"Silver age" in Russian art
New style in Russian art has arisen in 80th of XIX century under the big influence of the French impressionism. Its blossoming is noted by a boundary XIX and ХХ centuries.
Within several decades after the decline (already by the end of 10th ХХ centuries the modernist style in Russian art with which the Silver age associates, concedes the predominating role to new directions) Silver age art was perceived as a decadence and lack of taste.
But to vary by the end of the second millennium of an estimation began more close. The matter is that exists two types of blossoming of spiritual culture. For the first powerful innovations and great achievements are characteristic. Vivid examples to that is Greek classics V–IV centuries BC and especially European Renaissance.
In the middle of XIX century representatives of romanticism dreamt of creation of uniform style which could surround the person with beauty and by that to transform a life. Art means to change the world – such problem put before creators fine Rihard Wagner and прерафаэлиты. And already in the end of XIX century Oscar Auld asserted, that «more likely the life imitates art, rather than life art». There was an obvious staging of behavior and a life, game began to define not only character of art culture, but also style of a life of its founders.
The silver age in Russian culture is not only painting and architecture of a modernist style, not only the symbolist theatre which has embodied idea of synthesis of arts when over performance statement together with directors and actors artists and composers worked, it and the symbolism literature, and especially poetry which has entered into history of the world literature under the name «Silver age poetry». It is style of an epoch, a way of life.
To make of the life a poem – a most important task which was put before themselves by heroes of the Silver age. So, symbolists, first of all, did not wish to separate the writer from the person, the literary biography from the personal. Symbolism did not wish to be only a literary current, but tore to become vitally creative method. It was a number of attempts to find irreproachably true alloy of a life and creativity, some kind of a philosophical stone of art.
Were in this aspiration and shady sides. Unduly pretentious speech and the gesticulation, a shocking suit, drugs, spirits – on the verge of centuries all it carried signs избранности and generated original snobbery.
The Literary and art bohemia sharply opposing to weight, searched novelty, singularity, a sharpness of experiences. The magic, spiritism and theosophy involved symbolists not only as a picturesque material for works of art, but also as real ways of expansion of own spiritual horizons.
In Russia there was a new generation of literary and art intelligence; it considerably differed from generation of «six-foremen» not only creative interests; external distinctions were striking also.
So, the uniform style which arisen in Russia and has become by a synonym of concept the Silver age, was really universal for – let for short term – it has captured not only all spheres of creativity, but also directly life of people of an epoch «fin de siècle». Any big style is such.
The aesthetics of the Silver age of Russian culture in aggregate has summed most different, often opposite directions, movements, bright author's finds up to many searches of classical aesthetic thought, especially in revealing of metaphysical essence aesthetic and artistry of art. Along with it, many thinkers, writers, artists, theorists of art of that time in atmosphere of crisis of Culture well felt with them and arts more or have less unanimously come to conclusion about necessity of essential expansion of sphere of aesthetic experience for the frameworks limiting it in a classical aesthetics. Have realized, that art in it новоевропейском understanding independent «graceful art» finishes the life, and the artist should leave for its limits during a real life and there actively work under aesthetic laws over its transformation. Today it is obvious, that the Silver age aesthetics is an aesthetics of great Utopias, an aestheticism, courageous and radical experiments and serious opening. Aesthetic experience and aesthetic theories of that time stand at sources of many modern radical processes in sphere of art practice and mark a stage of formation of neoclassical and aesthetics which actively leave on explicit level in the beginning of a new millennium.
The statement on a boundary of centuries of a priority of the art forms only indirectly reflecting a reality, was expressed in polarization of art forces in the beginning of XX century: K. Malevich (suprematism), V. Kandinsky (abstractionism), Russian impressionists (K. Korovin, I. Grabar, V. Serov). There is a creative association «the art World» (its founders A. Benua and S. Dyagilev). Refusal of realism and утилитаризма XIX century, declaration of a way of the «pure art» released from fetters of «public service» leave traces on painting. Ideals of service and harmony are expressed to beauty in creativity of members of association (K. Somova, B. Kustodieva, M. Dobuzhinskogo, L. Baksta, N. Reriha, V. Serova, M. Nesterov, I. Levitan). Merits of «the art World» were showed also in creation of the highly artistic book drawing by it, a print of new criticism, wide publishing and exhibition activity.
Among Valentine Serov was closest to realistic tradition. Perhaps, it was most considerable of Russian portraitists of the Silver age. He created portraits-pictures where the character is presented in active interaction with the vital environment. And it the basic founder of a picturesque aesthetics.
To this principle there corresponds also one of its best works of last period – a portrait of princess Olga Konstantinovny Orlovoj. ............
