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The Silver Age of Russian Poetry.

silver Age- the heyday of Russian poetry at the beginning of the 20th century, characterized by the appearance of a large number of poets, poetic movements who preached a new, different from the old ideals, aesthetics. The name "Silver Age" is given by analogy with the "Golden Age" (the first third of the 19th century). Philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev, writers Nikolai Otsup, Sergey Makovsky claimed the authorship of the term. The Silver Age ran from 1890 to 1930.

The question of the chronological framework of this phenomenon remains controversial. If researchers are quite unanimous in defining the beginning of the “Silver Age” - this is a phenomenon at the turn of the 80s - 90s of the XIX century, then the end of this period is controversial. It can be attributed to both 1917 and 1921. Some researchers insist on the first option, believing that after 1917, with the start of the Civil War, the “Silver Age” ceased to exist, although those who created this phenomenon with their creativity were still alive in the 1920s. Others believe that the Russian Silver Age was interrupted in the year of the death of Alexander Blok and the execution of Nikolai Gumilyov or the suicide of Vladimir Mayakovsky, and the time frame of this period is about thirty years.

Symbolism.

A new literary trend - symbolism - was the product of a deep crisis that engulfed European culture at the end of the 19th century. The crisis manifested itself in a negative assessment of progressive social ideas, in the revision of moral values, in the loss of faith in the power of the scientific subconscious, in the enthusiasm for idealistic philosophy. Russian symbolism was born in the years of the collapse of Populism and the wide spread of pessimistic sentiments. All this led to the fact that the literature of the "Silver Age" does not raise topical social issues, but global philosophical ones. The chronological framework of Russian symbolism - 1890s - 1910. The formation of symbolism in Russia was influenced by two literary traditions:

Patriotic - the poetry of Fet, Tyutchev, Dostoevsky's prose;

French symbolism - the poetry of Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Charles Baudelaire. The symbolism was not uniform. Schools and trends stood out in it: “senior” and “junior” symbolists.

Senior symbolists.

Petersburg Symbolists: D.S. Merezhkovsky, Z.N. Gippius, F.K. Sologub, N.M. Minsky. In the work of the St. Petersburg Symbolists, at first, decadent moods and motives of disappointment prevailed. Therefore, their work is sometimes called decadent.

Moscow Symbolists: V.Ya. Bryusov, K.D. Balmont.

The "senior" symbolists perceived symbolism in an aesthetic sense. According to Bryusov and Balmont, the poet is, first of all, the creator of purely personal and purely artistic values.

Junior Symbolists.

A.A. Block, A. Bely, V.I. Ivanov. The "younger" symbolists perceived symbolism in philosophical and religious terms. For the "younger" symbolism is a philosophy refracted in the poetic consciousness.

Acmeism.

Acmeism (Adamism) stood out from symbolism and opposed it. Acmeists proclaimed materiality, objectivity of themes and images, the accuracy of the word (from the standpoint of "art for art's sake"). Its formation is associated with the activities of the poetic group "Workshop of Poets". The founders of acmeism were Nikolay Gumilyov and Sergey Gorodetsky. Gumilyov's wife Anna Akhmatova, as well as Osip Mandelstam, Mikhail Zenkevich, Georgy Ivanov and others joined the current.

Futurism.

Russian futurism.

Futurism was the first avant-garde movement in Russian literature. Assigning itself the role of a prototype of the art of the future, futurism as the main program put forward the idea of ​​destroying cultural stereotypes and instead offered an apology for technology and urbanism as the main signs of the present and the future. The founders of Russian futurism are considered members of the St. Petersburg group "Gileya". "Gilea" was the most influential, but not the only association of futurists: there were also ego-futurists headed by Igor Severyanin (St. Petersburg), groups "Centrifuga" and "Mezzanine of Poetry" in Moscow, groups in Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, Baku.

Cubofuturism.

In Russia, "Budetlyane", members of the "Gilea" poetic group, called themselves Cubo-Futurists. They were characterized by a demonstrative rejection of the aesthetic ideals of the past, shocking, active use of occasionalisms. Within the framework of cubo-futurism, “abstruse poetry” developed. The Cubo-Futurist poets included Velimir Khlebnikov, Elena Guro, Davidi Nikolai Burliuki, Vasily Kamensky, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Alexei Kruchenykh, Benedict Livshits.

Egofuturism.

In addition to the general futuristic writing, egofuturism is characterized by the cultivation of refined sensations, the use of new foreign words, and ostentatious selfishness. Egofuturism was a short-lived phenomenon. Most of the attention of critics and the public was transferred to Igor Severyanin, who quite early stepped aside from the collective politics of the ego-futurists, and after the revolution he completely changed the style of his poetry. Most ego-futurists either quickly outlived the style and moved on to other genres, or soon abandoned literature altogether. In addition to Severyanin, Vadim Shershenevich, Rurik Ivnevi and others joined this trend at different times.

New peasant poetry.

The concept of "peasant poetry", which has become part of historical and literary use, unites poets conditionally and reflects only some common features inherent in their worldview and poetic manner. They did not form a single creative school with a single ideological and poetic program. As a genre, "peasant poetry" was formed in the middle of the 19th century. Its largest representatives were Alexey Vasilyevich Koltsov, Ivan Savvich Nikitin and Ivan Zakharovich Surikov. They wrote about the work and life of the peasant, about the dramatic and tragic collisions of his life. Their work reflected both the joy of merging workers with the natural world, and a feeling of dislike for the life of a stuffy, noisy city alien to wildlife. The most famous peasant poets of the Silver Age period were: Spiridon Drozhzhin, Nikolai Klyuev, Pyotr Oreshin, Sergey Klychkov. Sergei Yesenin also joined this trend.

Imagism.

The Imagists claimed that the purpose of creativity is to create an image. The main expressive means of the Imagists is a metaphor, often metaphorical chains, comparing various elements of two images - direct and figurative. The creative practice of the Imagists is characterized by epatage and anarchist motives. The style and general behavior of Imagism was influenced by Russian Futurism. The founders of Imagism are Anatoly Mariengof, Vadim Shershenevichi, Sergei Yesenin. Rurik Ivnevi, Nikolai Erdman, also joined Imagism.

Symbolism. "Young symbolism".

Symbolism- the direction in literature and art first appeared in France in the last quarter of the 19th century and by the end of the century had spread to most European countries. But after France, it is in Russia that symbolism is realized as the most large-scale, significant and original phenomenon in culture. Many representatives of Russian symbolism bring new ones into this direction, often having nothing in common with their French predecessors. Symbolism becomes the first significant modernist movement in Russia; simultaneously with the emergence of symbolism in Russia, the Silver Age of Russian literature begins; in this era, all new poetic schools and individual innovations in literature are, at least in part, under the influence of symbolism - even outwardly hostile trends (futurists, "Forge", etc.) largely use symbolist material and begin with the negation of symbolism. But in Russian symbolism there was no unity of concepts, there was no single school, no single style; even among the symbolism rich in originals in France you will not find such a variety and such dissimilar examples. In addition to the search for new literary perspectives in form and subject matter, perhaps the only thing that united Russian symbolists was distrust of the ordinary word, the desire to express themselves through allegories and symbols. “A thought spoken is a lie” - a verse by the Russian poet Fyodor Tyutchev, the forerunner of Russian symbolism.

Young Symbolists (the second "generation" of Symbolists).

In Russia, junior symbolists are mainly called writers who published their first publications in the 1900s. Among them were really very young authors, like Sergei Solovyov, A. White, A. Blok, Ellis, and very respectable people, like the director of the gymnasium. Annensky, scientist Vyacheslav Ivanov, musician and composer M. Kuzmin. In the first years of the century, representatives of the young generation of symbolists create a romantically colored circle, where the skill of future classics matures, which became known as the "Argonauts" or Argonautism.

“I emphasize: in January 1901, a dangerous “mystical” firecracker was planted in us, which gave rise to so many rumors about the “Beautiful Lady” ... The composition of the circle of Argonauts, students in those years, was outstanding ... Lev Lvovich Kobylinsky (“Ellis”), in those same years who joined us and became the soul of the circle; he was literary and sociologically educated; an amazing improviser and mime ... S. M. Solovyov, a sixth-grade gymnasium student, surprising Bryusov, a young poet, philosopher, theologian ...

…Ellis called it a circle of Argonauts, coinciding with an ancient myth that tells about a group of heroes traveling on the Argo ship to a mythical country: behind the Golden Fleece… the “Argonauts” had no organization; the one who became close to us walked in the “argonauts”, often without suspecting that the “argonaut” ... Blok felt like an “argonaut” during his short life in Moscow ...

…and yet, the “Argonauts” left some mark on the culture of artistic Moscow in the first decade of the beginning of the century; they merged with the “symbolists”, considered themselves essentially “symbolists”, wrote in symbolic journals (I, Ellis, Solovyov), but differed, so to speak, in the “style” of their manifestation. There was nothing of literature in them; and there was nothing of the outward brilliance in them; meanwhile, a number of interesting personalities, original not in appearance, but in essence, passed through Argonautism ... ”(Andrei Bely,“ The Beginning of the Century ”- pp. 20-123).

In St. Petersburg at the beginning of the century, the “tower” of Vyach is most of all suitable for the title of “center of symbolism”. Ivanov, - the famous apartment on the corner of Tavricheskaya Street, among the inhabitants of which at different times were Andrei Bely, M. Kuzmin, V. Khlebnikov, A. R. Mintslova, which was visited by A. Blok, N. Berdyaev A. V. Lunacharsky, A. Akhmatova, "world of art" and spiritualists, anarchists and philosophers. The famous and mysterious apartment: legends tell about it, researchers study the meetings of secret communities that took place here (Haphysites, Theosophists, etc.), gendarmes organized searches and surveillance here, most of the famous poets of the era read their poems in this apartment for the first time, here for several For years, three completely unique writers lived at the same time, whose works often present fascinating riddles for commentators and offer readers unexpected language models - this is the constant "Diotima" of the salon, Ivanov's wife, L. D. Zinoviev-Annibal, composer Kuzmin (the author of romances at first, later - novels and poetry books), and - of course the owner. The owner of the apartment himself, the author of the book "Dionysus and Dionysianism", was called the "Russian Nietzsche". With the undoubted significance and depth of influence in culture, Vyach. Ivanov remains "a semi-familiar continent"; this is partly due to his long stays abroad, and partly to the complexity of his poetic texts, which, in addition to everything, require rare erudition from the reader.

In Moscow in the 1900s, the editorial office of the Scorpion publishing house, where Valery Bryusov became the permanent editor-in-chief, was without hesitation called the authoritative center of symbolism. This publishing house prepared issues of the most famous symbolist periodical - "Scales". Among the permanent employees of the "Libra" were Andrey Bely, K. Balmont, Jurgis Baltrushaitis; other authors regularly collaborated - Fedor Sologub, A. Remizov, M. Voloshin, A. Blok, etc., published many translations from the literature of Western modernism. There is an opinion that the history of "Scorpion" is the history of Russian symbolism, but this is probably an exaggeration.

The “younger symbolists”, following V. Solovyov, who had a serious influence on them, not only denied the modern world, but believed in the possibility of its miraculous transformation by Love, Beauty, Art ... For the “young symbolists”, Art, Beauty have a life-creating energy, the ability to change, improve reality, so they received another name - theurges (theurgy - a combination of art and religion in an effort to transform the world). This "aesthetic utopia", however, did not last long.

The religious and philosophical ideas of V. Solovyov were accepted by the Young Symbolist poets, including A. Blok in his collection Poems about the Beautiful Lady (1904). Blok sings of the feminine principle of love and beauty, bringing happiness to the lyrical hero and capable of changing the world. One of Blok's poems of this cycle is preceded by an epigraph from V. Solovyov, directly emphasizing the successive nature of Blok's poetic philosophy:

And the heavy dream of worldly consciousness

You will shake off, longing and loving.

Vl. Solovyov

I anticipate you. Years pass by

All in the form of one I foresee you.

The whole horizon is on fire - and unbearably clear,

And silently I wait, yearning and loving.

The whole horizon is on fire, and the appearance is near,

But I'm afraid: you will change your appearance,

And daringly arouse suspicion,

Replacing the usual features at the end.

Oh, how I fall - both sad and low,

Not having overcome deadly dreams!

How clear is the horizon! And radiance is near.

But I'm afraid: you will change your appearance.

After the revolutionary events of 1905, after the revolutionary crisis, it becomes obvious that the "aesthetic rebellion" of the older symbolists and the "aesthetic utopia" of the young symbolists have exhausted themselves - by 1910, symbolism as a literary trend ceases to exist.

Symbolism as a frame of mind, as a literary movement with its vague hopes, is an art that could exist at the turn of the eras, when new realities are already in the air, but they have not yet been minted, not realized. A. Bely in the article “Symbolism” (1909) wrote: “Modern art is turned to the future, but this future is hidden in us; we eavesdrop in ourselves on the thrill of the new man; and we eavesdrop in ourselves on death and decay; we are the dead, decomposing the old life, but we are not yet born into the new life; our soul is fraught with the future: degeneration and rebirth are struggling in it... The symbolic current of modernity still differs from the symbolism of any art in that it operates on the border of two epochs: it is deadened by the evening dawn of the analytical period, it is revived by the dawn of a new day.

The Symbolists enriched Russian poetic culture with important discoveries: they gave the poetic word a previously unknown mobility and polysemy, taught Russian poetry to discover additional shades and facets of meaning in the word; the search for symbolists in the field of poetic phonetics became fruitful (see the masterful use of assonance and spectacular alliteration by K. Balmont, V. Bryusov, A. Bely); the rhythmic possibilities of Russian verse were expanded, the stanza became more diverse, the cycle was discovered as a form of organization of poetic texts; despite the extremes of individualism and subjectivism, the symbolists raised the question of the role of the artist in a new way; art, thanks to the symbolists, became more personal.

Andrey Bely.

Andrei Bely created his own special genre - the symphony - a special kind of literary presentation, mainly corresponding to the originality of his life perceptions and images. In form, it is a cross between verse and prose. Their difference from poetry is the absence of rhyme and meter. However, both that and another seem to involuntarily merge in places. From prose - also a significant difference in the special melodiousness of the lines. These lines have not only semantic, but also sound, musical matching to each other. This rhythm most expresses the iridescence and coherence of all the soulfulness and sincerity of the surrounding reality. This is exactly the music of life - and the music is not melodic ... but the most complex symphonic. Bely believed that the symbolist poet was a link between two worlds: earthly and heavenly. Hence the new task of art: the poet must become not only an artist, but also "an organ of the world soul ... a visionary and secret creator of life." From this, insights, revelations, which made it possible to imagine other worlds by weak reflections, were considered especially valuable.

The body of the elements. In an azure-lily petal, the world is wonderful. Everything is wonderful in the faery, veiny, serpentine world of songs. We - hung, Like a stream above the foamy abyss. Thoughts are pouring with flashes of flying rays.

The author is able to see beauty even in the most ridiculous, unpretentious objects: "In an azure-lily petal." In the first stanza, the author says that everything around is wonderful and harmonious. In the second stanza, with the lines “Like a stream over a foamy abyss. Thoughts are pouring with sparkles of flying rays ”the author paints a picture of a stream, a waterfall tumbling down into a foamy abyss, and from this thousands of small sparkling droplets scatter in different directions, so human thoughts pour.

Vyacheslav Ivanovich Ivanov.

Ancient sayings, unusual syntax, the need to capture the most obscure meanings of a word make Ivanov's poems very complex. Even in those verses that seem quite simple, there are many hidden meanings. But wise simplicity, which is understandable to anyone in them, is also found. Let's analyze the poem "Trinity Day".

The forget-me-not forester's daughter tore in the sedge On Trinity Day; Wreaths weaved over the river and bathed in the river On Trinity Day ... And a pale mermaid surfaced in a turquoise wreath. A resonant ax pounded on the forest aisle On Trinity Day; The forester with an ax went out behind a resinous pine On Trinity Day; He yearns and grieves and amuses the tar coffin. A candle in the room in the middle of a dark forest shines On Trinity Day; Under the image, a faded wreath over the dead is sad On Trinity Day. Bohr whispers softly. The river in the sedge rustles ...

INTRODUCTION

I. LITERATURE IN RUSSIA IN THE EARLY XX CENTURY

1.1 Poetry

1.3 Publicism

II. ART IN RUSSIA IN THE EARLY XX CENTURY

2.2 Painting

2.3 Music

2.4 Architecture

III. SCIENCE IN RUSSIA IN THE EARLY XX CENTURY

3.1 Achievements and discoveries

3.2 Education

CONCLUSION

LIST OF USED LITERATURE

INTRODUCTION

The word "culture" comes from the Latin word cult ü ra, which means "cultivate, or cultivate the soil." In the Middle Ages, this word began to denote a progressive method of cultivating grain, thus the term agriculture or the art of farming arose. But in the 18th and 19th centuries it began to be used in relation to people. In other words, if a person was distinguished by the elegance of manners and erudition, he was considered "cultural". Then this term was applied mainly to aristocrats in order to separate them from the "uncivilized" common people. The German word Kultur also meant a high level of civilization.

In our life today, the word "culture" is associated with the opera house, excellent literature, good education. The modern scientific definition of culture has discarded the aristocratic shades of this concept. It symbolizes the beliefs, values ​​and means of expression used in literature and art, science and education.

The culture of such a great state as Russia reflects the unique identity of the Russian people, the peculiarities of the national character, and the specific worldview.

On the path of its development from the paganism of the Eastern Slavs to modern Orthodox Russia, the culture of the Russian state has undergone numerous changes, interpretations, decline and revival.

In this control work, an attempt was made to reflect such a bright moment of Russian culture as the "Silver Age". This period followed the Golden Age, when there was an extraordinary rise in literature, science and art in Russia. The Silver Age continued what had been started, but breathed into it something new, its own, modern.

Ahead was a huge shock - the era of socialism. Much was strangled, ruined, destroyed, anathematized. Something managed to be saved, something had to be restored with great difficulty, something was lost forever.

I . LITERATURE IN RUSSIA IN THE EARLY XX CENTURY

1.1 Poetry

The beginning of the twentieth century was the heyday of Russian poetry, the time of the emergence of bright creative individuals, such as K. Balmont, A. Blok, S. Yesenin, I. Severyanin, N. Gumilyov, A. Akhmatova, M. Voloshin, A. Bely and other poets who professed different ethical and aesthetic views, belonging to different directions.

The most important and largest trend not only in poetry, but also in general in literature and art of the early twentieth century was symbolism, the recognized ideological leader of which can be called the poet and philosopher V. Solovyov.

In addition to poetic works, Solovyov created a philosophy of unity, continuing the teachings of the Slavophiles (Khomyakov and Samarin). He tried to create an integral worldview system that would link religion and the social life of a person, i.e. public. The basis of such unity, according to the plans of V. Solovyov, was to be Christianity.

The symbolists contrasted the scientific knowledge of the world with the construction of the world in the process of creativity. Symbolists believed that the higher spheres of life could not be known in traditional ways and they were accessible only through the knowledge of the secret meanings of symbols. Symbolist poets did not seek to be understood by everyone. In their poems, they appealed to selected readers, making them their co-authors.

One of the Symbolist poets F. Sologub wrote that symbolism as a literary trend “can be characterized in an effort to depict life as a whole, not only from its external side, not from its particular phenomena, but figuratively through symbols, to depict essentially what , hiding behind random, disparate phenomena, forms a connection with Eternity, with the universal, world process.

Symbolism contributed to the emergence of new trends, one of which was acmeism (from the Greek akme - blooming power).

Acmeists proclaimed a return from the ambiguity of images, metaphor to the objective world and the exact meaning of the word. The recognized head of the direction was N. S. Gumilyov.

Acmeists used a wide variety of cultural traditions in their work. A. Akhmatova, O. Mandelstam were members of the circle of acmeists, in many respects S. Gorodetsky, M. Voloshin, G. Ivanov and other remarkable poets shared their views. According to N. Gumilyov, acmeism was supposed to discover the value of human life. The world must be accepted in all its diversity.

Like acmeism, futurism was a kind of offshoot of symbolism, but it took the most extreme aesthetic form. For the first time, Russian futurism declared itself in 1910 with the publication of the collection “The Garden of Judges” (its authors were D. Burliuk, V. Khlebnikov and V. Kamensky). Soon, the authors of the collection, together with V. Mayakovsky and A. Kruchenykh, formed a group of cubo-futurists.

Unlike the Symbolists and Acmeists, brilliant intellectuals, people with excellent literary taste, the Futurists were poets of the street - they were supported by radical students and the lumpen proletariat.

Most of the Futurists, in addition to poetry, were also engaged in painting (the Burliuk brothers, A. Kruchenykh, V. Mayakovsky). In turn, the futurist artists K. Malevich and V. Kandinsky participated in almanacs as poets.

Futurism has become the poetry of protest, seeking to destroy the existing order. At the same time, the Futurists, like the Symbolists, dreamed of creating art that could transform the whole world. Most of all, they were afraid of the indifference of society towards them and therefore used any pretext for a public scandal.

1.2 Prose

The development of literature in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century was largely due to and followed the traditions of Russian classical literature of the 19th century, the living personification of which was L.N. Tolstoy. The last period of L. Tolstoy's life is connected with the further development of his socio-philosophical and ethical principles.

Russian literature included many names who gained European fame. Among them are I. Bunin, A. Chekhov, V. Korolenko, A. Kuprin and M. Gorky and others.

Bunin continued the traditions and preached the ideals of Russian culture of the 19th century. This, however, did not prevent him from maintaining a very special position in literature. For a long time, Bunin's prose was valued much lower than his poetry. And only "The Village" (1910) and "Sukhodol" (1911), one of the themes of which is the social conflict in the countryside, forced to talk about him as a great writer. Bunin's stories and novels, such as "Antonov apples", "The Life of Arseniev", brought him world fame, as evidenced by the award of the Nobel Prize to him.

If Bunin's prose was distinguished by rigor, refinement and perfection of form, the external impassivity of the author, then in Kuprin's prose the spontaneity and passion inherent in the personality of the writer manifested itself. His favorite heroes were people who were spiritually pure, dreamy and at the same time weak-willed and impractical. Often, love in Kuprin's works ends with the death of the hero himself ("Garnet Bracelet", "Duel").

The work of Gorky was different, who forever connected his fate with the proletariat and went down in history as a "petrel of the revolution." Gorky had the mighty temperament of a fighter. New, revolutionary themes and new, previously unknown literary heroes appeared in his works, the events described often had epochal significance (“Mother”, “Foma Gordeev”, “The Artamonov Case”). In early collections ("Makar Chudra"), he acted as a romantic.

The works of A. T. Averchenko (1881 - 1925), a Russian writer-humorist, playwright and theater critic, gained fame. In 1903, Averchenko's first story "How I had to insure my life" was published in the Kharkov newspaper "Southern Territory", in which his literary style was already felt. In 1906, Averchenko became the editor of the satirical magazine "Bayonet", almost completely represented by his materials. After the closure of this magazine, he heads the next one - "The Sword", - also soon closed. In 1907, Averchenko moved to St. Petersburg and collaborated in the satirical magazine Dragonfly, later transformed into Satyricon. Then he becomes the permanent editor of this popular publication. In 1910, three books by Averchenko were published, which made him famous throughout reading Russia: "Funny Oysters", "Stories (humorous)", "Hares on the Wall". "...Their author is destined to become a Russian Twain...", V. Polonsky perceptively observed. The books "Circles on the Water" and "Stories for Convalescents" published in 1912 approved the title of "king of laughter" for the author.

1.3 Publicism

Soon after the revolution of 1905-1907. several well-known Russian publicists (N.A. Berdyaev, S.N. Bulgakov, P.B. Struve, A.S. Izgoev, S.L. Frank, B.A. Kistyakovsky, M.O. Gershenzon) published the book “ Milestones. Collection of articles about the Russian intelligentsia. It raised the most pressing issues of Russian life, affecting the interests of broad circles of the Russian intelligentsia. Many writers and religious figures took part in the controversy around Vekhi.

One of the main issues dealt with in "Milestones" was the evaluation of the revolution. The authors of Vekhi believed that the revolution should have ended after the publication of the Manifesto on October 17, as a result of which the intelligentsia received those political freedoms that they had always dreamed of. The intelligentsia was accused of ignoring the national and religious interests of Russia, suppressing dissidents, disrespecting the law, inciting the darkest instincts among the masses. The Vekhi people claimed that the Russian intelligentsia was alien to their people, who hated it and would never understand it.

Introduction……………………………………………………………..2

Architecture………………………………………………………….3

Painting……………………………………………………………..5

Education……………………………………………………………10

Science………………………………………………………………… 13

Conclusion…………………………………………………………..17

References…………………………………………………….18

Introduction

The Silver Age of Russian culture turned out to be surprisingly short. It lasted less than a quarter of a century: 1900 - 1922. The initial date coincides with the year of death of the Russian religious philosopher and poet V.S. Solovyov, and the final one - with the year of expulsion from Soviet Russia of a large group of philosophers and thinkers. The shortness of the period does not detract from its significance. On the contrary, over time, this significance even increases. It lies in the fact that Russian culture - if not all, but only part of it - was the first to realize the perniciousness of development, the value orientations of which are one-sided rationalism, non-religiousness and lack of spirituality. The Western world came to this realization much later.

The Silver Age includes, first of all, two main spiritual phenomena: the Russian religious revival of the beginning of the 20th century, also known as "seeking God", and Russian modernism, embracing symbolism and acmeism. To him belong such poets as M. Tsvetaeva, S. Yesenin and B. Pasternak, who were not part of these movements. The artistic association "World of Art" (1898 - 1924) should also be attributed to the Silver Age.

Silver Age architecture

The era of industrial progress at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. revolutionized the construction industry. Buildings of a new type, such as banks, shops, factories, railway stations, occupied an increasing place in the urban landscape. The emergence of new building materials (reinforced concrete, metal structures) and the improvement of construction equipment made it possible to use constructive and artistic techniques, the aesthetic understanding of which led to the approval of the Art Nouveau style!

In the work of F.O. Shekhtel, the main development trends and genres of Russian modernity were embodied to the greatest extent. The formation of style in the work of the master went in two directions - national-romantic, in line with the neo-Russian style and rational. The features of Art Nouveau are most fully manifested in the architecture of the Nikitsky Gate mansion, where, abandoning traditional schemes, an asymmetric planning principle is applied. The stepped composition, the free development of volumes in space, the asymmetric protrusions of bay windows, balconies and porches, the emphatically protruding cornice - all this demonstrates the principle of assimilation of an architectural structure to an organic form inherent in Art Nouveau.

In the decoration of the mansion, such typical Art Nouveau techniques as colored stained-glass windows and a mosaic frieze with floral ornament encircling the entire building were used. The whimsical twists of the ornament are repeated in the interweaving of stained-glass windows, in the pattern of balcony bars and street fences. The same motif is used in interior decoration, for example, in the form of marble staircase railings. Furniture and decorative details of the interiors of the building form a single whole with the general idea of ​​the building - to turn the living environment into a kind of architectural performance, close to the atmosphere of symbolic plays.

With the growth of rationalistic tendencies in a number of Shekhtel's buildings, features of constructivism were outlined - a style that would take shape in the 1920s.

In Moscow, the new style expressed itself especially brightly, in particular in the work of one of the founders of Russian Art Nouveau, L.N. Kekusheva A.V. Shchusev, V.M. Vasnetsov and others. In St. Petersburg, Art Nouveau was influenced by monumental classicism, as a result of which another style appeared - neoclassicism.
In terms of the integrity of the approach and the ensemble solution of architecture, sculpture, painting, decorative arts, modern is one of the most consistent styles.

Painting of the "Silver Age"

The trends that determined the development of the literature of the Silver Age were also characteristic of the fine arts, which constituted an entire era in Russian and world culture. At the turn of the century, the work of one of the greatest masters of Russian painting, Mikhail Vrubel, flourished. Vrubel's images are symbolic images. They do not fit into the framework of old ideas. The artist is "a giant who thinks not in everyday categories of the surrounding life, but in "eternal" concepts, he rushes about in search of truth and beauty." Vrubel's dream of beauty, which was so hard to find in the world around him, which is full of hopeless contradictions. Vrubel's fantasy takes us to other worlds, where beauty, however, is not freed from the diseases of the age, these are the feelings of people of that time, embodied in colors and lines, when Russian society longed for renewal and was looking for ways to it.

In the work of Vrubel, fantasy was combined with reality. The plots of some of his paintings and panels are frankly fantastic. Depicting the Demon or the fairy-tale Princess Swan, Princess Dream or Pan, he draws his heroes in the world, as if created by the mighty power of myth. But even when the subject of the image turned out to be reality, Vrubel seemed to endow nature with the ability to feel and think, and human feelings immeasurably intensified several times. The artist sought to ensure that the colors on his canvases shone with inner light, shone like precious stones.

Another most important painter of the turn of the century is Valentin Serov. The origins of his work - in the 80s of the XIX century. He acted as a continuer of the best traditions of the Wanderers and at the same time a bold discoverer of new paths in art. A wonderful artist, he was a brilliant teacher. Many prominent artists of the 900s of the new century owe their mastery to him.
In the first years of his work, the artist sees the highest goal of the artist in the embodiment of the poetic principle. Serov learned to see the big and significant in the small. In his wonderful portraits "The Girl with Peaches" and "The Girl Illuminated by the Sun" there are not so much concrete images as symbols of youth, beauty, happiness, love.

Later, Serov sought to express ideas about the beauty of a person in portraits of creative personalities, asserting an important idea for Russian artistic culture: a person is beautiful when he is a creator and artist (portraits of K. A. Korovin, I. I. Levitan). The courage of V. Serov in characterizing his models is striking, whether they are advanced intellectuals or bankers, high-society ladies, senior officials and members of the royal family.

The portraits of V. Serov, created in the first decade of the new century, testify to the fusion of the best traditions of Russian painting and the creation of new aesthetic principles. Such are the portraits of M. A. Vrubel, T. N. Karsavina, later - the “exquisitely stylized” portrait of V. O. Girshman and the beautiful, sustained in the spirit of modernity, portrait of Ida Rubinstein.

At the turn of the century, the work of artists who became the pride of Russia developed: K. A. Korovin, A. P. Ryabushkin, M. V. Nesterov. Magnificent canvases on the subjects of ancient Rus' belong to N. K. Roerich, who sincerely dreamed of a new role for art and hoped that "from an enslaved servant, art can again turn into the first engine of life."

Russian sculpture of this period is also rich. S. M. Volnukhin embodied the best traditions of realistic sculpture of the second half of the 19th century in his works (including the monument to the pioneer printer Ivan Fedorov). The impressionist trend in sculpture was expressed by P. Trubetskoy. A. S. Golubkina and S. T. Konenkov’s work is distinguished by humanistic pathos, and sometimes deep drama.

But all these processes could not unfold outside the social context. Themes - Russia and freedom, intelligentsia and revolution - permeated both the theory and practice of Russian artistic culture of this period. The artistic culture of the late XIX - early XX century is characterized by many platforms and directions. Two vital symbols, two historical concepts - "yesterday" and "tomorrow" - clearly dominated the concept of "today" and determined the boundaries in which the confrontation of various ideas and concepts took place.

The general psychological atmosphere of the post-revolutionary years caused some artists to distrust life. Attention to form is growing, a new aesthetic ideal of contemporary modernist art is being realized. The schools of the Russian avant-garde, which have become known to the whole world, are developing, based on the work of V. E. Tatlin, K. S. Malevich, V. V. Kandinsky.

The artists participating in the exhibition in 1907 under the bright symbolic name "Blue Rose" were intensively promoted by the magazine "Golden Fleece" (N. P. Krymov, P. V. Kuznetsov, M. S. Saryan, S. Yu. Sudeikin, N. N. Sapunov and others). They were different in their creative aspirations, but they were united by an attraction to expressiveness, to the creation of a new artistic form, to the renewal of the pictorial language. In extreme manifestations, this resulted in the cult of "pure art", in images generated by the subconscious.

The appearance in 1911 and the subsequent activity of the artists of the "Jack of Diamonds" reveals the connection of Russian painters with the fate of pan-European artistic movements. In the work of P. P. Konchalovsky, I. I. Mashkov and other “tambourines” with their formal searches, the desire to build form with the help of color, and composition and space on certain rhythms, principles that were formed in Western Europe find expression. At this time, cubism in France came to a "synthetic" stage, moving from simplification, schematization and decomposition of form to a complete separation from representation. For Russian artists, who were attracted to the analytical attitude to the subject in early Cubism, this tendency was alien. If in Konchalovsky and Mashkov there is a clear evolution towards a realistic worldview, then the tendency of the artistic process of other artists of the "Jack of Diamonds" had a different meaning. In 1912, young artists, having separated from the "Jack of Diamonds", called their group "Donkey's Tail". The defiant name emphasizes the rebellious nature of the performances, which are directed against the established norms of artistic creativity. Russian artists: N. Goncharov, K. Malevich, M. Chagall continue their search, they do it energetically and purposefully. Later, their paths diverged.
Larionov, who refused to depict reality, came to the so-called Rayonism. Malevich, Tatlin, Kandinsky embarked on the path of abstractionism.

The quest of the Blue Rose and Jack of Diamonds artists does not exhaust the new trends in the art of the first decades of the 20th century. A special place in this art belongs to K. S. Petrov-Vodkin. His art flourished in the post-October period, but already in the 900s he declared his creative originality with the beautiful canvases "Playing Boys" and "Bathing a Red Horse".

The formation of the "silver age"

The education system in Russia at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. still included three stages: primary (parochial schools, public schools), secondary (classical gymnasiums, real and commercial schools) and higher school (universities, institutes). According to the data of 1813, literate citizens of the Russian Empire (with the exception of children under 8 years old) averaged 38-39%.

To a large extent, the development of public education was associated with the activities of the democratic public. The policy of the authorities in this area does not appear to be consistent. So, in 1905, the Ministry of Public Education submitted a draft law "On the introduction of universal primary education in the Russian Empire" for consideration by the II State Duma, but this draft never received the force of law.

The growing need for specialists contributed to the development of higher, especially technical, education. In 1912 there were 16 higher technical educational institutions in Russia. Only one university, Saratov (1909), was added to the previous number of universities, but the number of students increased markedly - from 14 thousand in the middle. In the 1990s, up to 35.3 thousand in 1907, private higher educational institutions became widespread (P.F. Lesgaft’s Free High School, V.M. Bekhterev’s Psychoneurological Institute, etc.). Shanyavsky University, which worked in 1908-18. at the expense of the liberal figure in public education A.L. Shanyavsky (1837-1905) and who provided secondary and higher education, played an important role in the democratization of higher education. The university admitted persons of both sexes, regardless of nationality and political views.

Further development at the beginning of the 20th century. received a female higher education.

At the beginning of the XX century. in Russia there were already about 30 higher educational institutions for women (Women's Pedagogical Institute in St. Petersburg, 1903; Higher Women's Agricultural Courses in Moscow under the direction of D.N. Pryanishnikov, 1908, etc.). Finally, women's right to higher education was legally recognized (1911).

Simultaneously with Sunday schools, new types of cultural and educational institutions for adults began to operate - working courses (for example, Prechistensky in Moscow, among whose teachers were such prominent scientists as physiologist I.M. Sechenov, historian V.I. Picheta, etc.) , educational workers' societies and people's houses - a kind of clubs with a library, assembly hall, tea and trading shop (Lithuanian People's House of Countess S.V. Panina in St. Petersburg).

The development of the periodical press and book publishing had a great influence on education. At the beginning of the XX century. 125 legal newspapers were published, in 1913 more than 1000. In 1913. 1263 magazines were published. By 1900, the circulation of the mass literary-artistic and popular-science "thin" magazine Niva (1894-1916) had grown from 9,000 to 235,000 copies. In terms of the number of published books, Russia ranked third in the world (after Germany and Japan). In 1913, 106.8 million copies of books were published in Russian alone. The largest book publishers A.S. Suvorin (1835-1912) in St. Petersburg and I.D. Sytin (1851-1934) in Moscow contributed to the familiarization of the people with literature, releasing books at affordable prices (Suvorin's Cheap Library, Sytin's Library for Self-Education). In 1989-1913. in St. Petersburg there was a book publishing association "Knowledge", which since 1902 was headed by M. Gorky. Since 1904, 40 “Collections of the “Knowledge” partnership” have been published, including works by outstanding realist writers M. Gorky, A.I. Kuprina, I. A. Bunin and others.

The educational process was intensive and successful, and the number of the reading public gradually increased. This is evidenced by the fact that in 1914. in Russia there were about 76 thousand various public libraries. An equally important role in the development of culture was played by "illusion" - cinema,

appeared in St. Petersburg literally a year after its invention in France. By 1914 in Russia there were already 4,000 cinemas, which showed not only foreign, but also domestic films. The need for them was so great that between 1908 and 1917 more than two thousand new feature films were made.

The beginning of professional cinema in Russia was laid by the film Stenka Razin and the Princess (1908, directed by V.F. Romashkov). In 1911-1913. V.A. Starevich created the world's first three-dimensional animations. Films directed by B.F. Bauer, V.R. Gardin, Protazanov and others.

Science of the Silver Age

At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. new areas of science were developed, including aeronautics. NOT. Zhukovsky (1847-1921) - the founder of modern hydro- and aerodynamics. He created the theory of hydraulic shock, discovered the law that determines the magnitude of the lift force of an aircraft wing, developed the vortex theory of a propeller, etc. The great Russian scientist was a professor at Moscow University and the Higher Technical School.

K.E. Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935) developed the theoretical foundations of aeronautics, aero- and rocket dynamics. He owns extensive research on the theory and design of an all-metal airship. In 1897, having built the simplest wind tunnel, together with Zhukovsky, he conducted research on models of airships and aircraft wings in it. In 1898 Tsiolkovsky invented the autopilot. Finally, the scientist, substantiating the possibility of interplanetary flights, proposed a liquid-propellant engine - a rocket ("Study of world spaces with jet devices", 1903).

The works of the outstanding Russian physicist P.N. Lebedev (1866-1912) played an important role in the development of the theory of relativity, quantum theory and astrophysics. The main achievement of the scientist is the discovery and measurement of the pressure of light on solids and gases. Lebedev is also the founder of research in the field of ultrasound.

The scientific significance of the works of the great Russian scientist physiologist I.P. Pavlov (1849-1934) is so great that the history of physiology is divided into two large stages: pre-Pavlovian and Pavlovian. The scientist developed and introduced fundamentally new research methods into scientific practice (the method of "chronic" experience). Pavlov's most significant research relates to the physiology of blood circulation, and for research in the field of physiology of digestion, Pavlov was the first among Russian scientists to be awarded the Nobel Prize (1904). Decades of subsequent work in these areas led to the creation of the doctrine of higher nervous activity. Another Russian naturalist I. I. Mechnikov (1845-1916), soon became a Nobel laureate (1908) for research in the field of comparative pathology, microbiology and immunology. The foundations of the new sciences (biochemistry, biogeochemistry, radiogeology) were laid by V.I. Vernadsky (1863-1945). The significance of scientific foresight and a number of fundamental scientific problems posed by scientists at the beginning of the century is only now becoming clear.

The humanities were greatly influenced by the processes taking place in the natural sciences. Idealism has become widespread in philosophy.

Russian religious philosophy, with its search for ways to combine the material and the spiritual, the assertion of a "new" religious consciousness, was perhaps the most important area not only of science, ideological struggle, but of the whole culture.

The foundations of the religious and philosophical Renaissance, which marked the "silver age" of Russian culture, were laid by V.S. Soloviev (1853-1900). The son of a famous historian, who grew up in the “severe and pious atmosphere” that reigned in the family (his grandfather was a Moscow priest), in his gymnasium years (from 14 to 18 years old) he experienced, in his words, the time of “theoretical denial”, a passion for materialism , and from childish religiosity moved to atheism. In his student years - first, for three years, at the natural, then at the historical and philological faculties of Moscow University (1889-73) and, finally, at the Moscow Theological Academy (1873-74) - Solovyov, doing a lot of philosophy, and also studying religious and philosophical literature, experienced a spiritual turning point. It was at this time that the foundations of his future system began to take shape. Solovyov's doctrine was fed from several roots: the search for a social

truth; theological rationalism and striving for a new form of Christian consciousness; an unusually acute sense of history - not cosmocentrism and not anthropocentrism, but historical centrism; the idea of ​​Sophia, and, finally, the idea of ​​God-manhood - the key point of his constructions. It "is the most full-sounding chord that has ever been heard in the history of philosophy" (S.N. Bulgakov). His system is an experience of synthesis of religion, philosophy and science. “Moreover, it is not the Christian doctrine that is enriched by him at the expense of philosophy, but, on the contrary, he introduces Christian ideas into philosophy and enriches and fertilizes philosophical thought with them” (V. V. Zenkovsky). Solovyov's significance is extremely great in the history of Russian philosophy. Possessing a brilliant literary talent, he made philosophical problems accessible to wide circles of Russian society, moreover, he brought Russian thought to universal spaces (“Philosophical Principles of Integral Knowledge”, 1877; “Russian Idea” in French, 1888, in Russian. - 1909; "Justification of the Good", 1897; "The Tale of the Antichrist", 1900, etc.).

The Russian religious and philosophical Renaissance, marked by a whole constellation of brilliant thinkers - N.A. Berdyaev (1874-1948), S.N. Bulgakov (1871-1944), D.S. Merezhkovsky (1865-1940), S.N. Trubetskoy (1862-1905) and E.N. Trubetskoy (1863-1920), G.P. Fedotov (1886-1951), P.A. Florensky (1882-1937), S.L. Frank (1877-1950) and others - largely determined the direction of development of culture, philosophy, ethics, not only in Russia, but also in the West, anticipating, in particular, existentialism. Scientists in the humanities fruitfully worked in the field of economics, history, literary criticism (V.O. Klyuchevsky, S.F. Platonov, V.I. Semevsky, S.A. Vengerov, A.N. Pypin, etc.). At the same time, an attempt was made to consider the problems of philosophy, sociology, and history from a Marxist position (G. V. Plekhanov, V. I. Lenin, M. N. Pokrovsky, and others).

Conclusion

The Silver Age was of great importance for the development of not only Russian, but also world culture. Its leaders for the first time expressed serious concern that the emerging relationship between civilization and culture is becoming dangerous, that the preservation and revival of spirituality is an urgent need.

In Russia at the beginning of the century there was a real cultural renaissance. Only those who lived at that time know what a creative upsurge we experienced. What a breath of spirit has seized the Russian souls. Russia experienced the flowering of poetry and philosophy, experienced intense religious quests, mystical and occult moods. At the beginning of the century, a difficult, often painful, struggle was waged by people of the Renaissance against the narrowed consciousness of the traditional intelligentsia - a struggle in the name of freedom of creativity and in the name of the spirit. It was about the liberation of spiritual culture from the oppression of social utilitarianism. At the same time, it was a return to the creative heights of the spiritual culture of the 19th century.

In addition, finally, after long decades and even centuries of lagging behind in the field of painting, Russia, on the eve of the October Revolution, caught up with, and in some areas even surpassed Europe. For the first time, it was Russia that began to determine world fashion not only in painting, but also in literature and music.

Bibliography

1. M.G. Barkhin. Architecture and city. - M.: Nauka, 1979

2. Borisova E.A., Sternin G.Yu., Russian Modern, "Soviet Artist", M., 1990.

3. Kravchenko A.I. Culturology: Textbook for universities. - 8th ed.-M.: Academic project; Tricksta, 2008.

4. Neklyudinova M.G. Traditions and innovation in Russian art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. M., 1991.

5. History of Russian and Soviet Art, Higher School, Moscow, 1989.

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SUMMARY ON NATIONAL HISTORY

Architecture, painting, science and education of the Silver Age.

Performed:

Student of the 2nd year of the 1st group

Pavlova D.A.

Checked:

Tretyakova L.I.

The Silver Age is the figurative definition introduced by N.A. Otsup in the article of the same name (Numbers. Paris. 1933. No. 78), referring to the fate of Russian modernism in the early 20th century; later he expanded the content of the concept (Otsup N.A. Contemporaries. Paris, 1961), denoting the chronological boundaries and the nature of the phenomenon born of opposition to "realism". N.A. Berdyaev replaced the term "Silver Age" with another - "Russian cultural renaissance"(“Renaissance of the early 20th century”), since he interpreted it broadly - as the awakening of “philosophical thought, the flowering of poetry and the sharpening of aesthetic sensitivity, religious quest” (Berdyaev N.A. Self-knowledge. Paris, 1983). S. Makovsky united poets, writers, artists, musicians with a common "cultural upsurge in the pre-revolutionary era" (Makovsky S. On the Parnassus of the Silver Age. Munich, 1962). The definition of the Silver Age gradually absorbed the diversity of phenomena, becoming synonymous with all the discoveries of the culture of this time. The significance of this phenomenon was deeply felt by Russian emigrants. In Soviet literary criticism, the concept of the Silver Age was fundamentally hushed up.

Otsup, comparing the domestic literature of the Golden Age (that is, the Pushkin era) and the Silver Age, came to the conclusion that the modern "master defeats the prophet", and everything created by artists is "closer to the author, more - in human growth" ("Contemporaries") . The origins of such a complex phenomenon were revealed by active participants in the literary process of the early 20th century. I.F. Annensky saw in modernity the “I” - tortured by the consciousness of his hopeless loneliness, inevitable end and aimless existence”, but in a shaky state of mind he found a saving craving for the “creative spirit of man ”, Achieving “beauty by thought and suffering” (Annensky I. Selected). Courageous deepening into the tragic dissonances of inner being and at the same time a passionate thirst for harmony - this is the original antinomy that awakened the artistic search. Its specifics were variously defined by Russian symbolists. K. Balmont discovered in the world "not the unity of the Supreme, but the infinity of hostile-colliding heterogeneous entities", the terrible realm of "overturned depths". Therefore, he called to unravel the “invisible life behind the obvious appearance”, the “living essence” of phenomena, to transform them in the “spiritual depth”, “into a clairvoyant clock” (Balmont K. Mountain peaks). A. Blok heard “the wild cry of a lonely soul, hanging for a moment over the barrenness of Russian swamps” and came to a discovery that he recognized in the work of F. Sologub, who reflected “the whole world, all the absurdity of crumpled planes and broken lines, because among them a transformed face appears to him ”(Collected Works: In 8 volumes, 1962. Volume 5).

The inspirer of the acmeists, N. Gumilyov, left a similar statement about Sologub, in whom "the whole world is reflected, but it is reflected transformed." Gumilyov expressed his idea of ​​the poetic achievements of that time even more clearly in his review of Annensky's "Cypress Casket": "it penetrates into the darkest nooks and crannies of the human soul"; “The question with which he addresses the reader: “And if dirt and baseness are only flour for shining beauty somewhere?” - for him it is no longer a question, but an indisputable truth ”(Collected Works: In 4 volumes Washington, 1968. Volume 4). In 1915, Sologub wrote about the latest poetry in general: “The art of our days ... strives to transform the world by the effort of the creative will ... Self-affirmation of the individual is the beginning of the desire for a better future” (Russian Thought. 1915. No 12). The aesthetic struggle of different currents was not forgotten at all. But she did not cancel the general trends in the development of poetic culture, which was well understood by Russian emigrants. They addressed the members of the opposing groups as equals. Gumilyov's comrades-in-arms yesterday (Otsup, G. Ivanov and others) not only singled out the figure of Blok among his contemporaries, but also chose his legacy as the starting point of their achievements. According to G. Ivanov, Blok is “one of the most striking phenomena of Russian poetry throughout its existence” (Ivanov G. Collected Works: In 3 volumes, 1994. Volume 3). Otsup found a considerable commonality between Gumilyov and Blok in the field of preserving the traditions of national culture: Gumilyov is “a deeply Russian poet, no less a national poet than Blok was” (Otsup N. Literary essays. Paris, 1961). G. Struve, uniting the works of Blok, Sologub, Gumilyov, Mandelstam, by common principles of analysis, came to the conclusion: “The names of Pushkin, Blok, Gumilyov should be our guiding stars on the path to freedom”; “the ideal of freedom of the artist” was gained through suffering by Sologub and Mandelstam, who heard “like Blok, the noise and sprouting of time” (G. Struve, O four poets. London, 1981).

Silver Age Concepts

A large time distance separated the figures of the Russian diaspora from their native element. The flaws of concrete disputes of the past were consigned to oblivion; the basis of the concepts of the Silver Age was an essential approach to poetry, born of related spiritual needs. From this position, many links in the literary process of the beginning of the century are perceived differently. Gumilyov wrote (April 1910): symbolism "was a consequence of the maturity of the human spirit, which proclaimed that the world is our idea"; "Now we can't help being Symbolists" (Collected Works Volume 4). And in January 1913, he approved the fall of symbolism and the victory of acmeism, pointing out the differences between the new trend and the previous one: “greater balance between subject and object” of lyrics, the development of “a newly thought out syllabic system of versification”, the consistency of the “art of the symbol” with “other ways of poetic influence”, search for words "with more stable content" (Collected Works Volume 4). Nevertheless, even in this article there is no separation from the visionary purpose of creativity, sacred to the Symbolists. Gumilyov did not accept their enthusiasm for religion, theosophy, he generally abandoned the area of ​​the "unknown", "unknowable". But in his program he outlined the path of ascent precisely to this peak: “Our duty, our will, our happiness and our tragedy is to guess every hour what will be the next hour for us, for our cause, for the whole world, and to hasten its approach” ( ibid.). A few years later, in the article "Reader" Gumilyov stated: "The leadership in the rebirth of a person into a higher one belongs to religion and poetry." Symbolists dreamed of the awakening of the divine principle in earthly existence. Acmeists worshiped talent, recreating, “dissolving” in art the imperfect, existing, according to Gumilyov’s definition, “the majestic ideal of life in art and for art (Ibid.). The parallel between the creativity of the two directions, their spokesmen - Gumilyov and Blok is natural: they similarly marked the highest point of their aspirations. The first wanted to partake "of the world rhythm"; the second is to join the music of the "world orchestra" (Collected Works Volume 5). It is more difficult to classify the Futurists as such a movement, with their vilification of the Russian classics and modern masters of verse, the distortion of the grammar and syntax of the native language, the worship of "new themes" - "meaninglessness, secretly imperious uselessness" ("Judges' Garden. II", 1913). But the members of the most numerous association "Hilea" called themselves "budetlyans". “Budetlyane,” explained V. Mayakovsky, these are the people who will be. We are on the eve ”(Mayakovsky V. Complete works: In 13 volumes, 1955. Volume 1). In the name of the man of the future, the poet himself and most of the group members praised “the real great art of the artist, who changes life in his own image and likeness” (Ibid.), with dreams of “the architect’s drawing” (Ibid.) in his hands, predetermining the future when they triumph “ millions of huge pure loves” (“A Cloud in Trousers”, 1915). Threatening with frightening destruction, the Russian futurists nevertheless gravitated toward the direction common to the latest poetry of the early 20th century, asserting the possibility of transforming the world by means of art. This "cross-cutting" channel of creative searches, repeatedly and at different times expressed, gave originality to all currents of domestic modernism, dissociating itself from its foreign predecessor. In particular, the temptation of decadence was overcome, although many "senior" symbolists at first perceived its influence. Blok wrote at the turn of 1901-02: “There are two kinds of decadents: good and bad: good ones are those who should not be called decadents (so far only a negative definition)” (Collected Works Volume 7).

The emigrants of the first wave realized this fact more deeply. V. Khodasevich, having made controversial judgments about the position of individual poets (V. Bryusov, A. Bely, Vyach. Ivanov, etc.), caught the essence of the trend: “Symbolism very soon felt that decadence was a poison roaming in its blood. All his subsequent civil wars were nothing more than a struggle of healthy symbolist principles with sick, decadent ones ”(Collected Works: In 4 volumes, 1996, Volume 2). Khodasevich’s interpretation of “decadative” traits can be fully extended to dangerous manifestations in the practice of some other modernists, for example, futurists: “the demon of decadence” “hurried to turn freedom into unbridledness, originality into originality, novelty into antics” (Ibid.). Khodasevich’s constant opponent G. Adamovich, recognizing Mayakovsky’s “huge, rare talent”, brilliant even when he “broke the Russian language to please his futuristic whims”, similarly interpreted the poet’s (and his associates’) deviations from the sacred foundations of genuine inspiration: “ Cheerfulness, posture, stilted, defiant familiarity with the whole world and even with eternity itself ”(Adamovich G. Loneliness and Freedom, 1996). Both critics are close in understanding artistic achievements. Khodasevich saw them in the symbolist discovery of "true reality" by "transforming reality in a creative act." Adamovich pointed to the desire to "make the most important human deed out of poetry, lead to triumph", "what the Symbolists called the transformation of the world." Figures of the Russian diaspora have clarified a lot in the clashes of modernism and realism. The creators of the latest poetry, uncompromisingly denying positivism, materialism, objectivism, mockingly stung or did not notice their contemporary realists. B. Zaitsev recalled the creative association organized by N. Teleshev: "Wednesday" was a circle of realist writers, as opposed to the symbolists who had already appeared "(Zaitsev B. On the way. Paris, 1951). A formidable and ironic debunking of modernism was the speech of I.A. Bunin at the 50th anniversary of the newspaper Russkiye Vedomosti (1913). Each side considered itself the only right, and the opposite - almost random. The “bifurcation” of the literary process by emigrants was regarded differently. G. Ivanov, once an active participant in Gumilev's "Poets' Workshop", called Bunin's art "the most strict", "pure gold", next to which "our biased canons seem to be idle and unnecessary conjectures" of the "current literary life" (Collected Works: In 3 volumes , 1994, Volume 3). A. Kuprin in Russia was often relegated to a “singer of carnal urges”, a life stream, and in exile they appreciated the spiritual depth and innovation of his prose: he “as if losing power over the literary laws of the novel - in fact, he allows himself great courage to neglect them ( Khodasevich V. Renaissance. 1932). Khodasevich compared the positions of Bunin and early symbolism, convincingly explained the dissociation from this trend by Bunin's flight "from decadence", his "chastity - shame and disgust", caused by "artistic cheapness". The appearance of symbolism, however, was interpreted by the “most defining phenomenon of Russian poetry” at the turn of the century: Bunin, not noticing its further discoveries, lost many wonderful possibilities in lyrics. Khodasevich came to the conclusion: “I confess that for me, before such verses, all “differences”, all theories, recede somewhere into the distance, and I lose the desire to figure out what Bunin is right and what is wrong, because the winners are not judged ”(Collected Works Vol. 2). Adamovich substantiated the naturalness and necessity of the coexistence of two hardly compatible channels in the development of prose. In his reflections, he also relied on the legacy of Bunin and the symbolist Merezhkovsky, adding to this comparison the traditions of L. Tolstoy and F. Dostoevsky, respectively. For Bunin, as well as for his idol Tolstoy, "a man remains a man, not dreaming of becoming an angel or a demon", avoiding "crazy wanderings through the heavenly ether." Merezhkovsky, obeying the magic of Dostoevsky, subjected his heroes to "any rise, any fall, beyond the control of earth and flesh." Both types of creativity, Adamovich considered, are equal "trends of the time", as they are deepened into the secrets of spiritual life.

For the first time (mid-1950s), Russian emigrants asserted the objective significance of the opposing trends in the literature of the early 20th century, although their irreconcilability was discovered: the modernists' desire to transform reality by means of art collided with the realists' disbelief in its life-building function. Specific observations of artistic practice made it possible to feel significant changes in the realism of the new era, which determined the originality of prose and was realized by the writers themselves. Bunin conveyed anxiety about "higher questions" - "about the essence of being, about the purpose of man on earth, about his role in the human boundless crowd" (Collected Works: In 9 volumes, 1967, Volume 9). The tragic doom to eternal problems in the elements of everyday existence, among the indifferent human flow, led to the comprehension of one's mysterious "I", some unknown manifestations of it, self-awareness, intuitive, hard to perceive, sometimes not connected with external impressions. The inner life acquired a special scale and originality. Bunin acutely experienced "blood kinship" with "Russian antiquity" and "secret madness" - a thirst for beauty (Ibid.). Kuprin was languishing with a desire to gain strength that lifts a person “to an infinite height”, to embody “indescribably complex shades of moods” (Collected Works: In 9 volumes, 1973, Volume 9). B. Zaitsev was excited by the dream to write "something without end and beginning" - "by running words to express the impression of night, train, loneliness" (Zaitsev B. Blue Star. Tula, 1989). In the sphere of the well-being of the individual, however, an integral world condition was revealed. Moreover, as M. Voloshin suggested, the history of mankind appeared “in a more accurate form” when they approached it “from the inside”, realized “the life of a billion people, vaguely rumbled in us” (Voloshin M. The center of all paths, 1989).

The writers created their own "second reality", woven from subjective ideas, memories, forecasts, uninhibited dreams, by means of expanding the meaning of the word, the meaning of paint, details. The ultimate intensification of the author's beginning in the narration gave the latter a rare variety of lyrical forms, determined new genre structures, and an abundance of fresh stylistic solutions. The framework of classical prose of the 19th century turned out to be cramped for the literature of the subsequent period. Different tendencies merged in it: realism, impressionism, symbolization of ordinary phenomena, mythologization of images, romanticization of heroes and circumstances. The type of artistic thinking has become synthetic.

The same complex nature of the poetry of this time was revealed by the figures of the Russian diaspora. G. Struve believed: “Blok, “romantic, obsessed”, “reaches for classicism”; Gumilyov noted something similar (Collected Works, Volume 4). K. Mochulsky saw realism, an attraction to “sober will” in the work of Bryusov (Mochulsky K. Valery Bryusov. Paris, 1962). Blok in the article "On Lyrics" (1907) wrote that "the grouping of poets according to schools is" idle labor ". This view was defended years later by emigrants. Berdyaev called the "poetic renaissance" "a kind of Russian romanticism", omitting the differences of its currents ("Self-Knowledge"). Realists did not accept the idea of ​​transforming the world in a creative act, but they deeply penetrated into the inner human attraction to divine harmony, a creative, reviving beautiful feeling. The artistic culture of the era had a general stimulus developed. S. Makovsky united the work of poets, prose writers, musicians with one atmosphere, "rebellious, God-seeking, delusional beauty." The refined craftsmanship of writers is inseparable from these values ​​in terms of character, place, and time of their heyday.

Late XIX - early XX centuries. - a period that went down in history under the name of the Silver Age of Russian culture. This was most clearly manifested in Russian poetry, literature and art. N. A. Berdyaev called this rapid rise in all areas of culture the “Russian cultural renaissance”.

The state of society in the last years of the Russian Empire

At the end of XIX - beginning of XX centuries. Russia's development was extremely uneven. Huge successes in the development of science, technology, and industry were intertwined with the backwardness and illiteracy of the vast majority of the population.

The 20th century drew a sharp line between “old” and “new” culture. The First World War further complicated the situation.

Culture of the Silver Age

At the beginning of the 20th century, critical realism remained the leading trend in literature. At the same time, the search for new forms leads to the emergence of completely new trends.

Rice. 1. Black square. K. Malevich. 1915.

The creative elite saw World War I as an omen of the imminent end of the world. The themes of world cataclysms, sadness, melancholy, uselessness of life are becoming popular.

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Many poets and writers, indeed, very plausibly predicted the future Civil War and the victory of the Bolsheviks.

Briefly about the Silver Age of Russian culture, the following table tells:

Table “Silver Age of Russian Culture”

Rice. 2. Heroic lope. V. M. Vasnetsov. 1914.

In the era of the Silver Age, Russian theater and ballet achieve great success:

• In 1898, the Moscow Art Theater was founded, headed by K. S. Stanislavsky and V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko.
• "Russian Seasons" abroad with the participation of A. P. Pavlova, M. F. Kshesinskaya, M. I. Fokin became a real triumph of Russian ballet.

Rice. 3. A. P. Pavlova. 1912

Silver age in world history

The Silver Age was of great importance for the development of world culture. Russia has proved to the whole world that it still claims to be a great cultural power.

Nevertheless, the era of the “cultural renaissance” was the last conquest of the collapsing Russian Empire. The October Revolution put an end to the Silver Age.

What have we learned?

The golden age of Russian culture at the end of the 19th century was replaced by the Silver. This era, which lasted until October 1917, was marked by the emergence of a huge number of brilliant figures of culture and art. The cultural conquests of the Silver Age are highly respected throughout the world.

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