The Conflict between the Academy and the Wanderers

The Wanderers, a group of artists drawn together by the common determination to create a new Russian culture, consti­tuted the first challenge to the all powerful Petersburg Academy of Art. The fourteen artists who had declared their seces­sion from the Academy in 1863 were inspired by ideals of "bring­ing art to the people". They called themselves the Wanderers, because they thought to put their ideals into practice by taking travelling exhibitions throughout the countryside. These artists sought to justify their activity by making their art useful to society. They repudiated the philosophy of "art for art's sake" which they identified with the current academic tradition centered in the Petersburg Academy, this tradition derived its standards mainly from international Neo-classicism. The Wander­ers defied this tradition, saying that art should be primarily con­cerned with and subordinated to reality.

"The true function of art," wrote Chernishevsky, "is to ex­plain life and comment on it. Reality is more beautiful than its representation in art.''

The mission of the Wanderers to arouse compassion and sym­pathy for the common man was a brave subject for art in Russia, not only by virtue of its social message, but by its emphasis on the traditional Russian way of life. The repudiating of interna­tional Neo-classicism and the ensuing rediscovery of the national artistic heritage, was the starling-point of a modern school of painting in Russia.

I. Kramskoi (1837—1887) was the most mature, as well as the most talented and vigorous of the Wanderers, indeed, he was soon as well known for his passionate articles as for his pre­cise, carefully observed paintings. His portraits, for instance the portrait of Leo Tolstoy, the portrait of Nekrasov or the portrait of "An Unknown Woman", are very competent works, but many of his subject pictures lack atmosphere; not so the one entitled "Inspecting the Old House". With its desolate, nostalgic air, its furniture swathed in dust-sheets, its chandelier hidden in wrappings, the hesitant visitors standing hushed, listening to the crumbling past — it is as if, outside the cherry orchard was being felled.

Vassili Polenov (1844—1927), another member of the group, who had studied at the Moscow College of Painting and Sculpture, was one of the first painters of the Russian countryside. The Russian school of landscape painting was a development pecul­iarly connected with Moscow. Since its foundation in the 1840's the Moscow College of Painting and Sculpture (in 1865 an architectural faculty was added) had laid stress on "plein air" studies of nature. Not only did the Moscow College encourage study from nature which was almost unheard of at the Petersburg Academy, but it was also a more liberal institution. In the 60's the first students to have graduated from the Moscow College returned to it as teachers. Among these was A. Savrassov (1830—1897) who is known as "the Father of the Russian school of landscape painting". Savrassov's landscape paintings were, however few and it was left to his followers, Polenov and Shishkin, to develop this part of his work. These painters were still hampered by a stylized, literary approach in their work, and it is not until Isaac Levitan (1860—1900) that the Russian school of landscape painting produced a really creative and expressive master.

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 994