The article suggests an option for practical implementation of the idea, developed by the author, that context should be considered as a clue for the theoretical artistic research within a specific direction. From the chosen perspective, the author reviews a difficult historical stage of the Russian artistic culture. The system-forming factors that create the context of an era are revealed. The article discloses the interaction, during the process of art development, of the social and historical determinants, on the one hand, and the immanent evolution patterns of the art as a whole and its certain types, on the other hand. The author shows the masters’ response to the outward realities of social life. A particular attention is paid to the analysis of the most important aesthetic and stylistic trends, common to all kinds of art, that determined the artistic panorama of that period. The article interprets the question of traditions development and the keen search for new ideas in the sphere of content, form, and expressive means. The emphasis is put on the names of the artists who symbolize that period, generating the creative content of the era.