COURSE WORK

in the discipline "Culturology"

on the topic: "Association" World of Art ""

Introduction

1. The history of the journal and the role of Diaghilev in its creation

2. Principles of publishing the journal and its concept

3. The role and significance of the journal in the cultural life of Russia

Conclusion

In the cultural life of Russia, the turn of the two centuries of the 19th and 20th centuries was marked by the founding of the journal "World of Art". The first to gain self-confidence in order to break out of the framework of private art to the general public were not critics and poets, but artists, musicians and people in love with opera, theater and ballet. It was they who first founded the association, and then the first Russian modernist magazine. They set themselves the task of "grooming Russian painting, cleaning it up and, most importantly, bringing it to the West, glorifying it in the West."

The purpose of the course work is to study in detail the activities of the modernist magazine "World of Art". To achieve the goal, the following tasks were set: to consider in detail the creation of the association of artists "World of Art" and the magazine "World of Art"; study the concept of the journal and the principles of its publication; to analyze the role and significance of the magazine "World of Art" in the cultural life of Russia.

At the end of the 19th century, artistic life in Russia was very lively. The society showed an increased interest in numerous art exhibitions and auctions, in articles and periodicals devoted to fine arts. Not only Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also many provincial newspapers and magazines had corresponding permanent headings. Various kinds of artistic associations arose, setting themselves various tasks, but mainly of an educational nature, which was influenced by the traditions of the Wanderers. One of these associations was the "World of Art" (1898–1904), which at different times included almost all leading Russian artists: L. Bakst, A. Benois, M. Vrubel, A. Golovin, M. Dobuzhinsky , K. Korovin, E. Lansere, I. Levitan, M. Nesterov, V. Serov, K. Somov and others. All of them, very different, were united by a protest against the official art promoted by the Academy and the naturalism of the Wanderers.

The emergence of the association "World of Art" was preceded by a small home "circle of self-education" in the apartment of A. Benois, where his friends from the private gymnasium of K. May gathered: D. Filosofov, V. Nouvel, and then L. Bakst, S. Diaghilev, E. Lansere, A. Nurok, K. Somov. The slogan of the circle was "art for art's sake" in the sense that artistic creativity in itself carries the highest value and does not need ideological prescriptions from outside. At the same time, this association did not represent any artistic movement, direction, or school. It was made up of bright individuals, each went his own way.

The art of the "World of Art" arose "on the edge of thin feathers of graphic artists and poets." The atmosphere of new romanticism, which penetrated into Russia from Europe, resulted in the vagaries of the vignettes of the then fashionable magazines of the Moscow symbolists "Scales", "Golden Fleece". The design of the patterned fences of St. Petersburg was connected with the aspirations of the artists of the Abramtsevo circle I. Bilibin, M. Vrubel, V. Vasnetsov, S. Malyutin to create a “Russian national style”.

From the point of view of the artistic method, if we talk about the most important thing in the work of "typical" World of Art artists, they are more synthetics than analysts, graphic artists than painters. In the graphics of the World of Art, the drawing often follows a pre-composed pattern, and the color spot is outlined in order to emphasize its “synthetic”, decorative character to the maximum. Hence rationality, irony, play, decorativism. Drawing, painting and even sculpture obeyed the decorative-graphic principle. This also explains the attraction to the synthesis of various types and genres of art: the combination in one composition of a landscape, still life, portrait or "historical study"; the inclusion of painting, sculpture, relief in architecture, the desire to use new materials, the "exit" to book graphics and musical theater. However, the desire for "artistic synthesis", generally characteristic of the modern period, which, it would seem, should have led to the creation of a "grand style", in the most paradoxical way became the reason for the limited creativity of the World of Art. These artists “reduced the concept of the pictorial by interpreting it as a decorative sensation of reality ... here was a contradiction that led to a deep crisis, the rapid disintegration of such a bright and energetic direction ... From the intense activity of a brilliant era, a lot of beautiful works remained ... But completely there were no works of entirely significant ... "

We will dwell on the biography of Benois, as one of the organizers and inspirers of the association, and later the magazine "World of Art" in more detail.

Painter and easel graphic artist, illustrator and book designer, master of theatrical scenery, director, author of ballet librettos, Benois was at the same time an outstanding historian of Russian and Western European art, a theorist and sharp publicist, an insightful critic, a major museum figure, an incomparable connoisseur of theater, music and choreography. . The main feature of his character should be called an all-consuming love for art; versatility of knowledge served only as an expression of this love. In all his activities, in science, art criticism, in every movement of his thought, Benois always remained an artist. Contemporaries saw in him the living embodiment of the spirit of artistry.

Alexander Nikolaevich Benois - the son of Nikolai Leontyevich Benois, academician and architect, and musician Kamilla Albertovna (nee Kavos) - was born on May 3, 1870. By birth and upbringing, Benois belonged to the St. Petersburg artistic intelligentsia. For generations, art was a hereditary profession in his family. Benois' maternal great-grandfather K. A. Cavos was a composer and conductor, his grandfather was an architect who built a lot in St. Petersburg and Moscow; the artist's father was also a major architect, the elder brother was famous as a watercolor painter. The consciousness of the young Benois developed in an atmosphere of artistic impressions and artistic interests.

The artistic tastes and views of the young Benois were formed in opposition to his family, which adhered to conservative "academic" views. The decision to become an artist matured very early in him; but after a short stay at the Academy of Arts, which brought only disappointment, Benois preferred to get a law degree at St. Petersburg University, and go through professional art training on his own, according to his own program.

Daily hard work, constant training in drawing from nature, the exercise of fantasy in working on compositions, combined with an in-depth study of art history, gave the artist a confident skill that is not inferior to the skill of his peers who studied at the Academy. With the same perseverance, Benois prepared for the work of an art historian, studying the Hermitage, studying special literature, traveling to historical cities and museums in Germany, Italy and France.

Self-study in painting (mainly watercolor) was not in vain, and in 1893 Benois first appeared as a landscape painter at the exhibition of the Russian "Society of Watercolors".

A year later, he made his debut as an art historian, publishing in German an essay on Russian art in Muther's book The History of Painting in the 19th Century, published in Munich. (Russian translations of Benois' essay were published in the same year in the magazines Artist and Russian Art Archive.) He was immediately talked about as a talented art critic who turned the established ideas about the development of Russian art upside down.

Immediately declaring himself both a practitioner and a theorist of art at the same time, Benois maintained this dual unity in subsequent years, his talent and energy were enough for everything.

In 1895–1899 Alexander Benois was the curator of the collection of modern European and Russian paintings and drawings of Princess M. K. Tenisheva; in 1896 he organized a small Russian department for the Secession exhibition in Munich; in the same year he made his first trip to Paris; painted views of Versailles, initiating his series on Versailles themes, so beloved to him throughout his life.

The series of watercolors “The Last Walks of Louis XIV” (1897–1898, Russian Museum and other collections), created on the basis of impressions from trips to France, was his first serious work in painting, in which he showed himself to be an original artist. This series for a long time approved for him the glory of "the singer of Versailles and Louis".

Motivating the emergence of The World of Art, Benois wrote: “We were guided not so much by considerations of an “ideological” order, but by considerations of practical necessity. A number of young artists had nowhere to go. They were either not accepted at all for large exhibitions - academic, traveling and watercolor, or they were accepted only with the rejection of everything in which the artists themselves saw the most clear expression of their quests ... And that's why Vrubel ended up next to Bakst, and Somov next with Malyavin. The "unrecognized" were joined by those of the "recognized" who felt uncomfortable in the approved groups. Mainly Levitan, Korovin and, to our greatest joy, Serov came up to us. Again, ideologically and in their entire culture, they belonged to a different circle, they were the last offspring of realism, not without a “wandering coloring”. But they were connected with us by their hatred for everything stale, established, dead.”

Throughout his long journey as an artist, critic and art historian, Benois remained true to the high understanding of the classical tradition and aesthetic criteria in art, defended the inherent value of artistic creativity and fine culture based on strong traditions. It is also important that all of Benois' multifaceted activities were, in fact, devoted to one goal: the glorification of Russian art.

Artists of the World of Art.

"World of Art" - an organization that arose in St. Petersburg in 1898 and united the masters of the highest artistic culture, the artistic elite of Russia of those years. The beginning of the "World of Art" was laid by the evenings in the house of A. Benois, dedicated to art, literature and music. The people who gathered there were united by their love for beauty and the belief that it can only be found in art, since reality is ugly. Having also arisen as a reaction to the pettiness of the late Wanderers, its edifying and illustrative nature, the World of Art soon turned into one of the major phenomena of Russian artistic culture. Almost all famous artists participated in this association - Benois, Somov, Bakst, E.E. Lansere, Golovin, Dobuzhinsky, Vrubel, Serov, K. Korovin, Levitan, Nesterov, Ostroumova-Lebedeva, Bilibin, Sapunov, Sudeikin, Ryabushkin, Roerich, Kustodiev, Petrov-Vodkin, Malyavin, as well as Larionov and Goncharova. Of great importance for the formation of this association was the personality Diaghilev, patron and organizer of exhibitions, and later - the impresario of Russian ballet and opera tours abroad ("Russian Seasons", which introduced Europe to the work of Chaliapin, Pavlova, Karsavina, Fokine, Nijinsky and others and showed the world an example of the highest culture of the forms of various arts: music , dance, painting, scenography). At the initial stage of the formation of the "World of Art", Diaghilev arranged an exhibition of English and German watercolors in St. Petersburg in 1897, then an exhibition of Russian and Finnish artists in 1898. Under his editorship from 1899 to 1904, a magazine was published under the same name, consisting of two departments: artistic and literary. The editorials of the first issues of the magazine were clearly formulated the main provisions of the "World of Art"» on the autonomy of art, that the problems of modern culture are exclusively problems of artistic form and that the main task of art is to educate the aesthetic tastes of Russian society, primarily through acquaintance with works of world art. We must give them their due: thanks to the World of Art, English and German art was really appreciated in a new way, and most importantly, Russian painting of the 18th century and the architecture of St. Petersburg classicism became a discovery for many. "World of Art" fought for "criticism as an art", proclaiming the ideal of a critic-artist with a high professional culture and erudition. The type of such a critic was embodied by one of the creators of The World of Art, A.N. Benoit.

"Miriskusniki" organized exhibitions. The first was also the only international one that brought together, in addition to Russians, artists from France, England, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Norway, Finland, etc. Both St. Petersburg and Moscow painters and graphic artists took part in it. But the crack between these two schools - St. Petersburg and Moscow - was outlined almost from the first day. In March 1903, the last, fifth exhibition of the World of Art closed, in December 1904 the last issue of the magazine World of Art was published. Most of the artists moved to the “Union of Russian Artists”, organized on the basis of the Moscow exhibition “36”. Diaghilev completely went into ballet and theater. 1906, then exhibited in Berlin and Venice (1906-1907).In the section of modern painting, the main place was occupied by the "World of Art". This was the first act of pan-European recognition of the "World of Art", as well as the discovery of Russian painting of the 18th - early 20th centuries in in general for Western criticism and a real triumph of Russian art

The leading artist of the "World of Art" was Konstantin Andreevich Somov(1869–1939). The son of the chief curator of the Hermitage, who graduated from the Academy of Arts and traveled around Europe, Somov received an excellent education. Creative maturity came to him early, but, as the researcher (V.N. Petrov) rightly noted, he always had some duality - the struggle between a powerful realistic instinct and a painfully emotional worldview.

Somov, as we know him, appeared in the portrait of the artist Martynova (“Lady in Blue”, 1897–1900, State Tretyakov Gallery), in the portrait painting “Echoes of the Past Time” (1903, b. on the map, aqua., gouache, State Tretyakov Gallery ), where he creates a poetic characterization of the fragile, anemic female beauty of the decadent model, refusing to convey the real everyday signs of modernity. He dresses the models in ancient costumes, gives their appearance the features of secret suffering, sadness and dreaminess, painful brokenness.

Before anyone else in The World of Art, Somov turned to the themes of the past, to the interpretation of the 18th century. ("Letter", 1896; "Confidentialities", 1897), being the forerunner of Benois' Versailles landscapes. He is the first to create an surreal world, woven from the motifs of the nobility, estate and court culture and his own purely subjective artistic sensations, permeated with irony. The historicism of the "World of Art" was an escape from reality. Not the past, but its staging, longing for its irretrievability - this is their main motive. Not true fun, but a game of fun with kisses in the alleys - such is Somov.

Other works by Somov are pastoral and gallant festivities (“The Ridiculous Kiss”, 1908, Russian Museum; “Marquise's Walk”, 1909, Russian Museum), full of caustic irony, spiritual emptiness, even hopelessness. Love scenes from the 18th – early 19th centuries. always given with a touch of erotica Somov worked a lot as a graphic artist, he designed a monograph by S. Diaghilev on D. Levitsky, an essay by A. Benois on Tsarskoye Selo. The book, as a single organism with its rhythmic and stylistic unity, was raised by him to an extraordinary height. Somov is not an illustrator, he “illustrates not a text, but an era, using a literary device as a springboard,” wrote A.A. Sidorov, and this is very true.

Somov"Lady in Blue" "At the Skating Rink" Benois. A. "King's Walk"

The ideological leader of the "World of Art" was Alexander Nikolaevich Benois(1870-1960) - an unusually versatile talent. Painter, easel graphic artist and illustrator, theater artist, director, author of ballet librettos, art theorist and historian, musical figure, he was, in the words of A. Bely, the main politician and diplomat of the "World of Art". Coming from the highest stratum of the St. Petersburg artistic intelligentsia (composers and conductors, architects and painters), he first studied at the law faculty of St. Petersburg University.

As an artist, he is related to Somov by stylistic tendencies and addiction to the past (“I am intoxicated with Versailles, this is some kind of illness, love, criminal passion ... I completely moved into the past ...”). In the landscapes of Versailles, Benois merged the historical reconstruction of the 17th century. and contemporary impressions of the artist, his perception of French classicism, French engraving. Hence the clear composition, clear spatiality, the grandeur and cold severity of rhythms, the opposition between the grandiosity of monuments of art and the smallness of human figures, which are only staffage among them (the 1st Versailles series of 1896-1898 under the title "The Last Walks of Louis XIV"). In the second Versailles series (1905-1906), the irony, which is also characteristic of the first sheets, is colored with almost tragic notes ("The King's Walk",). The thinking of Benois is the thinking of a theatrical artist par excellence, who knew and felt the theater very well.

Nature is perceived by Benois in an associative connection with history (views of Pavlovsk, Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo, executed by him in watercolor technique).

In a series of paintings from the Russian past, commissioned by the Moscow publishing house Knebel (illustrations for the "Royal Hunts"), in scenes of the noble, landowner life of the 18th century. Benois created an intimate image of this era, albeit a somewhat theatrical Parade under Paul I. Benois the illustrator (Pushkin, Hoffman) is a whole page in the history of the book. Unlike Somov, Benois creates a narrative illustration. The plane of the page is not an end in itself for him. The illustrations for The Queen of Spades were rather complete independent works, not so much the “art of the book”, as A.A. Sidorov, how much "art is in the book." A masterpiece of book illustration was the graphic design of The Bronze Horseman (1903,1905,1916,1921–1922, ink and watercolor imitating colored woodcuts). In a series of illustrations for the great poem, the main character is the architectural landscape of St. Petersburg, now solemnly pathetic, now peaceful, now sinister, against which the figure of Eugene seems even more insignificant. This is how Benois expresses the tragic conflict between the fate of Russian statehood and the personal fate of a little man (“And all night long the poor madman, / Wherever he turned his feet, / The Bronze Horseman was everywhere with him / With a heavy stomp galloped”).

"Bronze Horseman"

"Parade under Paul I"

As a theater artist, Benois designed the performances of the Russian Seasons, of which the most famous was the ballet Petrushka to music by Stravinsky, he worked a lot at the Moscow Art Theater, and later on almost all major European stages.

The activity of Benois, an art critic and art historian who, together with Grabar, updated the methods, techniques and themes of Russian art history, is a whole stage in the history of art criticism (see "The History of Painting of the 19th Century" by R. Muther - the volume "Russian Painting", 1901- 1902; "Russian School of Painting", edition of 1904; "Tsarskoye Selo in the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna", 1910; articles in the magazines "World of Art" and "Old Years", "Artistic Treasures of Russia", etc.).

The third in the core of the "World of Art" was Lev Samuilovich Bakst(1866-1924), who became famous as a theater artist and was the first among the "World of Art" to gain fame in Europe. He came to the "World of Art" from the Academy of Arts, then professed the Art Nouveau style, joined the leftist trends in European painting. At the first exhibitions of the "World of Art" he exhibited a number of pictorial and graphic portraits (Benoit, Bely, Somov, Rozanov, Gippius, Diaghilev), where nature, coming in a stream of living states, was transformed into a kind of ideal representation of a contemporary person. Bakst created the brand of the magazine "World of Art", which became the emblem of Diaghilev's "Russian Seasons" in Paris. Bakst's graphics lack 18th-century motifs. and estate themes. He gravitates towards antiquity, moreover, to the Greek archaic, interpreted symbolically. Particularly successful with the Symbolists was his painting "Ancient Horror" - "Terror antiquus" (tempera, 1908, Russian Museum). A terrible stormy sky, lightning illuminating the abyss of the sea and an ancient city - and over all this universal catastrophe the archaic bark with a mysterious frozen smile dominates. Soon Bakst completely devoted himself to theatrical and scenery work, and his scenery and costumes for the ballets of the Diaghilev entreprise, performed with extraordinary brilliance, virtuoso, artistically, brought him worldwide fame. In its design there were performances with Anna Pavlova, ballets by Fokine. The artist made sets and costumes for Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Stravinsky's The Firebird (both 1910), Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe, and The Afternoon of a Faun to Debussy's music (both 1912).

"Ancient Horror" Afternoon of a Faun "Portrait of Gippius

Of the first generation of "World of Art" the younger was Evgeny Evgenievich Lansere (1875–1946), in his work, he touched upon all the main problems of book graphics of the early 20th century. (See his illustrations for the book "Legends of the ancient castles of Brittany", for Lermontov, the cover for "Nevsky Prospekt" by Bozheryanov, etc.). Lansere created a number of watercolors and lithographs of St. Petersburg (Kalinkin Bridge, Nikolsky Market, etc.). Architecture occupies a huge place in his historical compositions (“Empress Elizaveta Petrovna in Tsarskoye Selo”, 1905, State Tretyakov Gallery). We can say that in the work of Serov, Benois, Lansere a new type of historical painting was created - it is devoid of a plot, but at the same time perfectly recreates the appearance of the era, evoking many historical, literary and aesthetic associations. One of Lansere's best creations - 70 drawings and watercolors for L.N. Tolstoy's "Hadji Murad" (1912-1915), which Benois considered "an independent song that fits perfectly into Tolstoy's powerful music."

In the schedule of Mstislav Valerianovich Dobuzhinsky(1875–1957) represents not so much Petersburg of the Pushkin era or the 18th century as a modern city, which he was able to convey with almost tragic expressiveness (“The Old House”, 1905, watercolor, State Tretyakov Gallery), as well as a person living in such cities (“ A Man with Glasses”, 1905-1906, pastel, State Tretyakov Gallery: a lonely, against the backdrop of dull houses, a sad man, whose head resembles a skull). The urbanism of the future inspired Dobuzhinsky with panic fear. He also worked extensively in illustration, where his series of ink drawings for Dostoevsky's White Nights (1922) can be considered the most remarkable. Dobuzhinsky also worked in the theater, designed for Nemirovich-Danchenko "Nikolai Stavrogin" (staged "Demons" by Dostoevsky), Turgenev's plays "A Month in the Country" and "The Freeloader".

A special place in the "World of Art" occupies Nicholas Roerich(1874–1947). A connoisseur of philosophy and ethnography of the East, an archaeologist-scientist, Roerich received an excellent education, first at home, then at the law and historical-philological faculties of St. Petersburg University, then at the Academy of Arts, in the workshop of Kuindzhi, and in Paris in the studio of F. Cormon. Early he gained the authority of a scientist. He was related to the "World of Art" by the same love for retrospection, only not of the 17th-18th centuries, but of pagan Slavic and Scandinavian antiquity, to Ancient Rus'; stylistic tendencies, theatrical decorativeness (“Messenger”, 1897, State Tretyakov Gallery; “The Elders Converge”, 1898, Russian Museum; “Sinister”, 1901, Russian Museum). Roerich was most closely associated with the philosophy and aesthetics of Russian symbolism, but his art did not fit into the framework of the existing trends, because, in accordance with the artist’s worldview, it turned, as it were, to all of humanity with an appeal for a friendly union of all peoples. Hence the special epic nature of his paintings.

"Sky Fight"

"Overseas guests"

After 1905, the mood of pantheistic mysticism grew in Roerich's work. Historical themes give way to religious legends (The Heavenly Battle, 1912, Russian Museum). The Russian icon had a huge influence on Roerich: his decorative panel The Battle of Kerzhents (1911) was exhibited during the performance of a fragment of the same title from Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia in the Paris Russian Seasons.

In the second generation of the "World of Art" one of the most gifted artists was Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev(1878–1927), a student of Repin, who helped him in his work on the State Council. Kustodiev is also characterized by stylization, but this is a stylization of popular popular print. Hence the bright festive “Fairs”, “Shrovetide”, “Balagany”, hence his paintings from the petty-bourgeois and merchant life, conveyed with slight irony, but not without admiring these red-cheeked, half-asleep beauties behind a samovar and with saucers in plump fingers (“Merchant”, 1915, Russian Museum; "The Merchant for Tea", 1918, Russian Museum).

A.Ya. Golovin is one of the greatest theater artists of the first quarter of the 20th century; I. Ya. Bilibin, A.P. Ostroumova-Lebedeva and others.

The "World of Art" was a major aesthetic movement at the turn of the century, which overestimated the entire modern artistic culture, approved new tastes and problems, returned to art - at the highest professional level - the lost forms of book graphics and theatrical and decorative painting, which gained all-European recognition through their efforts, created new art criticism, which promoted Russian art abroad, in fact, even opened some of its stages, like the Russian 18th century. "Miriskusniki" created a new type of historical painting, portrait, landscape with its own stylistic features (distinct stylistic trends, the predominance of graphic techniques.

Art Association
"World of Art"

Direct-Media, Moscow, 2016

ARTOTEKA, no. 36

The artistic association "World of Art" grew out of a gymnasium, and then a student circle, grouped in the late 1880s - early 1890s around the youngest son of the famous St. Petersburg architect N. Benois - Alexander, in the future an artist, book illustrator, stage designer, art historian, art critic.

Create a union

The artistic association "World of Art" grew out of a gymnasium, and then a student circle, grouped in the late 1880s - early 1890s around the youngest son of the famous St. Petersburg architect N. Benois - Alexander, in the future an artist, book illustrator, stage designer, art historian, art critic. Initially, it was a friendly circle, which the participants themselves called the "society of self-education." Even then, a feature typical of the "World of Art" in the future appeared - the desire for a synthetic coverage of the phenomena of art, culture as a whole. The interests of young people were extensive: painting, literature, music, history, they were especially passionate about the theater.

Many future employees of the magazine "World of Art" entered the circle: V. Nouvel, D. Filosofov, L. Rosenberg (later known as L. Bakst). The appearance of this publication was preceded by a great deal of preparatory work, connected primarily with the organization of exhibitions of foreign art in Russia. S. Diaghilev (1872−1929), later a major artistic figure and critic, who at some point began to play a prominent role in the friendly association, came to grips with it. It was he who set himself the goal of rallying outstanding Russian artists and making their work known in the West.

In February 1897, on the initiative of Diaghilev, an exhibition of watercolors from England and France opened in St. Petersburg. It exhibited the works of major masters from these two countries, there were especially many watercolors by Menzel, who influenced the chamber solution of historical themes by A. Benois and other artists of the World of Art.

But more significant were the exhibition of Scandinavian artists, which opened in the fall of the same year in the halls of the Academy of Arts, and the exhibition of Russian and Finnish artists at the Stieglitz Museum in January 1898. Thanks to his organizational talent, Diaghilev was able to attract not only the main members of the friendly circle, but also the largest Russian painters - M. Vrubel, I. Levitan, V. Serov, K. Korovin, M. Nesterov, A. Ryabushkin. Finnish masters led by A. Gallen and A. Edelfelt also presented their works. These expositions, in fact, turned out to be among the first exhibitions of foreign art in Russia and took place against the backdrop of overcoming established conservative views both among the artists themselves and in society as a whole. Diaghilev and his associates had a passionate desire to more actively involve Russian art in the process of struggle against the stagnation of academicism, which the northern countries had already experienced, and considered joint exhibitions with foreign masters as one of the most effective ways to renew art. The joint exhibition of Russian and Finnish artists was subsequently regarded by the World of Arts as "the first performance of the World of Art, but not yet under this name." A. Benois said that it was after her that he and his friends united in one group, called the "World of Art".

As already noted, it was the holding of exhibitions of foreign art that contributed to the emergence of the World of Art magazine. One of its virtues was that it turned out to be a free platform for discussions both in the field of painting and in the field of religion, philosophy, and literature. The most urgent problems of the intellectual life of Russia and the West were discussed on the pages of the publication. From the very beginning, the magazine took a firm place in the artistic life of Russia and gained a large number of fans. Its editor was S. Diaghilev, but A. Benois also played an active role, determining the artistic policy of the World of Art and outlining a whole aesthetic program: firstly, the recognition of the classics, thirdly, orientation to the idea of ​​the art industry of W. Morris with its principle of expediency. A. Benois suggested calling the journal "Renaissance" and called for "announcing persecution and death to decadence<…>which threatens to destroy the whole culture.

In the first issue of the magazine, published in 1899, S. Diaghilev's article "Difficult Questions" was published, in which the aesthetics of the "World of Art" association were formulated. From the very beginning, Diaghilev set as his goal "the analysis of all ideas in the field of aesthetics." In his opinion, aesthetic concepts and principles in modern painting have diverged from artistic practice: “This amalgamous history of the artistic life of the century had its main source in the terrible precariousness of the aesthetic concepts and requirements of the era. They were not for a moment firmly established, did not develop logically or freely. Artistic issues were entangled in the general mess of social upheavals ... ". He further notes that the utilitarian attitude towards art was dominant throughout the 19th century, although there were artistic and aesthetic trends that opposed the subordination of art to any external goals.

Diaghilev contrasted the principle of utilitarianism with the principle of aestheticism as the recognition of beauty as the highest and independent value; the author of the article argued that art is valuable in itself, that its goal is itself. A. Benois shared his comrade's conviction that beauty should be the highest criterion in the sphere of artistic appreciation.

Aestheticism is the recognition of the special, exclusive rights of aesthetics, the assertion of the self-sufficient role of beauty, its independence from morality, religion and politics. The concept of aestheticism was first widely reflected in the work of English Pre-Raphaelite artists. In the magazine "World of Art" publications about English art and the Pre-Raphaelites were constant. The editors declared their primary task to be the development of a new concept of culture, in which the central place was given to "Nietzschean" values: creativity, beauty, aesthetic feeling. The magazine was published from 1899 to 1904 under the editorship of S. Diaghilev and with the participation of the St. Petersburg group of artists, since 1901 I. Grabar joined it, who soon became one of the most influential critics in Russian art. Art exhibitions called "The World of Art" were held annually and brought together Russian and Western European masters.

Thus, the activity of the St. Petersburg association marked the beginning of a new era in the cultural life of the late 19th century.

The main core of the exhibitions of the "World of Art" were the works of the masters of the Diaghilev group (actually the World of Art) - A. Benois, K. Somov and their closest associates, who teamed up with Moscow painters - M. Vrubel, I. Levitan, V. Serov, K. Korovin , M. Nesterov, A. Ryabushkin. Miriskusniki involved major Russian masters in their activities, whose work developed independently of the ideological guidelines of the St. Petersburg group, and was also distinguished by its pictorial language.

A preferred interest in history and historical styles, nostalgia for bygone eras, the cult of beauty, romantic irony - these are the ideological features of the World of Art people. They influenced the establishment of their favorite circle of plots and motifs in their work.

The creative heritage of Alexander Nikolayevich Benois (1870−1960), the founder and historiographer of the World of Art, is rich and versatile. The result of Benoit's passion for books that tell about the life and customs of the court of the "Sun King", as well as the study of French art, was a series of wonderful watercolors. They depict the palace, the park, the walks of the king and courtiers, the bathing marquises. The first such cycle is called "The Last Walks of Louis XIV" and was created in 1897-1898, the second - "Versailles Series" 1905-1906. In the works "King's Walk" (1897, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), "Feeding the Fish" (1897, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), "Ceres Pool" (1897, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), “The King walks in any weather” (1898, collection of I. Zilberstein), as in other sheets from the “Versailles series”, although united by a single character - Louis XIV, the link is the image of the man-made nature of the royal residence. The Versailles sketches are dominated by the theme of the “ancient park”, in which the past comes to life. All works are connected by the object of the image and the unity of mood. In The King's Walk (1906, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), nature is turned into a theatrical scenery, graceful green backstage opens up a small stage area. With lightness and clarity of silhouettes, the figures resemble toys inscribed in a picturesque landscape. The park lets the theatrical performance into its spaces, as into one of the halls of the palace.

Evgeny Evgenievich Lanceray (1875−1946) turned in his work to the Petrine era. His favorite topics were the construction of St. Petersburg and the new Russian fleet. The artist did not “restore” the historical setting, but created the image of the cold and windy brainchild of Peter I. One of the first was the expressive and dynamic painting “Petersburg at the Beginning of the 18th Century. Building of the Twelve Collegia” (1902, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), which depicts a rainy, windy day when the waters of the restless Neva beat against the pier of Vasilyevsky Island. A boat is docked at the pier. There are several human figures on the stairs, among which one can recognize Peter I, who came to inspect the newly erected building of the Twelve Collegia. The author recreates the atmosphere of the construction of St. Petersburg, architecture and nature are given in an inseparable unity. The landscapes “Boat of Peter I” (1906, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow) and “Ships under Peter I” (1911, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow) are filled with wind, a sense of spaciousness, and the splashing of waves. Lansere turned to subsequent eras. So, he has the composition "Empress Elizaveta Petrovna in Tsarskoye Selo" (1905, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), in which the action takes place against the backdrop of the Tsarskoye Selo park and the Grand Palace, decorated with magnificent sculpture. Lansere humorously depicts the majestic procession of the Empress, accompanied by ladies-in-waiting. The unity of architecture and costumes reveals and emphasizes the exquisite elegance and coquettishness of both of these elements. By the will of the artist, the regular park became a living character, a witness to the ongoing action. The artist was able to convey the combination of frivolity and ceremonial formality, sensuality and rationalism inherent in the 18th century.

Valentin Alexandrovich Serov (1865−1911) was one of the main representatives of the artistic association "World of Art", not only a constant participant, but also the organizer of exhibitions of the "World of Art" along with A. Benois and S. Diaghilev.

The opinion of V. Serov was highly valued, he was considered as an indisputable authority. It was he who, at a critical time for the World of Art, in 1902, asked Emperor Nicholas II (at that time the artist was painting his portrait) for a monetary subsidy for the World of Art, thanks to which the magazine existed for another two years. Serov, remaining a master realist, implemented the artistic principles of unification in his work, and was fascinated by the Russian 18th century. An example of this is the painting "Peter II and Tsesarevna Elizabeth on a dog hunt" (1900, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), "Catherine II on a falconry", "Peter I on a dog hunt" (both - 1902, State Russian Museum, Petersburg), "Peter I" (1907, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). In the latter, the desire for theatricalization of the action, inherent in the works of A. Benois, is obvious. Conventionality, the sharpness of the image, the growth of decorativeness, the spectacular theatricalization of the image are characteristic of the works of the master, created in 1910 - "Portrait of Ida Rubinstein" (State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg) and "The Rape of Europe" (options in different collections).

Konstantin Andreevich Somov (1869−1939) was one of the central figures in the World of Art. His work with particular clarity expressed the basic principles of World of Art aesthetics: the master turned to historical retrospection, was inclined to an exquisite style, sophisticated sensuality, most of his works are theatrical. Fantasy landscapes of the artist appeared simultaneously with periods of work from nature. Retrospective visions, as his art developed, acquired more and more new aspects. The leitmotif of Somov's work was love scenes in the interior and in the bosom of nature. Somov chose the heroes of the Italian comedy of masks, beloved by the art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as the heroes of the Fireworks series: the clever and successful Harlequin, the pale, weak-willed loser Piero, the frivolous Colombina. The love comedy that they play is a hint at the immutability and repetition of human passions. "Fireworks" (1904, private collection, Moscow) - a work from that series, made in gouache. The silhouettes of a lady and a gentleman in the foreground with their outfits and headdresses are reminiscent of the 18th century. Most of the picture is occupied by the sky with a bright sheaf of fireworks shooting up, scattering golden lights. The depicted is perceived as a beautiful vision.

Somov's retrospective portraits have become a new phenomenon in Russian art. The famous painting "Lady in Blue" (1897−1900, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow) is an image of a close friend of the artist, fellow student at the Academy of Arts E. Martynova. This work in 1900 appeared at the exhibition "World of Art" and became the first acquired from the master of the Tretyakov Gallery. By the will of the author, the model is transferred to the past, to an old park, devoid of historical concreteness. The whole figure of Martynova is written truthfully to the point of tangibility. The background is sustained in a conditional range, the bush is completely decorative, the characters in the background are also conditional. The landscape seems to be a memory of a harmonious past, rather than a real environment. The contradiction between the image of the heroine and the background is perceived as a fine line between the real and the ideal, dreams and reality.

Maria Vasilievna Yakunchikova (1870−1902) became a participant in the World of Art exhibitions more than once, and was engaged in the design of the magazine of the same name. The park of Versailles, so beloved by A. Benois, appeared in her works in the 1890s. But Yakunchikova perceived Versailles not like the rest of the World of Art - through the prism of historical memories or memoirs - but tried to convey the direct impression of the motive that struck her imagination. She does not dwell on the past. The conventionality of forms and colors, the principle of decorativeness are consonant with the works of the masters of the World of Art, although Yakunchikova undoubtedly used the discoveries of the French Impressionists in her paintings. In the landscape "Versailles" (1891, museum-estate of V. D. Polenov, Tula region), a huge green bush of trimmed greenery, located in the foreground, is illuminated by the rays of the setting sun. Sunlight and shadows convey the feeling of the evening and are reminiscent of the works of the Impressionists. Light and shadow for Yakunchikova are the spokesmen for polar psychological states. In her Versailles landscapes there is no irony and theatricality of A. Benois and K. Somov. Formal techniques - enlargement, generalization of volumes, fragmentation - enhance the elegiac mood, the viewer becomes a silent witness of the past in a real natural environment.

Yakunchikova painted not only landscapes. She, like the rest of the "World of Art", paid attention to ancient interiors. Many such paintings could be seen at World of Art exhibitions.

Such works bore the stamp of the era, and the depicted rooms of bygone times became not so much “portraits” of the old way of life, but an echo of the worldview of the people who created them (“portraits”), nostalgic for the lost beauty. They contrasted the world outside the window and the world inside the house with the quiet life of things and their involvement in human existence. We can also recall the exhibition "Modern Art" in 1903, in the organization of which the World of Art people took a direct part: they were the authors of the general concept of interiors, sketches of decoration details, decorative paintings and saw their task in creating "demonstrative interiors with all the furnishings, where the artists of the "World of Art" could put their taste for elegance and sense of style - all that was completely lost in the life of St. Petersburg"5.

Yakunchikova sought to convey to the viewer the beauty of the outgoing world of the estate in such works as Covers, Stairway to the Old House (1899, collection of A. S. Weber, Evian), From the Window of the Old House. Vvedenskoye” (1897, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). These motifs will become widespread in Russian art. The works are filled with additional meanings, the viewer has a feeling of tragedy. In the painting “Stairway to the Old House”, the author chooses the point of view, which would be a person who is about to climb the stairs. The cut composition is reminiscent of the work of A. Benois. The artist carefully examines the staircase, thoughtfully looks from one detail to another; notes with pity the traces of destruction left by time.

From the mid-1890s, Lev Nikolaevich Bakst (1866−1924), who later became one of the initiators of the creation of the World of Art, joined the circle of writers and artists who united around S. Diaghilev and A. Benois. He had versatile creative interests: he was engaged in portrait, landscape, book graphics, painted decorative panels. The true vocation of the master was theatrical and decorative painting, in which his talent manifested itself most clearly. Passion for old St. Petersburg, its life, costumes is evident in the illustrations for Gogol's "Nose" (1904, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), watercolors "Gostiny Dvor in the 1850s" (1905, private collection, St. Petersburg), gouaches "Shower "(1906, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg). The last named work clearly expresses the features typical of the artistic practice of the World of Art - illustrativeness, retrospective stylization, ironic attitude to the past.

The panel "Vase (Self-portrait)" (1906, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg) bears a noticeable reflection of Benois' Versailles landscapes and Somov's gallant scenes. In this work, there is no reference to past eras, which is typical for the artists of the "World of Art", the ambiguity of meaning is born in it as a result of the master's play with the plans of the picture and a single theme - a garden motif.

In Bakst's decorative panel "Ancient Horror" (1908, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), symbolist aesthetics, partly characteristic of the World of Art, found expression. A panorama of a landscape seen from a bird's eye view, illuminated by flashes of giant lightning, is presented. An archaic statue of the goddess Aphrodite rises above the ancient rocky land, flooded with a violent water element, with a frozen smile on her lips. Turning away from the dying world, the goddess remains calm and imperturbable. Some higher wisdom separates her from the surrounding insane chaos. In her hand, pressed to her chest, she holds a blue bird - a symbol of dreams and happiness. An ancient civilization perishes, only the beauty reigning over the world remains.

In 1902, an article by A. Benois "Picturesque Petersburg"6 appeared on the pages of the World of Art magazine, accompanied by many photographs of ancient buildings and drawings by E. Lansere, A. Ostroumova-Lebedeva, L. Bakst. The following year, the World of Art organized an exhibition The Jubilee Exhibition of Tsarskoye Selo (1910), the Historical Exhibition of Architecture (1911) and the exhibition Lomonosov and the Elizabethan Time (1912) were also of great importance in revealing the appearance of old Petersburg and in promoting its artistic values. Arts” sought to depict a city freed from everyday scenes, when architecture takes on the main role in creating its artistic image: in St. Petersburg, the resurrected past is intertwined with the features of the present.

In 1902, Mstislav Valerianovich Dobuzhinsky (1875−1946) became a member of the World of Art. Particularly impressive are his sheets depicting St. Petersburg in an emphatically unceremonial form, unusual in form and in their intense inner sound. These include urban landscapes - "Corner of St. Petersburg" (1904, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), "City" (1904, Kirov Regional Art Museum), "Old House" (1905, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). The city he saw is devoid of romantic flair. Dobuzhinsky depicts numerous apartment buildings with narrow windows and cramped courtyards, blank walls with ventilation grilles, similar to prison ones. The desertedness of his works is a special artistic technique that enhances the impression of loneliness and hopelessness.

The role of the urban landscape is significant in Dobuzhinsky's easel painting "The Man with Glasses" (1905−1906, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). This is a portrait of K. Syunnerberg, a poet and art critic close to the circle of the World of Art. Dobuzhinsky painted a friend in his apartment, from the window of which the city landscape was opened. The image of the window turned out to be dominant here. It allows you to combine the portrait of Sunnerberg and the urban landscape, consisting of vegetable gardens with piles of firewood, monotonous houses piled one on top of the other and factory chimneys that cover the horizon.

The name of Anna Petrovna Ostroumova-Lebedeva (1871−1955) is invariably associated with the majestic images of the urban ensembles of the city on the Neva. Both in engraving and in watercolor, the main theme in the artist's work was the urban landscape. She surprisingly accurately managed to guess the character of the city in the subtle rhythm of architectural forms, in a certain color inherent only to him. Each cycle has a unique color scheme. Undoubtedly, work in engraving left its mark on the style and character of Ostroumova-Lebedeva's watercolor painting. The brevity of expression, laconicism, the clarity of lines, characteristic of wood engraving, also manifested itself in a watercolor manner.

In 1901, for the magazine "World of Art", the artist completed the first series of engravings dedicated to St. Petersburg; one of the most famous sheets is “Petersburg. New Holland". In this work, as in many works, the artist depicted a winter city.

Dark planes created the silhouette of the arch in the neoclassical style of the famous monument, the feeling of snowy whiteness is conveyed by the whiteness of the paper itself. The monumentality of engraving is achieved by the selection and generalization of details. The techniques found - the calm precision of the form, the rhythmic balance of the composition - were developed by the artist in subsequent works. The Spit of Vasilevsky Island, the Rostral Columns, the Stock Exchange building, the Admiralty are her favorite pictorial motifs in her work.

Young artists who joined the main core of the "World of Art", reworking the creative concept of the association, became the successors of the work begun by Diaghilev.

As an exhibition organization, the "World of Art" managed to exist from 1899 to 1903. Moscow painters who took part in the exhibitions of the St. Petersburg association created their own group called "36 Artists". And in February 1903, during the fifth exhibition of the "World of Art" in St. Petersburg, it was decided to create a new society - the Union of Russian Artists. Many masters of the brush, who were part of the St. Petersburg group, became members of the Union of Russian Artists.

In 1904, the magazine "World of Art" also ceased to exist, for the publication of which A. Benois and S. Diaghilev no longer had enough money.

But S. Diaghilev continued his organizational activities. In 1905, he arranged an exhibition of Russian portraits in the Tauride Palace, and in 1906 - an exhibition of modern painting under the former name "World of Art", which included in the exposition the works of M. Vrubel, K. Korovin, M. Larionov, N. Sapunov, P. Kuznetsov and the already deceased Viktor Elpidiforovich Borisov-Musatov (1870−1905). The latter was especially close to the "World of Art" in terms of the images and techniques of his work, but during his lifetime he was not invited to the association's expositions. When the attitude towards the work of Borisov-Musatov changed, he had already died. In 1902, the painting "Tapestry" (1901, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow) was presented to the public, and then Diaghilev in his review called its author "an interesting artist", "curious and significant." But only four years later, in 1906, more than fifty works by Borisov Musatov were included in the last exhibition of the St. Petersburg association.

Since the second half of the 1900s, the World of Art did not officially exist, but the members of the World of Art maintained group cohesion, entering the Union of Russian Artists. After its split in October 1910, it was they who revived the union. Since 1910, the "World of Art" was also an exhibition organization, which consisted of artists of various directions. Such masters as N. Roerich, G. Narbut, S. Chekhonin, D. Mitrokhin, Z. Serebryakova, B. Kustodiev continued to develop the artistic principles of the senior World of Art artists. K. Petrov-Vodkin, M. Saryan, P. Kuznetsov, N. Altman, I. Mashkov are artists who turned out to be receptive to new phenomena and retained complete independence from the creative concepts that developed at the origins of the World of Art.

The position of chairman was held by Nicholas Roerich (1874−1947). From 1903 he was a regular participant in the exhibitions of the World of Art. Roerich was worried about Slavic pagan antiquity, the Scandinavian epic, and the religious legends of medieval Rus'.

Of interest are his Idols (State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg) and Overseas Guests (1901, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), created in 1901, during the artist's stay in France. Features of stylization, the predominance of graphic techniques over pictorial ones, a decorative understanding of color make these works related to the works of the World of Art. In "Idols" the basis of the artistic solution is made up of decorative and graphic techniques characteristic of the Art Nouveau style, a ring composition, contour lines and local color spots play a decisive role. An ancient pagan temple is depicted - a place for prayers and sacrifices to the gods. In the middle of the temple rises the largest idol, around - smaller ones. The idols are decorated with bright ornaments and carvings. There are no figures of people, the landscape motif dominates. In the theatrical landscape scene, the majestic tranquility of nature and the beauty of the temple merge together. Roerich was attracted by the ability of people of the distant past to dissolve in nature, putting their own experiences and feelings into it.

Interest in Slavic antiquity is also evident in the work Overseas Guests. Elegant painted boats with colorful sails float along the river; the bow ends with the heads of dragons. The patterned ornaments of the Varangian seafaring boat, colored shields, bright red sails are perfectly combined with the deep blue water and the lush greenery of the hills. The rhythm of the work is set by the diagonal composition and the use of ornament - linear and color. The motifs of the soaring wings of birds, the running wave formed the basis of the rhythm of "Overseas guests". The same pattern of soaring wings is repeated in the contours of the shores, and it seems that the earth is “flying” towards the ships. There is much in common between the “Guests from Overseas” and “Slavs on the Dnieper” (1905, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg) both in composition and in coloring. The expressiveness of a drawing is based on its simplification and generalization; an important role is played in the paintings by the rhythmic beginning, bright color spots. Roerich chooses a high point of view on the landscape, when the outlines of forests, winding, bizarre coastline, indented by bays, appear especially decorative and at the same time “fabulously” unusual (the artist also worked in the field of theater and scenery painting). The theme of the works, alien to modernity, demonstrates Roerich's attention to the ancient Russian artistic tradition and an underlined interest in the images and themes of Russian history.

Peasant antiquity, philistine-merchant Rus' are the main themes in the work of Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev (1878−1927). He was known as a portrait painter, but in genre works he adhered to World of Art principles. In the paintings depicting numerous fairs, Shrovetide and festivities, the artist sang the beauty of Russian nature, folk customs and the breadth of the Russian people. Winter landscapes, against which cheerful Maslenitsa festivities take place, are sometimes enchanting in combinations of green-pink skies and dazzling blue snow. Among this brilliance of nature, costumes and flushed faces are especially festively bright. Kustodiev sets up many plots, reveals the relationship of the characters and at the same time shows the fair as a magnificent spectacle, which he admires together with the audience.

In 1910, the artist began working on a group portrait of members of the World of Art society for the Tretyakov Gallery, but never finished it. The master made only a sketch (1916−1920, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg). Depicted (from left to right): I. Grabar, N. Roerich, E. Lansere, I. Bilibin, A. Benois, G. Narbut, N. Milioti, K. Somov, M. Dobuzhinsky, K. Petrov-Vodkin, A. Ostroumova-Lebedeva, B. Kustodiev.

Several preparatory sketches have also been preserved.

In 1911 Sergei Yurievich Sudeikin (1882−1946) became a member of the World of Art association. He had a close friendship with K. Somov. In many ways, Sudeikin repelled from the Somovskiy “marquis” in his works, which also reproduced the pastoral scenes of the gallant era: these are “Walking” (1906, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), “Harlequin Garden” (1915−1916, Saratov State Art Museum named after A. . N. Radishcheva). The romantic plot often received from him a naive, primitive popular interpretation, contained elements of parody, grotesque, theatricality. Still lifes, such as "Flowers and Porcelain" (early 1910s, private collection, Moscow), also resemble a theatrical performance, a stage. The theme of the theater appeared more than once in Sudeikin's painting: he depicted ballet and puppet theater, Italian comedy and Russian Maslenitsa festivities. Theatrical and decorative art became the main business of the artist. S. Mamontov was the first to attract him to the design of opera performances in the Moscow Hermitage Theater. In 1911, the artist worked on ballet performances at the Maly Drama Theater in St. Petersburg, and in 1912, together with A. Tairov, at the St. Petersburg Russian Drama Theater. In 1913, Sudeikin participated in the Russian Seasons in Paris, completing the scenery and costumes for the ballets The Red Mask by N. Tcherepnin and The Tragedy of Salome by F. Schmidt.

Zinaida Evgenievna Serebryakova (1884−1967), who became a member of the World of Art association in 1911, chose folk themes, her paintings are distinguished by harmony, powerful plasticity, generalization of pictorial solutions. The artist owns a number of genre works dedicated to the work and life of peasants - Harvest (1915, Odessa State Art Museum), Whitening the Canvas (1917, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). Serebryakova's favorite technique is the choice for the composition of the high horizon, which makes the figures especially monumental and majestic.

In 1914, A. Benois was entrusted with the design of the Kazansky railway station in Moscow (not carried out), 3. Serebryakova was also involved in the work, along with E. Lansere, B. Kustodiev, M. Dobuzhinsky.

A deeply personal, feminine element also developed in the artist’s work, which was especially pronounced in her work on self-portraits: in them, the girl’s naive coquetry was replaced by an expression of a feeling of maternal joy, or by gentle poetic sadness. Such, for example, are the paintings “Behind the toilet. Self-Portrait (1909, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow) and Self-Portrait with Daughters (1921, Rybinsk State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve).

Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin (1878−1939), who became a member of the association in 1911, met future like-minded people - P. Kuznetsov, P. Utkin, M. Saryan - at MUZhViZe. Petrov-Vodkin is an example of an artist who was looking for a synthesis of the modern artistic language with the cultural heritage of past eras. In 1912 he created the painting Bathing a Red Horse (State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). The canvas was first shown at the World of Art exhibition in 1912. In the work, an appeal to the images of ancient Russian art is obvious: the red horse refers to the motif of the Russian icon - the horse of St. George the Victorious. The central image, according to the plan, is not a rider, but a flaming red animal. The composition is balanced and static. Fascinate decorative, monumental nature of the canvas. A powerful, fire-like horse, full of restrained strength, enters the water, on it is a fragile boy with thin arms, a detached face, he clings to the animal, but does not restrain him - there was something disturbing, prophetic in this composition. The picture is not only about youth, beautiful nature or the joy of life, but also, perhaps, about the fate of Russia.

Pavel Varfolomeevich Kuznetsov (1878−1968) is an artist for whom the picturesque discoveries of Borisov-Musatov acquired special significance. The flesh of the visible world melts in his canvases, the picturesque visions are almost surreal, woven from images-shadows, denoting the subtle movements of the soul. Kuznetsov's favorite motif is the fountain, varying the theme of the eternal cycle of life, the Blue Fountain (1905, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). Kuznetsov preferred tempera, but used its decorative possibilities in a very peculiar way, as if with an eye on the techniques of impressionism, whitening the shades of color. Many works are designed in cold colors - gray-blue, pale lilac - the outlines of objects are vague, the image of space gravitates towards decorative conventions, for example, Mirage in the Steppe (1912, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), Evening in the Steppe (1912 , State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). A peculiar synthesis of still life and landscape is the painting "Morning" (1916, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). The artist was not yet thirty when his works were included in the exhibition of Russian art arranged by S. Diaghilev in Paris in 1906.

The early works of Nikolai Nikolaevich Sapunov (1880−1912), who came to the association from the Blue Rose symbolist group, were close to the aesthetic principles of the World of Art. In the spirit of the gallant festivities of the 18th century, the painting “Night Feast. Masquerade” (1907, Museum of Russian Art, collection of A. Ya. Abrahamyan, Yerevan). From the work of the masters of the "World of Art" Sapunov's works differ in their pictorial qualities and themes that are not associated with specific historical events. A large place in the artist's work was occupied by images of flowers, in their transfer he achieved real virtuosity, revealing his color talent to the fullest. An example of this is the work Blue Hydrangeas (1907, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), Vases, Flowers and Fruits (1910, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). N. Sapunov's favorite motives were folk festivities and festivities with their traditional attributes, as in the canvases "Carousel" (1908, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), "Spring. Masquerade” (1912, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg).

Alexander Yakovlevich Golovin (1863−1930) from 1899 participated in exhibitions of the World of Art, from 1902 - a member of the association, collaborated in the magazine of the same name. In the late 1890s, he worked in Abramtsev's pottery workshop together with M. Vrubel, at whose suggestion he participated in the design of the facade of the Metropol Hotel. He designed the performances of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, in 1901 he moved to St. Petersburg, from 1902 he served as chief decorator of the Imperial Theaters and consultant to the directorate on artistic issues. Golovin collaborated with the Alexandrinsky and Mariinsky theaters, created portraits of artists, actors in roles, ceremonial portraits, landscapes. In portrait painting, he sharpened the techniques of theatricalization of the image. Often the artist transferred his heroes to the theater setting and illuminated them with the light of the footlight, for example, in the “Portrait of the Artist D. Smirnov as the Cavalier de Grieux in J. Massenet’s opera “Manon” (1909, State Theater Museum named after A. Bakhrushin, Moscow) or in "Portrait of F. Chaliapin in the role of Boris Godunov in M. Mussorgsky's opera "Boris Godunov" (1912, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg). Decorativeness, colorfulness, sophistication of the graphic solution are typical for the works of the master. Favorite in the work of Golovin were ornamental plant motifs, which are found in abundance on ceramic products according to his sketches, picturesque panels, theater scenery and even portraits.

Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar (1871−1960) from 1901 - a member of the association, from 1902 - a participant in the exhibitions "World of Art". He was one of those who left the Union of Russian Artists in 1910 and participated in the organization of an exhibition association called "The World of Art" in the same year. Even during his studies, Grabar wrote articles and reviews on art for the famous magazines Niva, Dragonfly, World of Art. The nature of central Russia and the Moscow region was one of the main themes of his pictorial work. All Grabar's works are filled with harmony, poetry, cheerful mood. Spectacular, bright, textured painting is combined with the invariable beauty of the composition and color. Grabar sought to capture the elusive variability of the "seasons". He was especially fond of winter landscapes: "February Blue" (1904, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), "March Snow" (1904, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). In search of ways to convey the light and color power of nature, he used the achievements of French impressionist artists, but he was never a direct follower of their direction. In addition to landscape works, Igor Emmanuilovich created many still lifes. He also wrote monographs on the work of V. Serov and I. Repin, the autobiographical book “My Life”, which tells about the artistic life of Europe and Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For twelve years - from 1913 to 1925 - Grabar was the director of the Tretyakov Gallery. Over the years, a lot of work has been done to inventory the gallery, replenish its funds, hold exhibitions, and publish the first scientific catalog. Interest in Russian history, monuments of the past, icon painting connected him with A. Benois, M. Dobuzhinsky, E. Lansere, B. Kustodiev, A. Ostroumova-Lebedeva and N. Roerich. Grabar is the author of a number of monographs on Russian artists. He set himself the task of restoring the sequence of development of the Russian national school, presenting the work of major Russian artists.

In 1924, the last exhibition of the association "World of Art" took place, at which works by Benois, Somov, Dobuzhinsky, Golovin, Ostroumova-Lebedeva, Kustodiev, Serebryakova were hung nearby.

In Paris in 1927, a group of Russian émigrés tried to gather compatriot artists at an exhibition called The World of Art, which was attended by former members of the association, headed by M. Dobuzhinsky. The idea of ​​recreating the association, which arose among the Committee of Russian Emigration, did not find support even from A. Benois, who refused to participate in this exhibition. In the early 1930s, members of the World of Art of all generations who had emigrated from Russia maintained friendly ties with each other and performed together at exhibitions of Russian art in Paris, Belgrade, and Brussels. But in modern Russian artistic life, the World of Art, unfortunately, no longer existed.

Book graphics of the World of Art

The most complete and vivid embodiment of the creative aspirations of the masters of the St. Petersburg association found in the artistic design of books and theatrical (opera and ballet) stage.

Through the efforts of the artists of the "World of Art" the artistic design of the book was brought to a high level, they approved a new understanding of its beauty and artistry. The magazine "World of Art" is a large-format publication, all elements of the cover and page decoration of which were coordinated in the unity of style. The elegant calligraphy of the titles, the elegance of the vignettes, the matte yellowish laid paper, and the color printing made it a luxury item. In August 1898, M. Yakunchikova, at the request of S. Diaghilev, began to collaborate with the World of Art. She made the cover for the edition: the combination of the patterned landscape and the expression of the silhouette of a swan emphasized the flatness of the cover and harmonized perfectly with the stylized type. And although the first issue was designed by K. Korovin, later the editors nevertheless returned to the drawing by M. Yakunchikova.

All the printed publications, in the artistic design of which the World of Art specialists participated, were distinguished by a refined taste.

Petersburg, its history, its reflection in poetry, literature, architecture became the main theme in the book graphics of A. Benois. He made numerous illustrations for Pushkin's The Bronze Horseman (1916, 1921−1922, State Russian Museum St. Petersburg; All-Russian Museum of A. S. Pushkin, Moscow; State Museum of Fine Arts named after A. S. Pushkin, Moscow; private collections in Moscow and St. Petersburg)7. Benois' graphics created an organic unity with Pushkin's text. The illustrations of the introduction were connected with the motives of the art of Pushkin's time, since the image of a classically clear city with its architectonic clarity of lines was recreated in the verses. In subsequent illustrations, the compositions acquire dynamics, the graceful harmony, the chased logic of the urban landscape disappear. Eugene's duel with the rider ends with a dramatic ending: formidable waves rising to the sky, slanting rain and the triumphant silhouette of the monument.

The image of the city becomes the leitmotif of the graphic interpretation of the poem. Granite embankments, the bulk of palaces, the scope of the squares - on everything lies Benois's loving attitude towards the creation of Peter. But the image is born not only of the beautiful capital, but of the city of tragic hopelessness, formidable and ruthless.

M. Dobuzhinsky spoke more than once about how he was excited by the works of Dostoevsky. In his illustrations for "White Nights" (1923), Petersburg becomes the main character, in accordance with the text of the work. Small figures, almost dissolved in the dusk of the streets, emphasized the general lyrical mood inherent in this work. Although the black-and-white sheets were distinguished by strict graphics, Dobuzhinsky conveyed the ghostly atmosphere of the white night. He avoided ornamentality, but the whiteness of the paper contrasted with the heavy ink stains, thus creating a decorative effect of the drawings. The city seems deadly empty, a witness to the spiritual drama of a person, personifies the spiritual world of the heroes. The artist revealed the emotional structure of Dostoevsky's story with the help of images of his own creativity - urban landscapes.

Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin (1876−1942) - a representative of the World of Art, who completely turned to book graphics. Despite the fact that Bilibin's work outwardly opposes the Westernizing orientation of most of the artists of the World of Art, the influence of English graphics, French Art Nouveau and Japanese engraving on his work is very noticeable. The artist's works are distinguished by the beauty of the patterned pattern, the exquisite decorativeness of color combinations, the subtle visual embodiment of the world, the combination of bright fabulousness with a sense of folk humor. He emphasized the plane of the book page with a contour line, lack of lighting, coloristic unity, a conditional division of space into plans and a combination of different points of view in the composition. The master designed Russian folk tales, epics. The illustrations for Pushkin's Tale of Tsar Saltan (1905, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg) are significant; this tale provided rich food for Bilibino's imagination. With amazing skill and great knowledge, the artist depicted ancient costumes and utensils in multicolored paintings of ancient Russian life. It should be noted that in 1902-1904, on the instructions of the ethnographic department of the Russian Museum, Bilibin traveled around the Vologda, Arkhangelsk, Olonets and Tver provinces, collecting works of folk art and photographing monuments of wooden architecture. With his works, the master brought monuments of ancient Russian art and peasant artistic craft into the sphere of world art interests.

In 1901, Georgy Ivanovich Narbut (1886−1920) moved to St. Petersburg and met Bilibin; he took him under his protection, introducing him into the circle of the World of Art. Narbut made his debut in 1907 with illustrations for children's books, which immediately brought him fame: great success was "Dance, Matvey, do not spare bast shoes" (1910) and two books with the same name "Toys" (1911); in all three he masterfully used stylized images of Russian folk toys. In these illustrations, the careful outline drawing, subtly colored with watercolors, still bore traces of Bilibin's influence. In the design of fairy tales and fables, Narbut often used a silhouette drawing in combination with color.

Dmitry Isidorovich Mitrokhin (1883−1973) illustrated several children's books, including "Little Flour" by V. Gauf (1912), "Roland the Squire" by V. Zhukovsky (1913). Each of them was exemplary in terms of the impeccability of the graphic style and the unity of drawings, inscriptions and ornaments.

The artists of the World of Art, having renewed traditions, revived illustrative drawing and design graphics in Russia, created a consistent system of book design. With their work, the masters contributed to the improvement of the culture of book design and influenced the development of Russian graphics in the first quarter of the 20th century.

The main participants of the "World of Art" - an artistic association, formed in 1898-1899. in St. Petersburg - A. N. Benois, recognized leader of the group, artist and critic, K. A. Somov, M. V. Dobuzhinsky, E. E. Lansere, L. S. Bakst. The main organizational role in all the enterprises of the "World of Art" belonged to S. P. Diaghilev. V. A. Serov was a member of the exhibition council of the World of Art. At the exhibitions of the association, the works of M. A. Vrubel were shown for the first time, active participants in the “World of Art” were K. A. Korovin, I. Ya. Bilibin, A. P. Ostroumova-Lebedev, A. Ya. Golovin, I. E. Grabar. The first period of the association's activity lasted until 1904. The World of Art published a magazine under the same name - a kind of literary and artistic almanac, in which artists, poets, and philosophers collaborated. The richly illustrated magazine became one of the first examples of the art of book design - a field of artistic activity in which the "World of Art" acted as true reformers. They arranged their own exhibitions, attracting Western European masters to participate in them. The most important aspect of the activities of the World of Art is the revival of interest in the forgotten pages of Russian culture of the 18th and early 19th centuries: retrospective exhibitions of old art are organized, articles and monographs devoted to the masters of that time are systematically published, and a special edition "Artistic Treasures of Russia" is published.

K. A. Somov. Winter. Rink. 1915. Oil on canvas. State Russian Museum. Leningrad.

"World of Art" defended the freedom of individual self-manifestation in art. Everything that the artist loves and worships in the past and present has the right to be embodied in art, regardless of the topic of the day - such is the aesthetic program of unification. At the same time, beauty was recognized as the only pure source of creative enthusiasm, and the modern bourgeois world, according to the artists of the World of Art, is devoid of beauty. Therefore, in their own work, the "World of Art" act as interpreters of beauty, enshrined in the monuments of art of past eras. Life interests them only insofar as it has already expressed itself in art. The leading genre in the painting of the "World of Art" was the historical genre. History appears here not in mass actions and not at turning points, as in V. I. Surikov, but in particular details of the past life, but life is necessarily beautiful, aesthetically designed. "The King's Walk" (painting by A. N. Benois, 1906), "Empress Elizaveta Petrovna in Tsarskoye Selo" (painting by E. E. Lansere, 1905), masquerade festivities and fireworks (paintings and drawings by K. A. Somov, 1904 - 1908) - these are the typical plots of their historical fantasies.

Almost all the artists of the "World of Art" are excellent illustrators. Classical examples - illustrations by A. N. Benois to "The Bronze Horseman" by A. S. Pushkin (1903-1922), E. E. Lansere to "Hadji Murad" by L. N. Tolstoy (1912-1937), later - M V. Dobuzhinsky to "White Nights" by F. M. Dostoevsky (1922).

The 1910s - the heyday of theatrical and decorative activities of the "World of Art". It is associated with the “Russian Seasons” organized by S. P. Diaghilev in Paris, which included a whole series of opera and ballet productions, to which the largest forces of Russian art were involved F. I. Chaliapin, Anna Pavlova, V. Nijinsky, choreographer M. Fokin and others. The scenery of A. N. Benois for the ballet by I. F. Stravinsky "Petrushka" by I. F. Stravinsky, the costumes and scenery of L. S. Bakst for "Scheherazade" to the music of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, "The Firebird » I. F. Stravinsky and others.

A. N. Benois. Walk of the King. 1906. Watercolor, gouache, ink, gold, silver. State Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow.

The style of the "World of Art" was formed under the strong influence of German and English magazine graphics. The plane of the picture is often likened to the screen of a shadow theater (for example, in the works of the Versailles series by A. N. Benois). The "world of art" characterizes the love for the silhouette, for the exquisite ornamental organization of the image, the predominance of the linear-graphic principle over the picturesque, the predominant interest in the techniques of gouache, watercolor, and pastel.

In the mid 1900s. "World of Art" ceases exhibition and publishing activities. In 1910, the "World of Art" was restored, but only as an exhibition organization, not bound, as before, by the unity of the creative program and uniting artists of various directions.

However, some artists of the new generation, modifying, inherit and continue the traditions of the former "World of Art". These include graphic artists G. I. Narbut, D. I. Mitrokhin, painters N. K. Roerich, B. M. Kustodiev and others.

The last exhibition of the "World of Art" took place in 1922. High graphic culture, unusually wide awareness in various areas of artistic life and art of past historical eras, fine artistic taste - the most valuable features of the work of the "World of Art", retaining their significance and influence to the present days, especially for theatrical and decorative arts and book illustration.

CREATIVE ART ASSOCIATION "WORLD OF ART"

In Russia in the 20th century there were more than fifty art associations and creative unions. Cultural life in Russia was very lively. The society showed an increased interest in numerous art exhibitions and auctions, in articles and periodicals devoted to fine arts. Various kinds of artistic associations arose, setting themselves various tasks. One of them was the association, and then the first Russian modernist magazine "World of Art" (1898-1904). At different times, it included almost all leading Russian artists, such as: L. Bakst, A. Benois, M. Vrubel, A. Golovin, M. Dobuzhinsky, K. Korovin, E. Lansere, I. Levitan, M. Nesterov, V. Serov, K. Somov and others. Artists, musicians and people who are in love with opera, theater and ballet set themselves the task of "grooming Russian painting, cleaning it up and, most importantly, bringing it to the West, glorifying it in the West." The purpose of this association was the study of artistic culture, both modern and past eras, perceived synthetically, in all the variety of types, forms, genres of art and everyday life. All of them, very different, were united by a protest against official art and the naturalism of the Wanderers.

Initially, it was a small, home circle of "self-education". At the apartment of A. Benois, his friends from the private gymnasium of K. May gathered: D. Philosophers, V. Nouvel, and then L. Bakst, S. Diaghilev, E. Lansere, A. Nurok, K. Somov. This association did not represent any artistic movement, direction, or school. It was made up of bright individuals, each went his own way.

Motivating the emergence of The World of Art, Benois wrote: “We were guided not so much by considerations of an “ideological” order, but by considerations of practical necessity. A number of young artists had nowhere to go. They were either not accepted at all for large exhibitions - academic, traveling and watercolor, or they were accepted only with the rejection of everything in which the artists themselves saw the most clear expression of their quests ... And that's why Vrubel ended up next to Bakst, and Somov next with Malyavin. The "unrecognized" were joined by those of the "recognized" who felt uncomfortable in the approved groups. Mainly Levitan, Korovin and, to our greatest joy, Serov came up to us. Again, ideologically and in their entire culture, they belonged to a different circle, they were the last offspring of realism, not without a “wandering coloring”. But they were connected with us by their hatred for everything stale, established, dead.” Benois A. The emergence of the "World of Art". L.: 1928

From the mid 1890s. the group was headed by S.P. Diaghilev. In 1898, he convinces famous figures and art lovers S.I. Mamontov and M.K. Tenishev to finance a monthly art magazine. Soon a double issue of the magazine "World of Art" was published in St. Petersburg, and Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev became its editor.

The World of Art was the first art magazine whose character and direction were determined by the artists themselves. The editors informed the readers that the magazine would consider the works of Russian and foreign masters "from all eras of art history, to the extent that these works are of interest and significance for modern artistic consciousness."

In the World of Art magazine, Diaghilev touched on many issues, such as: the goals and objectives of art and criticism, classics and contemporary art, illustration and book graphics, museum work, the artistic culture of other countries, and, finally, what we now understand by the words "international cultural cooperation".

In addition to the magazine, Diaghilev was engaged in organizing art exhibitions. He was attentive to the composition of the exhibitors, as well as the choice of exhibits.

Art exhibitions organized by the "World of Art" enjoyed great success. They introduced Russian society to the works of well-known domestic masters and emerging artists who have not yet achieved recognition, such as Bilibin, Ostroumova, Dobuzhinsky, Lansere, Kustodiev, Yuon, Sapunov, Larionov, P. Kuznetsov, Saryan.

In 1899, the first international exhibition of the magazine "World of Art" was held, which featured over 350 works. Along with leading Russian artists, foreign masters took part in it (C. Monet, G. Moreau, P. Puvis de Chavannes, J. Whistler, and others). Items of arts and crafts were also shown. In 1900-03, four subsequent art exhibitions were held, organized by the magazine "World of Art". More than sixty artists took part in them, including such outstanding masters as M.A. Vrubel, V.M. Vasnetsov, A.S. Golubkina, M.V. Dobuzhinsky, P.V. Kuznetsov, A.P. Ryabushkin. In 1902, the works of the World of Art were exhibited in the Russian department of the International Exhibition in Paris, where K.A. Korovin, F.A. Malyavin, V.A. Serov and P.P. Trubetskoy received the highest awards. And the following year, they teamed up with the Moscow group "36 Artists", forming the "Union of Russian Artists".

At the Paris Autumn Salon, the world artists showed their works at an exhibition of Russian art, which was then exhibited in Berlin and Venice. Since that time, Diaghilev began independent activities to promote Russian art in the West. He achieved success in the so-called "Russian Seasons", held annually in Paris in 1909-14. In the history of not only Russian, but also world culture, opera and ballet performances to classical and modern music in innovative productions by young choreographers, performed by a whole galaxy of stars, in the designs of Bakst, Benois, Bilibin, Golovin, Korovin, Roerich, constituted an era.

The World of Art group was closest to Roerich, but even in it he denied and did not accept much. In the late 1890s, when a sharp, intense struggle ensued between the Wanderers and the World of Art, Roerich also joined this struggle. Most of all, he was jarred by the Westernizing orientation of the ideologists of the World of Art, their oblivion of the social role of the artist. To the reinforced invitation from Diaghilev in 1900 to join the "World of Art" Roerich answers with a categorical refusal. He sharply criticizes the first performances of the "World of Art" in his articles "Art and Archeology" (1898), "Our Artistic Affairs" (1899). “If the editors of the World of Art consider themselves champions of a new trend, then how can one explain the presence of routinely decadent, old and stereotyped works in the exhibition? untimely decrepit, obsolete decadence and a new, fresh direction are not at all the same, ”the artist writes in 1899.

The irreconcilable, critical attitude of Roerich towards the organizers of the "World of Art" Diaghilev, Benois, Somov is also eloquently evidenced by his letters of 1900-1901 to Stasov.

In the autumn of 1902, Diaghilev again invites Roerich to join the "World of Art". This proposal was strongly accompanied by persuasion from Nesterov and Botkin. Roerich again refused membership, but agreed to participate in the 1902 exhibition. He takes part in the next exhibition. Now, when the "World of Art" has grown and taken shape, when major masters have entered it, Roerich began to attract a lot in the creative practice of this group. He was close to the aspiration of its artists to the past, their search for the beauty of content, the development of new formal techniques.

It is no coincidence that when in 1910 the St. Petersburg artists revived the "World of Art" again, Roerich became a member of this association and its chairman. But as before, strained relations remain with him with the main core of artists, the “Versailles rhapsodes”. And they, in turn, not sharing Roerich's interest in past eras, or, as Benois wrote, in "distant animal-like ancestors", considered him a "stranger" in their environment. And it becomes clear why in 1903 he wrote bitterly about his contemporaries: “But we don’t know how, we don’t want to help the people again find beauty in their difficult life.” V.P. Knyazeva, I.A. Sobolev. N.K Roerich (album).

The new association conducted an active exhibition activity in St. Petersburg-Petrograd and other cities of Russia. The main criterion for selecting works for exhibitions was proclaimed "skill and creative originality." Such tolerance attracted many talented artists to the exhibitions and to the ranks of the association. Subsequently, B.I. Anisfeld, K.F. Bogaevsky, N.S. Goncharova, V.D. Zamirailo, P.P. Konchalovsky, A.T. Matveev, K.S. Petrov-Vodkin, M.S. Saryan, Z.E. Serebryakova, S.Yu. Sudeikin, P.S. Utkin, I.A. Fomin, V.A. Shuko, A.B. Shchusev, A.E. Yakovlev and others. The names of I.I. Brodsky, D.D. Burliuk, B.D. Grigorieva, M.F. Larionova, A.V. Lentulova, I.I. Mashkova, V.E. Tatlin, R.R. Falka, M.Z. Chagall and others.

The dissimilar, sometimes directly opposite creative attitudes of the participants did not contribute to the artistic unity of both the exhibitions and the association itself, which eventually led to a serious split in the association. The last exhibition of the "World of Art" was held in 1927 in Paris.