Russian realism

Introduction

The realism It is one of the most frequently invoked critical categories in the narratives of nineteenth-century Russian cultural activity, particularly, of course, in the literary sphere. In many accounts of Russian painting, too, the "realism" is widely understood as a defining moment in the entire history of Russian art. It is usually associated with the secession of fourteen students from the St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Art (Adlam).

Before the term's popularization in 1860, the "realism" was largely confined to philosophical circles informed by Kantian philosophy (Adlam).

Realists tried to give an in-depth description of personality, providing a social background and reliable motivation for the actions and reactions of their characters. The soul or inner life of a character became the means through which realists would reveal what motivated the behavior of their heroes and heroines. The demand to explain motives gave great importance to psychological truth (Lesson 10 10). Russian realists were more interested in the existential problems of men and women than in social and political issues. Therefore, there was disagreement with Belinsky about the primary goal of literature, who considered its goal to be social improvement (Lesson 10 10).

The general characteristics of nineteenth-century Russian realism include 1) the impulse to investigate the human condition in a spirit of serious inquiry, without, however, excluding humor and satire, 2) the tendency to place works of fiction in Russia of the author's time, 3) the cultivation of a simple style, but also one that includes real details,  4) an emphasis on character and atmosphere rather than plot and action and an underlying tolerance for human weakness and malice (‘Nineteenth Century Russian Realism’).

Classical Realism

The great writers of this period are sometimes called "classical realists to distinguish them from minor writers." They were impressively talented and individualistic. Their literary output was vast in scope, ideas, themes, characters and styles. However, they shared some common characteristics, all believing more or less in Belinsky's goal, namely the improvement of society through art as well as the relative disregard for narrative concerns and plot structure. They were opposed to overemphasizing style and form. On the contrary, realists accepted the social mission of art and the need for moral limitations of the artist (Lesson 10 10).

These limitations are quite evident in relation to it. French realism. Mikhail Saltikov wrote: "The extent of our realism is different from that of the modern school of French realists. We include under this heading the whole person, in all the variety and reality of his definitions. the French for the most part are interested in the trunk, and all the variety of its definitions dwell with greater delight in its natural abilities and erotic exploits." (Lesson 10 10).

This period of the nineteenth-century realist movement in Russia is considered the "Golden Age in Russian literature". Whereas in other European countries writers participated in documenting and analyzing revolutionary processes, in Russia, it was the realist movement in literature and art itself that initiated the revolutionary wave and promoted it (‘Nineteenth Century Russian Realism’).

Radical Critics

After his death in 1848, Belnsky's ideas continued to live among the Radical Critics. The radicals had "extra-narrative interests that were mostly political. Unable to openly express socialist ideals in Russia, radicals used literary criticism and fiction to advance their beliefs (Lesson 10 10).

Politics

Its unusual bloom Russian realist literature in the second half of the nineteenth century it occurred against the background of social and political discontent which began in the 1840s, under the reign of Nicholas I (1825-1855). The literary critic Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky (1811-1848) heralded reforms: he called on writers to approach realistically the country's social problems, such as serfdom and the like, and to realize their role as critics of social class (‘Nineteenth Century Russian Realism’).

In a context of social and political upheaval, writers, painters and composers used their imaginative and emotional powers to develop a strong realistic style. They hoped that their art could serve as a vehicle for reform and help develop a national consciousness (‘(SOLD OUT) RUSSIA’S GOLDEN AGE - 19th Century Art, Literature, and Music in Moscow and St. Petersburg’).

The defeat of the revolutions of 1848 did not bring the same turn in reaction to Russia's ideological development as the rest of Europe, although a brief period of depression was inevitable. But relatively soon, in the mid-1850s, a new rise of democratic ideas began in Russia. The economic, social and political development of the country clearly raised the question of the abolition of serfdom. The general unrest forced the then government to temporarily grant somewhat more freedom of opinion (‘Nineteenth Century Russian Realism’).

Arts

Russian realism flourished with the novels of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, the drama of Chekhov and Stanislavsky, and the music of Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. Less well known in the West are the equally excellent paintings by Repin, Levitan, Kramskoy and Serov  (‘(SOLD OUT) RUSSIA’S GOLDEN AGE - 19th Century Art, Literature, and Music in Moscow and St. Petersburg’).

The authors emphasized the relationship between literature and society. They believed that life itself, deeply planned and faithfully reproduced in literature, was the most effective means of shedding light on the problems of social life and an excellent weapon in the ideological preparation of the democratic revolution they expected and desired (‘Nineteenth Century Russian Realism’).

The idea that "realism" was an unparalleled visual expression of the highly contested liberal-democratic politics of the time since the accession of the "reformist" tsar Alexander II in 1855 can at least be partly attributed to nineteenth-century Russia's most important critic, Vladimir Stasov (1824-1906). For Stasov, "realism" was the quintessence of Russian "national" art that appeared as soon as Alexander "lifted the tombstone from the tomb in which Russia lay buried alive", while Russian works of art before 1855, except by Pavel Fedotov, were mere "huts" in the "real palace and temple of the future national Russian museum" which was the new art (‘Nineteenth Century Russian Realism’).

Peredvizniki

The Peredvizhniki, often called the Wandering or Itinerants, was a group of Russian realist artists, who formed an artistic cooperative in protest of academic restrictions. Peredvizhniki artists were known for their landscapes and paintings of archetypal Russian scenery. They depicted their subject with almost photographic accuracy. At the same time, these landscapes were symbolically significant, representing the mood of the painter or viewer - as in the so-called "lyric landscape" - or summarizing some archetypal aspect of Russian culture or character. Peredvizhniki was the first major nationalist movement in Russian art. Rejecting what they saw as the Academy's slavish attachment to European taste, they forged a body of work that could become a talisman for an independent Russian spirit. Through their historical and religious paintings, for example, they presented the events and figures that had shaped the collective Russian consciousness. Like many of their peers in the French realist media movement19th century, Peredvizhniki painters were striving not only for a new stylistic paradigm in the art of their nation, but for sweeping social and political change. But if Gustave Courbet's involvement with the Paris Commune of 1870 symbolized an unprecedented revolutionary fervor, the Peredvizhniki movement survived to witness the Russian Revolution of 1917, and therefore for the transformation it had wanted: if not in the form it would have expected (‘Peredvizhniki Movement Overview’).

It was formed in 1863, when a group of fourteen students decided to leave the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg as they felt that the rules of the Academy were restrictive. The teachers were conservative and there was a strict separation between high and low art. In an effort to bring art to the people, the students formed an independent artistic society, the Petrograd Artists' Cooperative. In 1870, this organization was largely succeeded by the Union of Traveling Art Exhibitors (Peredvizhniki) to give people from the provinces the opportunity to follow the achievements of Russian art and teach people to appreciate art. Society maintained its independence from state support and brought art, which depicted the modern life of people from Moscow and St. Petersburg, to the provinces.(Wikipedia contributors).

Music

As far as music is concerned, the nineteenth century period was characterized by the mixing of history with legends. This was a general phenomenon observed in new nations and not only in Russia. The new nations sought to shape history and cultural tradition based on their popular culture (Romanou).

In 1859 the Rubinstein brothers founded the Russian Music Company, whose institution was the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The school provided the opportunity for professional music education. In the early years, the teaching staff consisted of Western musicians, which provoked reactions, mainly from the critic Vladimir Stasov, however the success of the conservatory was so great that it led to the establishment of many conservatories such as the Moscow Conservatory (1866), Kiev Conservatory (1863), the Saratov Conservatory (1865), the Kharkov Conservatory (1871), Tbilisi Conservatory (1871) and Odessa Conservatory (1886) (Romanou).

The Russian Music Company, in addition to music education, helped organize annual symphonic and chamber music concerts in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The repertoire included the traditional Western repertoire as well as new compositions. Furthermore, there was a particular interest in older music. For example, Rubinstein gave recitals of piano and symphonic music from the Baroque era to modern times accompanied by lectures in which he presented the repertoire (Romanou).

At the same time, the Holy Synod began to dissociate itself from the imperial temple in matters of music. For example, in 1878 Tchaikovsky published his Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom asking for the approval not of the imperial temple, but of the Holy Synod. This resulted in the resignation of the director of the imperial temple, in whose place Balakirev took his place, with Rimsky-Korsakov as assistant (Romanou).

At the same time, a new trend of church music had begun to emerge, centered on the choir of the Holy Synod in Moscow. In particular, the modal harmony system inspired by the improvised polyphony of popular music and counterpoint with equivalent voices was developed. Notable examples of this trend are Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which we will now hear and the Pannychis by Rachmaninov (Romanou)

By the last two decades of the nineteenth century, the state and aristocrats had begun to strengthen the Russian Music Company economics. In addition, wealthy industrialists, such as Belyayev and Mamontov, began to sponsor music and other arts. For example, Belyayev financed a series of Russian music concerts and a string quartet. In addition, he made sure that the grant continued after his death. The grant included annual composition competitions and financial support for composers. In addition, he founded a music publishing house for the publication of musical compositions. Other important publishers in Russia were Bessel, who mainly published her works Group of Five, and Jürkenson, who mainly published works by Tchaikovsky (Romanou).

Russian composers were greatly influenced by the music of West Asia, to the point where a new current, orientalism, was created. The contemporary musicologist Carl Dahlhaus (1928-1989) in a book spoke about the orientalism of Russian music, citing musical techniques that marked him and that are common to music influenced by West Asian traditions. In addition, he mentioned that the orientalism of Russian music was one of the manifestations of Europeanization of the country, since the trend was quite strong in France (Romanou).

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