Studying of the interpretation of the West European art by the pensioners of the Academy of Arts is an analysis of the interpretation's components: the choice of art directions, styles and schools; the preference of their personal attitude; the assessment of a specific piece of art; the terminology as an indicator of their either professional or amateur position. The choice of art directions depended on the system of art views existing in the Academy of Arts in the second half of the 18th

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... y. The Academy focused the attention of its students on the art of Antiquity, Renaissance and Classicism. Nevertheless, the pensioners spoke well on the works of Baroque. They used to prefer the art of old masters to the modern art. The specialization of a pensioner illustrated their assessment of the masterpieces. The professional terminology helped to make the description and assessment. The advent of treatises on the art in Russia made possible using the terminology.