Ural Federal University: Art Historians Discuss the Far Eastern Dream of European Masters

The Nestor-history Publishing House has published The Far Eastern Dream of European Masters monograph by Sergey Vinokurov and Lyudmila Budrina, professors at the Department of Art History and Museum Studies of the Ural Federal University. The book is dedicated to the research of principles and character of creative interpretation of Chinese and Japanese motifs in the works of European stonecutters and jewelers from the second half of 19th century to the first third of 20th century.

The book presents the main stages of mastering by European masters of artistic traditions of the Far East within the framework of different types of decorative and applied art. An important part is the analysis of the ways of introduction and dissemination of new techniques and stylistic influences.

“Particular attention is paid to the participation of Far Eastern exhibitors in world and international exhibitions, the problem of collecting and creating the first specialized museums, and the role of various print sources in disseminating information about the works of Far Eastern masters,” says Lyudmila Budrina.

The main section presents a study of Far Eastern reminiscence in stone and jewelry art. It is divided into four stylistic and chronological periods: historicism (chinoiserie as a manifestation of the second Rococo, and later japonisme), Art Nouveau and Art Deco.

“This approach allowed us to systematize specific artistic material and identify internal patterns in the approaches of European artists to work with exotic heritage,” explains Sergey Vinokurov.