The art of V. S. Podgursky and his pedagogical activities in China in 1920-1947

The aim of this study is to assess the artistic creativity and pedagogical activities of V. S. Podgursky in China from 1920 to 1947, as part of understanding his historical role in the development of Russian culture in China. Podgursky’s artistic heritage is characterized by its richness and variety of forms and is of considerable scientific interest to researchers of painting, monumental painting, and applied art. An important part of his artistic practice was the organization of art exhibitions and pedagogical activities. Through teaching, Podgursky raised a whole generation of Chinese students with intercultural competence, who played an active role in the process of synthesizing European artistic trends with Chinese art, contributing to the modernization of art education in China. The scientific novelty of this work lies in the first systematic analysis of Podgursky’s diverse artistic practice in China. Through a comprehensive study of his painting, monumental art, pedagogical and cultural-organizational activities, his deep participation in the mechanisms of cultural exchange between Russia and China is revealed in the context of émigré identity. The study puts forward the thesis that Podgursky acted not only as an individual artist, but also as a mediative cultural translator, and his activity became an important intersection of cultural influences in the multicultural artistic field of Shanghai in the first half of the 20th century. This approach fills a gap in the study of the art of the Russian émigré community and deepens the understanding of the process of modernization of art education in China.