Russian Art

Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-DucProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6

Word count: 361K words
Chapters: 37

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.L'art russe by Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-DucAuthor: Viollet-le-Duc, Eugène-Emmanuel, 1814-1879,Language: French, Class: N: Fine Arts, Release Date: Jul 3, 2006

Editor's review

L'art russe is a work on Russian art by Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, the French architectural theorist and pioneer of heritage conservation, released free in its original French by Project Gutenberg. The author examines Russian art through an architectural scholar's eye, focusing on the relationship between form, structure, and ornament, and the prose carries the speculative temper of nineteenth-century French art criticism. For Chinese readers, the book's significance lies in offering an early European scholar's perspective on Russian art, which can be read against later art-historical accounts to appreciate how judgments and emphases shift with different standpoints. As a public-domain ebook, it is easy to search and cite, making it a useful auxiliary source for specialized research. Note that the book is in French and dates from an early period, so some views reflect the limitations of their time and should be read critically. It is not an introductory picture book and does not rely on illustrations, making it better suited to readers with some foundation in art history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying the history of Russian art and architecture
Readers interested in nineteenth-century European art criticism
Researchers able to read French who need public-domain sources
Advanced readers wishing to compare different art-historical perspectives

Not a good fit for

Readers unable to read French and unwilling to use translation tools
Those seeking a visual, picture-book introduction to Russian art
Art beginners looking for light introductory reading

Reading tips

Start by learning about the author's background in architecture and heritage conservation to better grasp his standpoint.
Mark passages on architectural structure and ornament as you read, then organize them by theme afterward.
Read alongside a standard history of Russian art and compare the differences between accounts.
Stay skeptical of judgments limited by their era, and note your own counterarguments or additions.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in French or Chinese?

This is the original French edition, released by Project Gutenberg and labeled as French. There is no Chinese translation, so readers need French reading ability or should use translation tools and reference materials.

Does the book contain many illustrations?

According to available information, the book is a textual work with no indication of extensive plates. If you want to learn about Russian art primarily through images, look for a picture book instead; this volume is better suited to readers interested in argument and perspective.

Are the author's views still applicable today?

The book was written in the nineteenth century, and some judgments reflect the Eurocentric perspective and limitations of that time. It is best read as a historical document that shows how an early European scholar viewed Russian art, rather than accepting its conclusions wholesale.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc Author · French · 1814–1879

Viollet-le-Duc, Eugène-Emmanuel (1814–1879), was a French architect and architectural theorist, born in Paris and died in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is known for directing the restoration of medieval buildings such as Notre-Dame de Paris, the walls of Carcassonne, and the Château de Pierrefonds, and was a central figure in the Gothic Revival movement. His representative work, the Dictionnaire raisonné de l'architecture française, systematically examines French architecture from the 11th to the 16th centuries, combining theoretical depth with empirical scholarship, and has had a lasting influence on architectural history and heritage conservation. The library holds 16 of his works, mostly volumes of this dictionary. Public information is limited and details of his life are unclear, but these achievements establish his important place in architectural history.