Kovalevskii analysed the flaws of the academic system and assessed the influence of Briullov, Ivanov and Fedotov on Russian painting in 'On the Arts and Artists in Russia', published in Sovremennik.
In the same journal Kovalevskii also advanced the concept of realism in landscape painting in 'Novoe imia v russkikh khudozhestvakh. (Po povodu vystavki etiudov i kartin g. Bogoliubova' ('A New Name in Russian Arts' (Apropos of the exhibition of sketches and paintings by Mr Bogoliubov)')