OSHER 358 - Russian Art: From the Double-headed Eagle to the Hammer and Sickle

There is more to Russian art than icons and onion-domed cathedrals. This course will present an overview of the history of Russian art from the tsars through Communist rule. We will examine the origins of Russian culture and the relationship of that culture to its art forms. Also addressed will be the changes wrought by powerful tsars and the complete transformation of Russia from an agriculturally-based economy to an industrial one under Communist rule, always with a view to the role art played in this transformation.