapienza University of Rome (Italy); University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy; University of Vienna, Austria; University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Paris Sorbonne University, France; Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria; University of Durham, United Kingdom; Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, Austria; Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Germany; University of Hanover, USA; Dartmouth College, USA; Yale University, USA; Southwestern University, Texas, USA; Helsinki University (Finland); University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Italy; University of Padua, Italy The Second University of Naples, Italy; Istanbul University, Turkey; Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University, Ukraine; University of Cologne, Germany; University of Göttingen, Germany; Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Germany; Philipps University of Marburg, Germany; Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; Hellenic Open University, Greece; Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; Institute for Archaeology of Paros and the Cyclades, Greece; Complutense University of Madrid, Spain; National Academy of Science of Armenia, Armenia; Yerevan State University, Armenia; The National Distance Education University, Madrid, Spain; The Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain; Vesuvian Institute, Italy; University of Westminster, United Kingdom; Riga Technical University, Latvia; Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Polish Institute of World Art Studies in Warsaw, Poland; Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland; University of Belgrade, Serbia Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium; University of Warwick, United Kingdom; University of Essex, United Kingdom; University of Fine Arts of Hamburg, Germany; Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, Georgia, G. Chubinashvili National Research Centre for Study of Georgian Art and Preservation of Cultural Heritage, Georgia; National Institute of Archaeology with Museum, Bulgaria; Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel; Directorate of Museums, Exhibitions and Educational Programmes, Greece; Institute of Balkan Studies and Center of Thracology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria; Restoring Ancient Stabiae Foundation, Italy; National Conservation Centre, Republic of Macedonia; Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts Matenadaran, Armenia; Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel; Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, Turkey; Bibliotheca Hertziana — Max Planck Institute for Art History, Italy; Centro Studi Vitruviani, Fano, Italy; Borghese Gallery and Museum, Rome, Italy
Russian participants: 164 from 10 cities (St.Petersburg, Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Veliky Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Rostov, Rostov-na-Donu, Saratov, Tolliati)
Russian universities: St. Petersburg State University; Lomonosov Moscow State University; I.Repin St. Petersburg State Academy Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, Russian Academy of Arts; Herzen State Pedagogical University; Saint Petersburg State Art and Industry Academy named after A. Stieglitz; St. Petersburg State University of Technology and Design; St. Petersburg University for Cinematography and Television; St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University; St. Petersburg University of Humanities and Social Sciences; European University at St. Petersburg; Institute of Television, Business and Design, St.Petersburg; Russian Institute of Art History, St.Petersburg; Russian Christian Academy for the Humanities; Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry; V. Surikov Moscow State Academy Art Institute; Moscow Institute (State Academy) for Architecture; Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute of the Vakhtangov Theatre Academy; Moscow State Pedagogical University; St. Tikhon Orthodox University for Humanities; Russian State University for Humanities; Nizhni Novgorod State Conservatoire (Academy); Rostov State Transport University; Southern Federal University; Kuban State University; Togliatti State University
Russian organizations: State Hermitage Museum; State Russian Museum; Moscow Kremlin Museums; State Tretiakov Gallery; Research Institute of Theory and History of Architecture and Town Planning of Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences; The Research Institute of Theory and History of Art of the Russian Academy of Arts; State Institute for Art Studies; Association of Art Critics; Central Research and Restoration Project Workshop, Moscow; St. Petersburg Academic Institute for the History of Material Culture; “Isaac Brodsky’s Apartment” Museum, The Russian Academy of Fine Arts Museum; Research Library of the Russian Academy of Arts; The Archive of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg Branch; Research Institute “Spetsproektrestavratsiia”; Central Naval Museum, St. Petersburg; Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts; Radishchev State Art Museum in Saratov; Bibliotheca Classica Petropolitana; State Radio-Television Channel “Culture”; Art College “World of Art”; Centre for East Christian Culture; “Russian World of Art” Fund; Consulate General of Belgium in St. Petersburg; Fabergé Museum, «Tatiana Nikitina's Art Holding» Gallery