RU 
EN Ekaterina Mikhailova-Smolniakova
European University at Saint-Petersburg, Russia
The term “kinemic knowledge” comprises two concepts. The first, “kinesthetic”, means the sensation of movement or strain in muscles and tendons — muscle sense. The second one, “emic”, means knowledge or interpretations existing within a culture and best described by a “native” of the culture. Kinemic knowledge describes traditional types of movements from the point of view which is “native” for studied culture. Within fine arts kinemic knowledge allows one to define correctly what movements were depicted by an artist, i.e. to interpret the meaning of the scene. On the contrary, absence of kinemic knowledge may lead to misunderstanding. Analyzing images of dance, professional and non-professional theatre performances and sport games and competitions and so on, one needs not only to be acquainted with the tradition of representation, but also to have kinemic knowledge of this culture, which is of great importance in this case.
In 14th–15th centuries most of the dance images were more or less symbolic and had additional meanings. Dance was one of the tools to transfer meanings. Studying this type of images a scholar should solve two problems: identify depicted scene as a dance scene and interpret correctly its features and, therefore, its meaning. If the scene was depicted by a representative of the same culture, using kinemic knowledge may help to avoid interpretation inaccuracy or even faults.
As an example of kinemic approach we will examine two etchings attributed to Baccio Baldini in the context of bassedance choreography culture of the 1400–1550s. Kinemic knowledge enables us to state that in both cases the pairs depicted are not “walking” or “standing” (as they are traditionally described) but “dancing”, performing basse dance — the dance type which is associated with European high culture of the Renaissance era. This conclusion allows to specify the meanings of the scene depicted and put one of the etchings in the “Dance macabre” context.
Olga Makho
The State Hermitage Museum; Saint Petersburg University of Film and Television, Russia
Muses appear to be pictured in art of the Renaissance from the mid-15th century, possibly as the evidence which proves the link between the Renaissance culture and culture of Classical Antiquity. Their images are to be found in significant ensembles like paintings from Lionello d’Este’s studiolo at Belfiore palace, or a small Muse sanctuary close to Federico da Montefeltro’s studiolo at Palazzo Ducale di Urbino. In the works created by the artists of Quattrocento the images are filled with versatile allegoric sense that composes Classical and Medieval components bringing the result to a new quality.
In the very end of the 15th century series of separate images start to change into multi-figured compositions with a diversified programme like in “Parnassus” by Andrea Mantegna painted for Isabella d’Este’s studiolo at Mantua. It seems true that the apogee of the theme was reached in Raphael’s “Parnassus”, fresco painted by him for stanza della Segnatura at the Vatican palace, where the paradigm of the absolute harmony is born.
With the evident influence of the Renaissance, Muse images developed in the classicist painting of the 17th century — in the works by Nicolas Poussin, and the neo-classicist art of the 18th century — in those by Anton Raphael Mengs. It is notable though that in comparison with the programmatic riches characteristic of the Renaissance, they gradually lose their individuality and polysemantic meaning to become plain in their sense.
The Vatican Palace and the Formation of the Roman Palace Type in the Second Half of the 15th Century
Maria Dunina
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
The typology of Renaissance palazzo arises and develops in the 15th century in various cities throughout Italy and has some unique features everywhere. In this respect, Rome provides a very interesting and exemplary evolution of this typology. Roman palace type is not so articulated as the ones at Florence and in other artistic centers. In the first half of Quattrocento, the Avignon Papacy was just over, so the Roman private architecture developed in a chaotic manner and had neither theoretical base nor consistent logic of artistic design.
In the middle of the 15th century the situation changes dramatically due to the shift of the general artistic agenda in Rome, and to the ruling of the pontiffs eager to create a new image of the Eternal City, including its architectural settings.
Exploring the initial stage of formation of a Renaissance palace in Rome, we will find the emergence of distinct typology in the Vatican Palace influenced by L. B. Alberti for humanist Pope Nicholas V (1447–1455). Vatican received a new type of palace brought by the combination of Alberti’s theory and the idea of the revival of Rome (renovatio Romae). Based on traditional elements of Roman palaces of the first half of the 15th century, it is organized along with the classical concept of forms into an unified monumental structure.
Senior ecclesiastical leaders, striving to show their loyalty to the papacy, copied the architecture of Vatican in their residences. The program of the Vatican Palace responded to the needs of the Pope and defined the development of the Roman palace type of the second half of the 15th century. The report depicts the influence of this program on the facades, and on the planimetry of the Roman palaces of the second half of the 15th century.
Anna Ezernitskaya
Russian State University for the Humanities, Russia
The problem of the Compagnie della Calza is mostly considered in the context of the Venetian public ceremonies and private feasts in the 15th–16th centuries.
This topic has never been studied in Russian historiography. Also we should mention that there is hardly any research in the literature on the Compagnie della Calza in the Venetian paintings of 15th–16th centuries. Our report aims to fill in the gap.
As for today the most fundamental research covering practically all the aspects of Comapgnie della Calza’s activities is the work of Lionello Venturi. The author gave most proper definition of the character of this unions as “a private society temporarily created by the noblest young men who have decided to unite their forces for the purpose of entertainment”.
The illustrative witnesses of how exactly Companions looked “at their full blossom” could be divided into three groups:
1. Drawings, prints and engravings made with documentary preciseness showing some coat of arms, stripes and tabs or even sometimes a concrete person who belonged to a certain Compagnia della Calza;
2. Paintings of the Venetian Renaissance artists who according to Venturi strived for depicting the reality with pedantic punctuality: “Procession in Piazza San Marco” by Gentile Bellini (1496), “The arrival of the English Ambassadors” by Vittore Carpaccio (1495–1500), and others;
3. Compagnie della Calza are also met in the works of artists where the subject line is either hidden or is absent at all. For instance the male character of Giorgione’s “La Tempesta” is dressed in the hoses of different colours. Or in the Dzanetti’s engraving based on Titian’s fresco and later coloured by Grevembrock we see a personage in different hoses too. In the “Pastoral Concert” whose attribution to Giorgione or Titian is still disputable we see that the man who holds an instrument in his hands is also dressed in striped hoses. The stripes are clearly seen as the light falls on his knee.
The research of the phenomenon of Compagnie della Calza in the social life of the Republic of Venice in the15th–16th centuries opens to the historians of art a remarkable opportunity to find additional, sometimes hidden subjects and senses in the well-known programme of works of art.
Maria Maistrovskaya
Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Industrial and Applied Arts, Russia
The report examines main principles and specific techniques in the presentation of art and natural-science collections in the period of the 15th–17th centuries, using the example of European countries.
The author focuses on two main exhibition types — rooms and cabinets of curiosities, and representative palace galleries, which were widespread in this period and formed a peculiar kind of presentation in the context of the leading architectural and artistic style, scientific worldview and the dominant ideology.
The article analyses the principles and forms of monumental and decorative ensemble of galleries and exposition organization of universal cabinets and storages, as a first step of forming exhibition techniques and presentation of collections in the nascent European museums. It had a significant effect on subsequent periods of their development. The article also provides extensive visual material — engravings of the period, titles of published catalogs, images of exhibition spaces in the paintings, contemporary photographs of the largest palaces of the period.