“Real Deed of an Artist” and Philosophy of Art: Solovyev – Fyodorov – Chekrygin

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the aesthetic views of an artist and philosopher V.N. Chekrygin (1897–1922). His ideas are compared to the philosophy of art of V.S. Solovyev and N.F. Fyodorov. Theoretical heritage of the artist is analyzed, it reflects understanding of the tasks of creativity, history and language of the visual art. The research is based on the texts of Chekrygin: “A Manifest of the Painters (1920)”, “The Program of One-year Course on Art Philosophy” (1920), “About Upcoming New Era of the All-European Art” (1921), “About Convocation of the Resurrecting Museum’ (1921), and his epistolary art. Little-known materials from the archive are considered. Studying aesthetic works of Fyodorov and Solovyev allows to make comparative-typological research of the artist and philosopher of art. The connection is shown between Chekrygin’s ideas and aesthetic tradition of the Russian religious philosophy. Signs of aesthetics of Christian universalism can be seen in his project of a new era of the art. The idea of the project of “living art” of Chekrygin is opposed to the research of avantgarde art and it was inspired by the ideas of conciliarity and theurgy. It is shown that philosophical-aesthetic ideas of the artist are close to the philosophy of art of V.S. Solovyov and even more to the doctrine of the aesthetic supramoralism of Fyodorov. The research discloses particularities of the aesthetic ideas of the artist, which are permeated with the spirit of eschatological anxiety. Chekrygin shows the way that modern art should follow referring to the topics of theophany, to the process of contemplation of the space evolvement and the creation of the church-museum of the universal resurrection. It is proved that the artist creates the image of the final ideal of art conceiving the philosophical ideas of Solovyov and Fyodorov. It is proved that the artist remains in line with modernism discourse at the same time creating the outlines of the art of the future.