WEBVTT 00:00:17.23 --> 00:00:19.19 [ Semyon ] It's an amazing story, 00:00:19.21 --> 00:00:22.08 because thanks to Soviet rule, 00:00:22.09 --> 00:00:24.09 and the Soviet system, 00:00:24.10 --> 00:00:27.19 we've preserved this classic art school. 00:00:27.22 --> 00:00:32.05 [ Semyon ] And today, thanks to this system that's been preserved, 00:00:32.06 --> 00:00:37.21 we can share it with Europeans, Americans, Chinese, with anyone! 00:00:38.07 --> 00:00:43.17 [ Semyon ] They come here because there are no classic art schools left in the world! 00:00:56.23 --> 00:01:00.12 [ Wei ] Well, of course we criticize each other, 00:01:00.14 --> 00:01:04.00 because all artists think differently. 00:01:08.14 --> 00:01:12.14 [ Liya ] A neckless portrait isn't good. [ Wei ] It's better without. 00:01:12.15 --> 00:01:15.00 [ Liya ] At least sketch it out slightly. 00:01:15.02 --> 00:01:16.22 [ Liya ] Yes, we argue often. 00:01:17.05 --> 00:01:21.00 [ Liya ] But when we argue about my work, he just scolds me! 00:01:23.18 --> 00:01:28.07 [ Yaroslav ] All artists share one thing, I don't know, I guess it's love! 00:01:34.22 --> 00:01:41.12 ART OF GOLD 00:01:42.13 --> 00:01:45.11 [ VO ] Minerva was the Goddess who sponsored the arts, 00:01:45.12 --> 00:01:47.07 and she graces the top of the main dome 00:01:47.07 --> 00:01:51.18 while replicas of antique statues stand between the imposing columns. 00:01:51.19 --> 00:01:56.23 [ VO ] This is Saint-Petersburg’s Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. 00:01:57.02 --> 00:02:00.21 [ VO ] It used to be the Imperial Academy of the Three Noblest Arts 00:02:00.22 --> 00:02:03.21 and is now the largest and oldest art school in Russia. 00:02:05.18 --> 00:02:08.06 [ Karina Ludborzha, Student, Painting Department ] 00:02:08.08 --> 00:02:13.06 [ Karina ] For me this academy was like some unattainable land of Eldorado. 00:02:13.07 --> 00:02:16.00 [ Karina ] As in, 'It's impossible to get in!' 00:02:16.17 --> 00:02:19.08 [ Karina ] I'm an adventurous person, 00:02:19.09 --> 00:02:21.05 so for me it was like... 00:02:22.07 --> 00:02:23.22 a real temptation! 00:02:23.23 --> 00:02:28.04 [ Karina ] As everyone said it was impossible I had to prove them wrong! 00:02:28.05 --> 00:02:29.09 [ Karina ] So, here I am! 00:02:30.06 --> 00:02:32.00 [ Yury Kalyuta ] Take a look at the hips. 00:02:32.00 --> 00:02:34.22 [ Yury Kalyuta ] You can't just paint it mechanically. 00:02:34.23 --> 00:02:39.06 [ Yury Kalyuta ] Your brushstrokes should trace the form, develop the line. 00:02:39.08 --> 00:02:42.03 [ Yury Kalyuta ] And the hand! Now it's just a... 00:02:42.04 --> 00:02:43.18 shapeless blob. 00:02:43.19 --> 00:02:45.19 [ Yury Kalyuta ] The hand with a glass... 00:02:49.23 --> 00:02:52.14 [ Karina ] I was born in Latvia, 00:02:52.15 --> 00:02:56.00 in the small town of Rezekne. 00:02:56.18 --> 00:02:58.23 [ Karina ] I felt this was my home! 00:02:59.00 --> 00:03:00.05 [ Karina ] A second home! 00:03:00.07 --> 00:03:01.19 [ Karina ] In other words, 00:03:01.20 --> 00:03:04.21 I could call our academy a fortress, 00:03:04.22 --> 00:03:06.07 where you enter, 00:03:06.08 --> 00:03:09.15 and forget all the negativity around you. 00:03:09.16 --> 00:03:12.21 [ Teacher ] A man can't possibly sit on a chair like this. 00:03:13.00 --> 00:03:15.08 [ Teacher ] You did the proportions well. 00:03:15.09 --> 00:03:18.11 [ Teacher ] This echoes the white shirt. It's not bad. 00:03:18.12 --> 00:03:21.10 [ Teacher ] You started painting the head well. 00:03:21.11 --> 00:03:23.14 [ Teacher ] It could all come good still. 00:03:23.23 --> 00:03:27.18 [ Teacher ] I feel you're getting carried away with these spots, 00:03:27.19 --> 00:03:29.20 and getting lost on the way. 00:03:29.21 --> 00:03:32.13 [ Teacher ] I just want it to look simpler. 00:03:33.08 --> 00:03:36.03 [ Zhang Wei ] The Academy gave me, 00:03:36.09 --> 00:03:39.22 the impression of an old castle… 00:03:40.13 --> 00:03:43.12 [ Zhang Wei, Student, Graphics Department ] 00:03:43.14 --> 00:03:46.20 [ Zhang Wei ] I walked in and said to myself, 00:03:48.04 --> 00:03:50.00 'I want to study here!' 00:03:58.21 --> 00:04:01.07 [ Liya Zhang ] The nose is a bit too long. [ Zhang Wei ] Is it? 00:04:01.08 --> 00:04:02.14 [ Zhang Wei ] Yes. 00:04:02.23 --> 00:04:08.11 [ Liya Zhang ] I may have a nose like that but if you want this portrait to hang on the wall, 00:04:08.19 --> 00:04:11.21 I think it should be more complimentary. 00:04:12.15 --> 00:04:16.02 [ Liya Zhang ] And the chin, you should lower it slightly. 00:04:16.03 --> 00:04:18.06 [ Zhang Wei ] I'll change it back anyway! 00:04:18.17 --> 00:04:20.13 [ Liya Zhang ] He'll change it back. 00:04:20.18 --> 00:04:22.17 [ Liya Zhang ] And he's always like this! 00:04:22.18 --> 00:04:25.05 [ Liya Zhang ] Liya spends hours convincing, 00:04:25.06 --> 00:04:27.19 and Wei does it his way in the end! 00:04:30.09 --> 00:04:37.09 [ VO ] The Academy of Arts opened its doors in St. Petersburg in the mid-18th century, 00:04:37.10 --> 00:04:39.15 during the era of Enlightenment. 00:04:39.16 --> 00:04:43.06 [ VO ] Its first professors were French, German and Italian. 00:04:43.07 --> 00:04:47.06 [ VO ] Foreigners don't teach here anymore, they study instead. 00:04:47.11 --> 00:04:49.19 [ Semyon ] How lucky are you? [ Student ] Very lucky. 00:04:51.18 --> 00:04:55.18 [ Semyon Mikhailovsky, Rector, Repin Academic Institute of Fine Arts ] 00:04:55.20 --> 00:04:58.00 [ Semyon ] Darya came from Montana. 00:04:58.00 --> 00:05:00.00 [ Semyon ] Girls, where are you from? 00:05:00.01 --> 00:05:02.04 [ Student ] Peking! [ Semyon ] Peking? And you? 00:05:03.15 --> 00:05:05.17 [ Student ] Qingdao. [ Semyon ] Qingdao. 00:05:06.08 --> 00:05:08.01 [ Semyon ] See? From everywhere. 00:05:08.02 --> 00:05:11.13 [ Semyon ] I'm so happy they all work here, together! 00:05:11.14 --> 00:05:15.05 [ Semyon ] The atmosphere in the Academy is just incredible. 00:05:15.07 --> 00:05:18.05 [ Semyon Mikhailovsky, Rector, Repin Academic Institute Of Fine Arts ] 00:05:18.11 --> 00:05:20.11 [ Semyon ] Romances are born here, 00:05:20.12 --> 00:05:23.10 the sensuous life is simmering. 00:05:23.22 --> 00:05:26.05 [ Semyon ] It's great to see. 00:05:27.12 --> 00:05:31.05 [ Semyon ] We have a Danish student with a Russian boyfriend. 00:05:31.06 --> 00:05:35.08 [ Semyon ] I see them in the hall, aglow in the window's backlight. 00:05:38.20 --> 00:05:41.07 [ VO ] Wei is a graphics student. 00:05:41.08 --> 00:05:46.04 Like the rest of his classmates he was meant to work on a life drawing today. 00:05:46.04 --> 00:05:49.04 [ VO ] However, he barely even glances at the model. 00:05:49.04 --> 00:05:53.08 Instead, he just draws his wife, Lia, over and over again. 00:05:53.16 --> 00:05:56.01 [ Zhang Wei, Student, Graphics Department ] 00:05:56.03 --> 00:05:59.20 [ Wei ] In our first year we had classes together. 00:06:00.00 --> 00:06:03.10 [ Wei ] So one day, I was lounging in an armchair, 00:06:03.12 --> 00:06:07.00 enjoying a break when she walked over, 00:06:07.00 --> 00:06:09.16 and said she liked me, 00:06:09.17 --> 00:06:11.22 why don't we go out! 00:06:15.05 --> 00:06:18.15 [ Liya ] Our relationship developed very rapidly. 00:06:18.16 --> 00:06:20.00 [ Liya ] Because of.... 00:06:20.10 --> 00:06:21.19 ...love. 00:06:21.23 --> 00:06:24.08 [ Liya ] Wei is more reserved, 00:06:24.09 --> 00:06:28.02 he takes time to think before acting. 00:06:28.17 --> 00:06:31.13 And in a way, it was me who initiated, 00:06:31.14 --> 00:06:34.05 our courtship and getting closer. 00:06:34.10 --> 00:06:39.14 [ Liya ] There was something special about him and I could tell he liked me, 00:06:39.15 --> 00:06:43.17 but who knows how long he would've taken to make a move! 00:06:43.18 --> 00:06:47.22 [ Liya ] He'd always sit with a sketchbook wearing his headphones, 00:06:47.23 --> 00:06:50.22 looking out the window at our horses. 00:06:51.01 --> 00:06:53.05 [ Yulia Krylova, Stable Hand ] 00:06:53.06 --> 00:06:55.09 [ Yulia ] Well, there are models, 00:06:55.10 --> 00:07:00.05 but at the Academy of Arts we also have horse models! 00:07:00.06 --> 00:07:04.20 [ Yulia ] This one's named Caprice, but everyone calls her Chunya. 00:07:04.21 --> 00:07:10.00 [ Yulia ] She's capricious when modelling, but in time she got used to it. 00:07:10.08 --> 00:07:14.11 [ Yulia ] We trained her. It's hard for an animal, 00:07:14.17 --> 00:07:18.03 you can't tell them to stand straight and still. 00:07:18.04 --> 00:07:20.15 [ Yulia ] You're a star, you're a beauty, stand still. 00:07:20.20 --> 00:07:23.04 [ Yaroslav Barkov, PhD Student, Sculptor ] 00:07:23.06 --> 00:07:24.18 [ Yaroslav ] You negotiate with her. 00:07:24.19 --> 00:07:28.05 [ Yaroslav ] Of course, they try to bring the calmest horses, 00:07:28.06 --> 00:07:29.23 not the frisky ones, 00:07:30.00 --> 00:07:33.06 but even tempered and mature. 00:07:46.16 --> 00:07:52.16 [ Yaroslav ] Some get so infatuated with them that they end up as horse-painters, 00:07:52.19 --> 00:07:57.12 and paint horses all the time, either galloping or just racing through fields! 00:07:58.01 --> 00:08:02.19 [ VO ] Students can only choose their subjects and characters after they graduate. 00:08:02.19 --> 00:08:06.17 [ VO ] Until then they must do the work their teacher's assign them. 00:08:06.18 --> 00:08:08.22 [ VO ] There are lectures as well 00:08:08.22 --> 00:08:13.09 but practice classes that last for hours make up the core of the curriculum. 00:08:47.15 --> 00:08:50.16 [ Teacher ] First of all, you should make it smoother. 00:08:50.17 --> 00:08:53.10 [ Teacher ] Just smooth out the background here. 00:08:53.16 --> 00:08:56.00 [ Teacher ]See how different her shins are? 00:08:56.01 --> 00:08:57.21 This one is short while, 00:08:57.22 --> 00:08:59.21 [ Teacher ] this one is God knows what. 00:08:59.22 --> 00:09:03.01 [ Teacher ] Just compare the shoulder with the shin. 00:09:03.02 --> 00:09:07.00 [ Teacher ] And the figure being lit from the back so sharply… 00:09:08.18 --> 00:09:11.08 [ Teacher ] It looks very, very well executed. 00:09:11.09 --> 00:09:12.22 [ Teacher ] Looks good so far, 00:09:12.23 --> 00:09:15.07 but these two white blocks… 00:09:16.20 --> 00:09:18.15 are not really white. 00:09:18.16 --> 00:09:22.19 [ Yury Kalyuta ] I think you carefully add more detail here... 00:09:22.20 --> 00:09:28.18 [ Yury Kalyuta ] First impressions from the canvas are important, you must elaborate on that. 00:09:28.19 --> 00:09:32.00 [ Yury Kalyuta ] Mathias is from Singapore, right? [ Yes ] Yes. 00:09:32.03 --> 00:09:35.04 [ Yury Kalyuta ] Our first ever student from Singapore. 00:09:35.05 --> 00:09:36.22 [ Yury Kalyuta ] A very talented guy. 00:09:36.23 --> 00:09:38.14 [ Yury Kalyuta ] We're united by art. 00:09:38.15 --> 00:09:43.00 [ Yury Kalyuta ] We have no political or any other arguments or conflicts. 00:09:45.06 --> 00:09:48.15 She's Armenian and I'm Azerbaijani. 00:09:50.06 --> 00:09:53.05 [ Syuzanna Valeeva, Life Model ] For 25 years, there's been conflict, 00:09:53.06 --> 00:09:55.20 between Azerbaijan and Armenia, 00:09:55.21 --> 00:09:57.20 over Nagorny Karabakh. 00:09:58.21 --> 00:10:01.18 [ Syuzanna ] But what does Elshad have to do with it? 00:10:01.19 --> 00:10:04.19 [ Syuzanna ] What does he have to do with the genocide? 00:10:05.03 --> 00:10:07.10 [ Syuzanna ] I think it's all very wrong. 00:10:13.02 --> 00:10:16.14 [ Semyon Mikhailovsky, Rector, Repin Academic Institute of Fine Arts ] 00:10:16.16 --> 00:10:21.03 [ Semyon ] Our artists always fall in love with models, it's only natural! 00:10:21.04 --> 00:10:27.02 [ Semyon ] See a naked model every day and I guess, it's not just art that fills your mind! 00:10:27.03 --> 00:10:29.21 [ Semyon ] You also see beauty and the nude body. 00:10:33.21 --> 00:10:37.03 [ Wang Yijing, Student, Painting Department ] 00:10:37.04 --> 00:10:38.19 [ Wang ] Love is… 00:10:38.20 --> 00:10:40.09 [ Wang ] It's hard to say. 00:10:40.10 --> 00:10:42.06 [ Wang ] It's a feeling. 00:10:44.20 --> 00:10:47.07 [ Wang ] We have very beautiful models, 00:10:47.08 --> 00:10:50.13 when you see one, you get the urge to paint! 00:10:50.14 --> 00:10:54.00 [ Wang ] You imagine what the painting will be like, 00:10:54.00 --> 00:10:56.08 and how beautiful it will be! 00:10:56.09 --> 00:10:58.14 [ Wang ] Love gives a very… 00:10:58.15 --> 00:11:00.09 ...special 00:11:01.06 --> 00:11:02.19 ...feeling. 00:11:03.23 --> 00:11:09.10 [ Wang ] Art is something that depends very much on your mood, too. 00:11:19.00 --> 00:11:22.02 [ Semyon ] Artists should have a sensual experience. 00:11:22.03 --> 00:11:27.04 [ Semyon ] We imagine an artist sitting in front of a large canvas painting a model, 00:11:27.05 --> 00:11:30.00 overwhelmed with passion and pain, 00:11:30.01 --> 00:11:33.01 emoting over some mind-blowing romance! 00:11:34.16 --> 00:11:39.12 [ Zhang Wei ] Here you have bunch of rocks and here it's just empty, why? 00:11:40.09 --> 00:11:42.02 [ Zhang Wei ] And here it continues. 00:11:42.03 --> 00:11:45.21 [ Liya ] You're saying I should pave the lower part? [ Zhang Wei ] Sure. 00:11:46.04 --> 00:11:47.20 [ Zhang Wei ] But with small rocks. 00:11:50.00 --> 00:11:53.17 [ Zhang Wei ] And again, don't draw rocks, draw an idea of rocks. 00:11:53.21 --> 00:11:57.06 [ Zhang Wei ] Any fool can draw rocks. 00:11:57.11 --> 00:11:58.19 [ Zhang Wei ] Fair enough. 00:11:58.22 --> 00:12:02.23 [ Liya ] Well, I can't say I love it when Wei says these things. 00:12:03.00 --> 00:12:04.20 [ Liya ] First, I get depressed! 00:12:04.21 --> 00:12:08.12 [ Liya ] Enough to tear up my work and throw it away at times! 00:12:08.13 --> 00:12:14.18 [ Liya ] I'm an emotional person but later I realise I have to take note of what he says. 00:12:14.19 --> 00:12:18.06 [ Liya ] Who, if not your husband, will tell the truth? 00:12:32.20 --> 00:12:36.15 [ Karina Ludborzha, Student, Painting Department ] 00:12:36.19 --> 00:12:41.04 [ Karina ] The fact that we're all different glues us together. 00:12:41.05 --> 00:12:46.04 [ Karina ] If someone adheres to one artistic technique and so does another, 00:12:47.07 --> 00:12:49.06 they start arguing, 00:12:49.15 --> 00:12:53.21 'You're stealing from me!' 'No, you're stealing from me!' 00:12:53.23 --> 00:12:56.11 [ Karina ] And here we're all so different, 00:12:56.12 --> 00:12:59.00 so there's no point in arguing! 00:13:25.21 --> 00:13:28.03 [ Semyon ] They all do Michelangelo! As there was only him! 00:13:28.11 --> 00:13:30.13 [ Semyon ] Same thing over and over again. 00:13:32.18 --> 00:13:38.03 [ VO ] The old walls still provide shelter from the winds of change 00:13:38.03 --> 00:13:40.21 but they also once saw a famous uprising. 00:13:40.21 --> 00:13:48.05 [ VO ] 150 years ago 14 of the best students refused to work on the task set for their final exam. 00:13:48.06 --> 00:13:55.17 [ VO ] The ambitious painters believed the subject matter, a mythological Scandinavian warrior feast, was too old-fashioned. 00:13:55.18 --> 00:14:02.20 [ VO ] Scandalously they left the Academy and set up the world famous "Society of Traveling Art Exhibitions". 00:14:02.20 --> 00:14:06.12 [ VO ] But even that failed to shake the Academy's founding principles. 00:14:17.04 --> 00:14:21.14 [ VO ] Here, form is still held in higher regard than content. 00:14:21.15 --> 00:14:27.05 [ VO ] Controversial installations and contemporary performance art are not welcome here. 00:14:27.06 --> 00:14:32.08 [ VO ] There are hundreds of other art schools in the world that teach to provoke and shock. 00:14:32.09 --> 00:14:37.03 [ VO ] But anatomical study rooms like this… are now almost completely unheard of. 00:14:40.01 --> 00:14:44.18 It's not only about form, it's not just following proportions, you see? 00:14:44.21 --> 00:14:49.14 The emotional aspect of sketching is also very important. 00:14:53.04 --> 00:14:57.05 [ Yaroslav Barkov, PhD Student, Sculptor ] 00:14:57.06 --> 00:14:59.23 [ Yaroslav ] We get immersed in this atmosphere, 00:15:00.00 --> 00:15:02.07 it may be a bit frozen in time, 00:15:02.08 --> 00:15:05.11 it takes us back to the source, to the roots. 00:15:05.12 --> 00:15:11.12 [ Yaroslav ] Then you can be whoever you want, choose any genre, you can create modern art. 00:15:11.13 --> 00:15:13.01 [ Yaroslav ] It doesn't matter! 00:15:13.02 --> 00:15:15.22 [ Yaroslav ] Many end up doing things like this. 00:15:16.04 --> 00:15:22.00 [ Yaroslav ] But the academy insists that a professional should have full command of the basics. 00:15:22.16 --> 00:15:27.17 [ Zhang Wei ] If you reflect life, don't pretend it's reality. 00:15:28.02 --> 00:15:29.22 [ Zhang Wei ] It's just a street view. 00:15:30.00 --> 00:15:32.22 [ Liya ] I've had enough of you Wei. What's wrong? 00:15:32.23 --> 00:15:36.13 [ Liya ] Do I have a single artwork you think is perfect? 00:15:36.14 --> 00:15:38.05 [ Wei ] That's not possible! 00:15:38.06 --> 00:15:41.05 [ Liya ] What's wrong with this one? What don't you like? 00:15:41.06 --> 00:15:43.23 [ Wei ] She can see my weak points, 00:15:44.21 --> 00:15:46.14 and I see hers. 00:15:47.00 --> 00:15:48.04 That's good. 00:15:48.05 --> 00:15:51.09 [ Wei ] If you are with a person like yourself, 00:15:51.11 --> 00:15:53.11 and you both think alike, 00:15:53.12 --> 00:15:56.01 you stop seeing your faults. 00:15:58.06 --> 00:16:01.11 [ Liya ] We're developing faster together, 00:16:01.12 --> 00:16:03.00 much faster. 00:16:03.02 --> 00:16:08.12 [ Liya ] First, I was contributing more, because, I guess, I'm a more skilled artist. 00:16:08.16 --> 00:16:12.02 [ Liya ] As for Wei, he had a great desire to draw. 00:16:12.14 --> 00:16:15.03 [ Liya ] So, I could be more helpful, 00:16:15.06 --> 00:16:17.13 in terms of technique, 00:16:17.15 --> 00:16:21.20 but what I needed was a breath of fresh air. 00:16:22.08 --> 00:16:23.20 Check the head. 00:16:24.01 --> 00:16:29.03 [ Teacher ] And look, the thigh on the bent leg's too long, the ankle is short, 00:16:29.04 --> 00:16:31.01 you got the angle wrong. 00:16:31.02 --> 00:16:34.20 [ Teacher ] Also, you should make sure this doesn’t slide down. 00:16:42.11 --> 00:16:45.21 [ Artist ] Could you turn your head like this? [ Valentin ] This way? 00:16:45.22 --> 00:16:47.04 Like this? 00:16:47.05 --> 00:16:48.20 [ Artist ] Just bend forward. 00:16:48.21 --> 00:16:52.01 [ Valentin Zakharov, Life Model ] Some think sitting still is no big deal. 00:16:52.02 --> 00:16:55.13 [ Valentin ] You sit, rest, but in fact it's very hard work! 00:16:55.14 --> 00:16:57.05 [ Artist ] Can you bend here, no? 00:16:57.06 --> 00:16:58.11 [ Valentin ] How? 00:16:58.12 --> 00:16:59.22 [ Artist ] Can you bend here? 00:16:59.23 --> 00:17:01.22 [ Artist ] You want me to bend? [ Artist ] Yes. 00:17:01.23 --> 00:17:03.13 [ Artist ] I can. And my hand? 00:17:05.02 --> 00:17:07.19 [ Artist ] Fine, lean on this one and bend. 00:17:08.19 --> 00:17:13.06 [ Artist ] I've been doing this for three years. I have some experience. 00:17:13.07 --> 00:17:15.13 [ Artist ] Keeping warm is what matters. 00:17:15.14 --> 00:17:18.01 [ Artist ] And put that foot under the chair. 00:17:18.02 --> 00:17:20.03 [ Valentin ] Closer? [ Artist ] No, right there. 00:17:20.08 --> 00:17:21.16 [ Valentin ] Farther, right? 00:17:22.21 --> 00:17:27.17 [ Valentin ] You're lucky if you get to sit in a natural and comfortable position. 00:17:27.18 --> 00:17:29.01 [ Valentin ] That's fine. 00:17:29.15 --> 00:17:34.00 [ Valentin ] But sometimes you have do bend in impossible ways. 00:17:34.21 --> 00:17:38.20 [ Valentin ] In this case, your arms and legs get stiff. 00:17:46.00 --> 00:17:48.16 [ Artist ] Now, look up and stare at the ceiling. 00:17:55.17 --> 00:17:59.20 [ Valentin ] Very few people can sit still for 45 minutes in a row. 00:18:00.01 --> 00:18:03.00 [ Valentin ] It's a skill not everyone possesses. 00:18:03.05 --> 00:18:05.05 [ Valentin ] Why can I do it? 00:18:05.06 --> 00:18:07.22 [ Valentin ] Because I used to sit for hours, 00:18:07.23 --> 00:18:11.07 even for days on end when I'd go fishing. 00:18:11.16 --> 00:18:15.11 [ Valentin ] You cast a line and sit without moving a muscle. 00:18:15.19 --> 00:18:19.01 [ Valentin ] God forbid you scare the fish away, you know. 00:18:23.18 --> 00:18:29.01 [ Valentin ] When I'm posing, I start thinking that all people are practically the same. 00:18:29.02 --> 00:18:32.21 [ Valentin ] As the saying goes, God cast us all in the same mould. 00:18:32.22 --> 00:18:34.18 [ Valentin ] Yes, that's how it is. 00:18:36.19 --> 00:18:39.16 [ Filipp Bobrov, Associate Professor, Restoration Department ] 00:18:39.17 --> 00:18:41.15 [ Filipp ] This workshop is called, 00:18:41.16 --> 00:18:45.11 Restoration of oil and tempera paintings on canvas. 00:18:45.16 --> 00:18:50.22 [ Filipp ] Here we focus on the preservation of art created in the past, 00:18:50.23 --> 00:18:54.17 in bygone epochs by various artists. 00:18:55.05 --> 00:18:59.14 [ Filipp ] We believe a religious component shouldn't be in the way of 00:18:59.15 --> 00:19:02.20 scientific, and artistic education. 00:19:03.06 --> 00:19:07.05 [ Filipp ] We have Muslim students here, 00:19:07.06 --> 00:19:11.14 but being driven by science and art, 00:19:11.15 --> 00:19:14.12 I believe, eases all tension points, 00:19:14.13 --> 00:19:19.15 and prevents potential conflicts of a religious nature. 00:19:19.18 --> 00:19:25.18 [ Yury Kalyuta ] The aspect we consider most important in our school is fine tuning the eye. 00:19:25.19 --> 00:19:28.07 [ Yury Kalyuta ] You should see the setup as a whole. 00:19:28.08 --> 00:19:32.10 [ Yury Kalyuta ] Artwork should celebrate life, be bright and dynamic! 00:19:32.11 --> 00:19:35.00 [ Yury Kalyuta ] There can be some darkness to it, 00:19:35.01 --> 00:19:38.06 but there mustn't be any dirt or darkness to it. 00:19:38.07 --> 00:19:40.07 [ Nelly Tsyrlin, Intern ] 00:19:40.08 --> 00:19:44.08 [ Nelly ] I don't like it when I get asked what my nationality or religion is. 00:19:44.09 --> 00:19:45.20 [ Nelly ] A human is a human. 00:19:45.21 --> 00:19:48.08 [ Nelly ] You can see who he is in his work. 00:19:48.11 --> 00:19:55.21 [ Nelly ] I mean, if it touches you, it means the artist is good and talented and has something to say! 00:19:55.22 --> 00:19:57.16 [ Nelly ] And that's important! 00:19:58.21 --> 00:20:03.22 [ VO ] However, the big noisy world outside the calm studio windows 00:20:03.22 --> 00:20:09.16 is constantly torn by endless war, conflict and tragedy, all impossible to ignore. 00:20:11.04 --> 00:20:13.00 [ Yaroslav ] Sometimes we discuss. 00:20:13.00 --> 00:20:17.14 [ Yaroslav ] We talk politics a little, but we're not much into politics, 00:20:17.15 --> 00:20:19.19 but some things do worry us. 00:20:19.20 --> 00:20:26.04 [ Yaroslav ] For instance, Vladimir is from Ukraine and recent events there are very painful for him. 00:20:26.05 --> 00:20:30.23 [ Yaroslav ] But he knows that it's, most likely, provoked by some forces, 00:20:31.00 --> 00:20:35.06 and first of all, it's Ukrainians themselves who suffer. 00:20:36.11 --> 00:20:38.18 [ Vladimir Brodarsky, PhD Student, Sculptor ] 00:20:38.19 --> 00:20:41.19 [ Vladimir ] Of course, I'm suffering and it's eating at me, 00:20:41.20 --> 00:20:48.00 but I just wish that this black cloud hanging over Ukraine would clear up, 00:20:48.12 --> 00:20:54.03 and melt in some way, although, I have no idea how exactly this could happen. 00:20:54.09 --> 00:21:00.02 [ Vladimir ] I have all my relatives and friends there, but I feel very comfortable here, 00:21:00.03 --> 00:21:01.19 as I always have. 00:21:15.19 --> 00:21:20.02 [ Yaroslav ] We don't really have conflicts, but if something builds up, 00:21:20.03 --> 00:21:25.17 some bad energy or you get unpleasantly tired, this is the way to unwind. 00:21:25.18 --> 00:21:29.02 [ Yaroslav ] Adrenaline rushes in and you're fine again! 00:21:29.17 --> 00:21:34.00 [ Vladimir ] Yaroslav has his punching bag and I have a cute ficus. 00:21:36.03 --> 00:21:40.12 [ Vladimir ] Sometimes I give it a little shower, it seems to like it. 00:21:41.09 --> 00:21:43.15 [ Tule Clow, Intern ] 00:21:43.18 --> 00:21:48.09 [ Tule ] I don't watch TV. I don't want to. I don't like what's happening. 00:21:48.10 --> 00:21:52.04 [ Tule ] I'm from Northern California, 00:21:52.04 --> 00:22:03.20 and I came here in 2012 after reading about the Academy in a blog written by another American student. 00:22:03.20 --> 00:22:07.22 [ Tule ] When I read about how they approach drawing here, 00:22:07.22 --> 00:22:12.13 I thought maybe this was the best place to study drawing. 00:22:22.15 --> 00:22:33.01 [ Tule ] I think for me it is like a small ideal world, and I think I'll stay here as long as I can. 00:22:41.04 --> 00:22:42.16 [ Semyon ] Times may be tough, 00:22:42.17 --> 00:22:48.13 and it looks like we're going through politically challenging times with America, 00:22:48.14 --> 00:22:53.18 there's some aggravation or a cold war, as we say, 00:22:53.19 --> 00:22:56.21 but we must preserve some areas 00:22:56.22 --> 00:22:59.15 that can remain untouched 00:22:59.16 --> 00:23:02.16 by politics and other issues. 00:23:04.06 --> 00:23:09.04 [ Yaroslav ] Educated people realise how much one is rooted in his own culture. 00:23:09.07 --> 00:23:16.09 [ Yaroslav ] And maybe it's even better that we aren't just part of the amorphous global humankind, 00:23:16.14 --> 00:23:20.15 but rather preserve our own signature ethnic style. 00:23:33.00 --> 00:23:39.02 [ Liya ] When I went on a field trip to the Russian countryside, I'd already had formed a vision, 00:23:39.03 --> 00:23:41.00 an opinion and an image. 00:23:41.00 --> 00:23:46.13 [ Liya ] It's something dear to us, that's been studied and dissected in detail. 00:23:46.14 --> 00:23:51.05 [ Liya ] But Wei appeared and saw everything in a different light. 00:23:51.06 --> 00:23:54.14 [ Liya ] And when it resulted in a series of works, 00:23:54.20 --> 00:24:00.14 that was nothing like what I, other students or the teachers, 00:24:00.15 --> 00:24:02.15 had expected to see, 00:24:02.17 --> 00:24:04.11 it was such a gift! 00:24:04.14 --> 00:24:09.00 [ Liya ] Everyone was asking, 'Where did you see this? Why didn't we?' 00:24:09.00 --> 00:24:12.09 [ Liya ] What is it? Surrealism? Wei, I have no idea! 00:24:12.10 --> 00:24:16.06 [ Wei ] Why surrealism? [ Liya ] We went to a village and saw what? 00:24:16.07 --> 00:24:18.11 [ Wei ] Don't think so rationally! 00:24:18.12 --> 00:24:23.01 [ Wei ] See, there's a bird, right? It's flying, it lives here, that's it. 00:24:27.06 --> 00:24:29.06 [ Liya ] He's influenced me, 00:24:29.07 --> 00:24:33.21 and I've grown over the years I've been with Wei, 00:24:33.22 --> 00:24:35.22 over these five years. 00:24:35.23 --> 00:24:37.18 [ Liya ] I've changed so much. 00:24:37.21 --> 00:24:41.11 [ Liya ] I added a different vision to my technique, 00:24:41.12 --> 00:24:44.21 I'm looking at things through his eyes 00:24:44.22 --> 00:24:48.19 that haven't been blurred by years of study. 00:24:49.11 --> 00:24:53.07 [ Liya ] It's done a whole world of good for my art. 00:24:53.08 --> 00:24:55.22 I'm currently on academic leave. 00:24:55.23 --> 00:24:57.18 [ Liya ] We're expecting a baby. 00:24:58.09 --> 00:25:01.23 [ Liya ] A very much anticipated baby... much longed for! 00:25:13.14 --> 00:25:15.08 [ Semyon ] Oh, this is cool! 00:25:15.23 --> 00:25:17.10 [ Semyon ] It's so cool! 00:25:21.01 --> 00:25:25.05 [ Semyon ] How can we combine the academy with present day reality? 00:25:25.06 --> 00:25:28.11 [ Semyon ] What will they do after they graduate? 00:25:28.12 --> 00:25:33.09 [ Semyon ] We do think about it, but we shouldn't introduce any drastic changes. 00:25:33.10 --> 00:25:36.20 [ Semyon ] An arch! It's a good metaphor and it'll save us. 00:25:36.21 --> 00:25:42.12 [ Semyon ] It's an idyllic vision, but this is what nurtures us, how else can we survive? 00:25:42.13 --> 00:25:45.20 [ Semyon ] There should be a place for joyous dreams. 00:25:45.21 --> 00:25:49.18 [ Semyon ] Even when everything around is falling apart. 00:25:49.20 --> 00:25:53.05 [ Semyon ] And if there's a lovely lady in the studio, 00:25:53.06 --> 00:25:56.21 I'm sure there will be peace in the whole world!