Alexander Benois and his study of 18th-century French painting

Abstract

The article summarizes the role of Alexander Benois in the study of French painting of the 18th century. His interest in this period is connected both with the peculiarities of art collecting in Russia and with rediscovery of French painting of the 18th century in France. Benois was well aware of the historical and literary sources of the 18th century as well as of the modern art history in France. The article examines the main categories used by Benois, who combined the methods of connoisseurship and essayism, and also analyzes the language and terms that he used in his books and articles.