Colourful Dymkovo figurines, whistles among them, represent the most famous and one of the oldest clay handicrafts of Russia.

Long time ago the izrazets, i.e. Russian glazed tiles took quite a special place in Russian applied arts and household. They were used on a wide scale: from tiled stoves and window aprons to decors, bas-reliefs and friezes.

In Old Russia, the country of boundless forests, where wood was the most accessible material, wooden architecture took a special place, gaining perfection, and had a great influence on Russian architecture as a whole.

Since in Old Rus’ art served exclusively religious aims and the Orthodox Church disapproved of sculpturing human figures, there was no Russian sculpture in the real sense of the word before epoch of Peter the Great.

Russian avant-garde is a common term denoting a most remarkable art phenomenon that flourished in Russia from 1890 to 1930, though some of its early manifestations date back to the 1850s, whereas the latest ones refer to the 1960s.

What features of the modern Russian architecture pertain to the authentic Russian tradition?

The lubki (sing. lubok) are Russian hand made folk prints representing a rich and expressive layer of this country’s culture, history and art. These once popular simple printed pictures coloured by hand eloquently speak about life and outlook of the common people of the past.

These stylish metal castings found in the Ural inspire scientists and artists to try to fathom the mysteries they harbour.

The history of Russian fine arts falls into two distinct periods, with the border between them marked by the reforms of Peter the Great. This distinction is utterly profound, dealing with the basics of artistic perception of reality.