Vasiliy Kamenskiy as an interpreter of the futurism aesthetics

Abstract

Relevance of the study. A new detail in life and creative work of V. Kamenskiy, a founder of Russian futurism, is reconstructed. The interest of the poet in aesthetics problems is shown; his belief in necessity to create futuristic aesthetics theory is emphasized. The value of the V. Kamenskiy’s work “The way of enthusiast” as a means to recreate artistic life in Russia in the 1910s and define the role of futurism in European artistic process is identified.The main objective of the study. To reconstruct creative and searching atmosphere of futuristic community, their fondness of Russian history symbols, archaic folklore (‘lubok’) and emphasis on national factor on the ground of factual and theoretical material set out in the V. Kamenskiy’s work “The way of enthusiast”.Methodology. The following basic methodological principles are applied: personalization as a structural element of biographical method and dialogism which provides deeper and broader objective knowledge as well as author’s submission concerning personal core of futurism.Findings and conclusions. Specific nature of Russian futurism whose roots date back to the V. Hlebnikov’s movement of “budetlyan” which considered folklore as an expression of ‘national aesthetics’ and was encouraged by folk traditions in the word-formation is marked in the study. The drastic differences between Russian futurists’ orientations and Italian futurists’ creative and searching settings are defined. It is confirmed by constant interest by D. Burlyuk, V. Kamenskiy, V. Mayakovskiy in emancipation of potential “word-and-rhythm”, in Slavic pageantry, in folklore (aesthetics of ‘lubok’) and in national history (Stepan Razin’ cult).Practical significance of the study lies in broadening research space within the culture formation processes at the beginning of the 20th century. The problems outlined in the study promote deepening the specific themes outlined in the courses of History and Theory of Literature, Culturology, Aesthetics, Literary Criticism and Arts.