This course will examine recurring themes in Russian art from the period of Kievan Rus to the postmodernist art of the Perestroika period. Two major focal points for the course will be Russian avant-garde art of the revolutionary period and Russian theatre art connected with the Ballets Russes. Both of these areas are extensively represented in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia and a number of classes will be held at the Gallery working with original major art objects by Malevich, Goncharova, Tatlin, Chagall, Bakst and Larionov. The course will also examine the impact of Russian art on Australian visual culture.