This article explores the key elements of the original methodology for teaching landscape painting with the multilayer watercolor technique, developed by Sergey Nikolaevich Andriaka, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, Full Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, and Rector of the Academy of Watercolor and Fine Arts from 2012 to 2024. At the heart of his approach lies the use of winter motifs as a foundation for teaching coloristic landscape painting. Andriaka argued that the depiction of seemingly colorless, snow-covered landscapes - defined by sharp tonal contrasts - provides students with an opportunity to significantly enhance their sense of color and aerial perspective, while mastering the art of color application. Andriaka's unique technique involves the painting of winter landscapes using a highly limited palette of red, blue, and yellow (the three primary colors), encouraging students to engage thoughtfully with both the physical and optical mixing of colors in the creation of multilayered watercolor compositions.

The paper provides an overview of the development of the nihonga style, which integrates elements of traditional Japanese painting, and examines its transformation during the second half of the 20th century. It explores the preconditions for the emergence of the style, the origin of the term nihonga within the geopolitical context of Japan's historical evolution, as well as the shifts in the figurative paradigm, coloristic choices, and compositional approaches within works of this artistic movement. The article specifically highlights the bijinga genre as a case study. Additionally, it underscores the pivotal role of traditional Japanese painting techniques in shaping the identity of nihonga art.

This article critically analyzes the graduate qualification works produced in recent years at the Sergey Andriaka Academy of Watercolor and Fine Arts, focusing on the depiction of biblical narratives. It examines the distinctive features of the creative concepts, iconography, and compositional and coloristic choices, considering their relationship to the traditions of academic and monumental ecclesiastical painting. The technique employed in the execution of large-scale compositions - multilayer watercolor - is unconventional, with its methods tailored to meet specific artistic objectives.