Ceremonial portraits of Catherine II by F. S. Rokotov as manifestations of multi-vector influences in the culture of Russia of the XVIII century

The article is devoted to the study of the interpretation of the vectors of influences of various art schools in Russian culture on the example of ceremonial portraits of Catherine II by F. S. Rokotov. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the versatility of interpretations and the cultural significance of the images of the Empress in the mainstream of both domestic and European painting. The study was conducted using a comprehensive systematic approach, through the analysis, including comparative, of works in the chronological framework of the second half of the XVIII century. The interdisciplinary nature of the text, at the junction of several scientific disciplines: cultural studies, art history, history, aesthetics, is determined by the specifics of the declared topic. The artistic language of Rokotov is considered as a single, but multi-component structure. A certain cultural code in the iconographically clearly defined official interpretations of the image of the Empress is a kind of symbol of her era in the fields of politics, culture, aesthetics, and philosophy. At the same time, the synthesized artistic language of Rokotov, formed through multi-vector influences, reflects both the features of international academism, the specifics of a number of European art schools, and the echoes of the individual style of writing of specific painters. The results obtained are summarized in conclusions explaining the evolution of the display of portrait characteristics of the Empress when creating her generalized image as a wise enlightened ruler belonging to the widest possible sphere of culture. The use of a complex synthesized artistic language is objective from a cultural perspective, since it was possible to authentically reveal the meaning of the era of the rule of the “German woman with a Russian soul”, its philosophical-religious, spiritual-aesthetic content, which has a timeless meaning for both European and domestic culture.