Post #2064

✨️ This year marks the 200th anniversary of the Russian State University of Design and Applied Arts (Stroganov University). It was founded by Count Sergey Stroganov in 1825 in Moscow and was originally called the “School of Drawing in Relation to Arts and Crafts.” Its creation was prompted by the demands of the country's socio-economic development at a time when traditional arts and crafts were giving way to growing industrial production. At that time, there was a need for artists who could bridge the gap between traditional methods of passing on creative skills "from father to son" and the new demands of the rapidly developing national industry. Sergey Stroganov, the founder of the School and a veteran of the Patriotic War of 1812, came from a prominent family of wealthy industrialists. He was a champion of education and the development of national art. According to Stroganov, "The purpose of this institution is to provide young people (aged 10 to 16) who devote themselves to various crafts and skills with an opportunity to acquire the art of drawing, without which no craftsman can give his products the perfection they deserve." ❗️It is important to note the democratic foundations established by Stroganov. Education and meals were free for most students, and children of commoners and serfs were accepted into the school. Admission was based on the applicant's talent and ability to draw and create art, not the privileged status of the parents. Due to its location in Moscow, the country's centuries-old historical and cultural center with deep national artistic traditions, the School rapidly developed. Teachers and students at the Stroganov School studied the artistic heritage of Ancient Rus extensively. 🏅The Stroganov School's works of art attracted the attention of the artistic community. The school was particularly successful at the 1900 Paris International Exhibition, where it received two Grand Prix awards, three silver medals, and one bronze medal for its creations. The Western public was struck by the Stroganov artists' extraordinary, deeply national interpretation of the then-dominant Art Nouveau style in the applied arts. The school also enjoyed great success at the Turin exhibition in 1911. During its heyday, the Stroganov School produced many talented artists who went on to leave their mark on the history of Russian fine and decorative arts. Notable alumni include sculptor Nikolai Andreev, designer of the Nikolai Gogol monument in Moscow; sculptor Sergei Alyoshin; theater artist Vladimir Egorov, a leading figure in Soviet cinema; educator, methodologist, and scholar Alexander Baryshnikov, author of books on composition; Nikolai Sobolev, a leading expert on Russian applied art; and stage designer Fedor Fedorovsky, lead artist at the Bolshoi Theater for many years. Stroganov University currently produces professional designers and artists specializing in decorative and applied arts, as well as monumental art. General academic departments offer lecture courses and seminars, which are supplemented by basic creative training provided by specialized departments. The main focus is practical, creative work in classrooms and workshops. 📷: Stroganov University