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It is commonly accepted that artistic taste
came to Russia from Constantinople together with Christianity, that medieval
Russian art developed under the influence of Byzantine art and that the Church
played an exclusive role in its formation and dissemination. However, the more
we learn about Russian art as a whole, the more we find elements of Armenian
and Georgian art, traces of Asiatic influences, in some cases of Scandinavian
and later, of course, of West European and particularly of Italian in
architecture. In accepting foreign trends in their arts Russians were not an
exception, and history shows many examples where not only primitive but
culturally advanced nations readily acquiesced to the superior knowledge of
foreign masters. Ancient Rome relied chiefly, if not exclusively, on foreign
artists and architects. What we call today Byzantine art was mainly a product
of various cultures that contributed to its growth. Thus the classical
:Byzantine" arch (vault) construction, the one that Kievan Russia copied
for their first stone churches, was already known by the Assyrians before it
was seen in Constantinople. The vestiges of Persian forms are quite visible in
Russian decorative art. According to Violet le Duc, 1814-1879, an authority on
the subject, Byzantine emperors relied primarily on Asian architects and
artists for most major edifices that were built in their time, including the
famous Saint Sophia in Constantinople.
Through a considerable part of their art history, ancient as well as
modern Russian artists had difficulty moving out of the status of being an
ambitious apprentices. It is true they learned new jobs easily and fast; in
some cases they quickly and successfully took over the work from their masters,
in others gifted pupils surpassed their teachers, though this was not very
often the case. Nevertheless an independent school of art developed gradually
in Russia. Since the political and cultural center of the country kept moving
from one province to another, the artistic vitality was revived and in most
cases new contributions made to the art treasuries with each movement. As the
result we can speak of various provincial art schools, such as Kiev, Novgorod,
Vladimir-Suzdal, Moscow etc. , though until the reforms of Peter The Great they
were all basically parts of Orthodox Christian culture of medieval Russia. This
is at variance with some western historian who view all Russian ancient art
simply as a branch of Byzantine art merely because of its close connections
with the Church and the presence of Greek artists and architects at its
inception. They overlook the fact that Russian art also drew its forces from
the very rich national folklore and the depths of imagination and talents of
its people.
Dazzled by the beauty of Byzantine churches, Vladimir ordered the
construction of the first stone churches, palaces and fortifications in Kiev.
During his reign and later under his son Yaroslav not only the capital but all
major cities were infected with construction frenzy. Since not everyone could
make a trip to Constantinople to revel in the magnificence of its cathedrals,
Vladimir decided to offer this pleasure at home. By doing this he also wanted
and expected his country to join the civilized world and become an equal
partner heralding Byzantine art. The political ambitions of Vladimir and
Yaroslav were not less important than the cultural, particularly if we judge
them by the intricate family relationships with European courts which they
established in a rather short period of time. First Vladimir married a
Byzantine princess, while his son Svyatopolk, who succeeded him as Grand Duke
of Kiev for a short time, was married to the daughter of Polish Prince
Boleslav. Yaroslav's family did much better. His son Vsyevolod married a
daughter of Emperor Constantine Monomakh; his other son, Izyaslav, took the
sister of Polish King Kazimir. His daughter Elizabeth was married to a
Norwegian king and Ann to Henry I, King of France. Yaroslav's grandson,
Vladimir Monomakh, married a daughter of English King Harold II. One of
Yaroslav's grand daughters (by his son Vsyevolod), Evpraxy, was wife of German
Emperor Henry IV, and Ephimy (Yefimia) was a wife of a Hungarian king.
For full geneology of the Rus ruling house and descriptions of all the princes
please refer to our section on princes.
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