No nation on earth has one absolute, primordial symbol. The colour red, however, has always been favored by all nations. Red, as a concept and word combination became both an audible and visual image in Russia, particlularly so at the start of the 20th century. Russians identified the colour red with physical phenomena and actions. Colour images crossed over into the realms of concrete objects (red carpet); the Russian word 'krasny' lost its original meaning 'beautiful' and came to be applied purely to the colour red, which in turn crossed over to geographical names (Krasnaya Polyana, Krasnoye Selo). People grew accustomed to the colour red and it entered the public consciousness. And no matter what the future course of Russian history, red will forever remain its principal emotional charge, carrying the potential of all that is solemn, warm and jubilant. This volume is a celebration of the colour red in Russian art. Red betrays a wealth of meanings. It has also been simply a patch of bright colour