The Concept of Beauty in the Russian Art of the Silver Age in the Context of V. Solovyov’s the Philosophy

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to reveal the infl uence of V. Solovyov’s philosophy on the formation of the concept of beauty in Russian literature and painting of the Silver Age. The object of this study is the prose of B.K. Zaitsev and, I.S. Shmelev, as well as the paintings by V.E. Borisov-Musatov and M. Vrubel. It is established that the philosopher’s assertion that the concept of beauty was fundamental in the harmonious Divine world order had special impact on the consciousness of his contemporaries; the author reveals the meaning and signifi cance of the phenomenon of Eternal Femininity in the views of V. Solovyov and, following him, in those of the artists of the word and brush. In the philosopher's worldview the author highlights the importance of the closest interdependence of the aesthetic and ethical principles of being, organically refl ected in Russian art, which combined Beauty and Goodness since ancient times.