The 18th century opens a new chapter in the history of Russian culture. The turn of the17th -18th centuries  marked the end of the  Middle Ages in Russia. The new policy of the state ruled by Peter the Great  aimed  to develop every aspect of the 
country's life along European lines. The emerging secular  culture  played  a significant  role  in  this process  because,  as distinct from Middle Ages culture, it was orientated towards reality. The art of the new  period  focused  on the human being, on his or her inimitable appearance and character, his or her attitude to life. Thus, the secular culture energetically  began  to form people's mentality, propagating  new  moral  values  and  providing a visible  representation of  public  ideals.  
       This period sees the  emergence of previously little known forms of  fine art in Russia, new artistic styles  and  trends,  while  the  system of  genres takes shape.
        Art from the Petrine period  is  a  peculiar mix of  tradition  and  innovation. Peter himself did not  begrudge money on encouraging  the use of western  European experience. Grants  were given to  young  people  to  study in  Europe (I.N. Nikitin) 
and  Western  masters were invited to work  in Russia (L. Caravaque).
       The rational, seemingly simple art of the Petrine period is permeated with the pathos of statehood. The value of  the  human  being  was  determined by  the  service  to  the  state. Energetic,  decisive characters brimming  with  initiative look on us from 
the  portraits  of  this epoch  of  reform  (I.N. Nikitin, "Portrait of Count G.I. Golovkin", 1720). In the 1730s, when Empress  Anna  ascended the Russian  throne,  the  swift  development  of Russian culture  abated. The  businesslike, simple, inherently significant art of the first quarter of the 18th century is replaced with heavy ornamentation and  crude  solemnity  (L. Caravaque,  "Portrait of Empress Anna Ioannovna", 1730).
       The  rule of  Empress  Elizaveta,  which  was regarded by her contemporaries as the continuation of the Petrine period,  is marked by a new upheaval in public and cultural life. This is when M.V. Lomonosov  is  pursuing  his  multifaceted  activity, Moscow University opens (1755), and  the  St. Petersburg Imperial  Academy  of  Arts (1757) is  established. Grand  ensembles of palaces  esigned  by F.B. Rastrelli  are  constructed  in  St. Petersburg and its suburbs. The luxury and magnificence of the imperial court rivals its European counterparts. The  baroque and, to a lesser extent, rococo styles dominate  art (A.P. Antropov,  "Portrait of Peter III", 1762; G.С. Grooth, "Portrait of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna on Horseback with a  Negro Boy", 1743). The colourful,  lively  character of art in 1740s-1750s is apparent in all types of artistic activity. 
       The  rule of Catherine II  is marked  by a new prosperity throughout Russian life. In the second half of the 18th century the level of Russian and European art is quite comparable. The works created by  leading Russian masters of this period  could  compete  with  the  best creations of  western  artists.
       The ideas of the Enlightenment penetrate Russia  from France during this period, providing the  philosophical  foundation  for  Classicism, the dominant  style  in  the  epoch. The  pedagogical system of the Academy of Arts, which played the most leading role in the development of Russian culture  as  a whole in the second half of the 18th century, is  based on the principles of Classicism. The Academy of Arts was the first school of high professional  mastership in  Russia. It  attached priority to historical painting (A.P. Losenko, "Hector Taking Leave of Andromache", 1773). 
       The focus on the human made the portrait the main  genre of 18th century art. It was in  portrait painting that the Russian  artists F.S. Rokotov, D.G. Levitsky,  F.L. Borovikovsky  attained  the European level of art. The problem of representing 
the likeness becomes inseparable from the desire to reveal the inner world of  the human being (F.S. Rokotov, "Portrait of Count A.I. Vorontsov", not earlier  than  1765;  D.G. Levitsky, "Portrait of M.A. Dyakova", 1778). 
         Russia's  spiritual  life  at  the end of the 18th century is complicated and filled with contradictions. A  new  trend,  Sentimentalism begins to form in Russian  culture  and  fine  art.  While  Classicism declared the cult of the public, Sentimentalism 
established the right of the individual to have profound  intimate emotions  (V.L. Borovikovsky, "Portrait of M.I. Lopukhina", 1797). 
       Sentimentalism  directly  influenced  the development of  the  landscape (S.F. Shchedrin, "Landscape of the Outskirts of  Petersburg"). Appealing to urban and countryside  motives, landscape painting of the late 18th century creates a certain ideal world filled with poetry and harmony. 
       Russian art covered a great distance in one century. Faithful to the ideals of the Enlightenment, it strove to educate the soul of the viewer, glorifying reason,  kindness,  morality,  thus  constructing an ideal, harmonious picture of the world.