# Art Criticism

**Source**: https://english.spbu.ru/admission/programms/graduate/art-criticism
**Parent**: https://english.spbu.ru/admission/programms/graduate

50.04.01 
*In English and Russian*

Level of education Master

Type of instruction Full-time

Duration 2 years

Programme description

The master’s programme ‘Art Criticism (with the additional qualification “Teacher of Additional Education”)’ is designed to train art historians, museum and archive professionals, and researchers familiar with a range of approaches to the analysis of art, from philosophical and cultural methods to the sociology of art. The programme also prepares film critics and teachers of film history and theory for educational projects in the arts and humanities, as well as producers and researchers with expertise in visual theory and a solid grounding in the philosophical, cultural, anthropological, sociological, and psychoanalytical contexts of contemporary image theory.

Main courses

- The Art of the 20th Century: Russia and the West
- History of Western European Classical Architecture
- History of Contemporary Film: the 2000s
- Montage
- Psychoanalytic Theories of Film
- Current Issues in Humanities
- Image Theory: Poetics of Film
- Philosophical Aesthetics (in English)
- Visual Metaphors in Archaic Culture

Our advantages

- Formation of critical thinking skills, and a creative approach to research activities in the selected area;
- Gaining experience in writing about the art and history of cinematography as well as critical articles, reviews, analytical reviews on cinema, fine art and architecture issues;
- Opportunity to attend seminars and engage with leading Russian and foreign art historians and art critics on a regular basis;
- Access to library resources, photo lab, video-editing lab and multimedia, multimedia systems, and video conferencing classroom.

Career opportunities

The main place for internships — The Hermitage.

Graduates can work in the teaching and education spheres, carry out museum activities and management of cultural events, conduct research, and develop and implement projects in Art.

Prospective Employers

1. The Alexandrinsky Theatre
2. The Hermitage
3. The magazine “Seance”
4. The film company “Bazelevs”
5. Film Centre “Dom Kino”

Teaching staff

- Nina Savchenkova, Doctor of Science (Philosophy), author of scholarly papers on the history and theory of cinema and psychoanalysis, including the books *Alternative Styles of Sensuality* and *Introduction to Philosophical Psychoanalysis*.
- Artem Radeev, Doctor of Science (Philosophy), author of about 50 publications on the history and theory of aesthetics and the philosophy of art; head of open seminars on the philosophy of cinema
- Viktor Mazin, Candidate of Science (Philosophy), author of books and articles that have been translated into English, Dutch, German, Slovenian, French, and Japanese. He is also the founder of Sigmund Freud Museum of Dreams.
- Ivan Chechot, Candidate of Art Studies, author of approximately 50 academic papers on the history of art, including the monograph *From Beckmann to Breker. Articles and Fragments* (winner of the Sergey Kuryokhin Prize), and organiser of the Navicula Artis Gallery
- Aleksandr Stepanov, Candidate of Art Studies, author of books on Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, and Italian Renaissance art, as well as articles on individual works by Robert Campin, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Giorgione, Andy Warhol, and others.

[This webpage may contain outdated information. The programme descriptions and admission requirements for the 2026/2027 academic year are currently being updated. For the latest information on 2026/2027 admission, please visit the Admissions Office website.](https://abiturient.spbu.ru/en/)

[Tuition](https://english.spbu.ru/admission/tuition)

[Create Your Personal Account](https://cabinet.spbu.ru/)