ИСТИНА

The fixation of various natural phenomena by landscape artists of different historical periods in different regions and countries has not only purely aesthetic interest, but also particular interest to science. During the period of Romanticism that has spread in the European and Russian art in the 19th century, Russian art turned to real living nature. Landscapes of the native country began to play a dominant role in the formation of landscape image. Romanticism aroused interest not only in the picturesque and exotic landscapes, but also in the majestic forces of nature. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, storms, thunderstorms, floods, and other natural hazards were new motifs for artists of that time. Romantic artists were inclined to exaggerate the power and destructive forces of natural phenomena they portrayed, elevating any event of this kind to the rank of a natural disaster. Often, they portrayed the rather ordinary storm, thunderstorm, flood as a universal natural catastrophe. Thanks to the rapid development of scientific knowledge and discoveries in the field of geosciences, including meteorology, artists were encouraged to observe various atmospheric phenomena and weather conditions. Comparative analysis of landscape pictures can be an important tool, in addition to scientific methods, in studying the nature and dynamics of various hazardous natural processes and phenomena, including hydrological and meteorological ones in conditions of changing climate.