The philosophy of the material in the figurative-formative structure of the works by “Blue Rose” artists

Abstract

This article is dedicated to Moscow symbolist art group “Blue Rose”, named after the exhibition from 1907 and known for their special attention to the semantical and metaphysical attributes of the artistic material. Paint, canvas, primers, paper, brush stroke techniques – all of those components played a particular role in the creation of the figurative-formative system. The members of “Blue Rose” were inspired by creative genius of V.E. Borisov-Musatov and M.A. Vrubel as well as traditions of the Old Russian icon painting. The latter found its new beginning at the turn of the century, in the era of Symbolism. Icon as an example of the union between material matter and spiritual concepts significantly influenced the core ideas in the art of symbolism. The “Blue Rose” followed the path of combining traditions and innovation, further affecting the viewer’s perception of the art work by specific organization of its material structure. Sacralization and spiritualization of materialistic principles of art are closely related to the problem of the symbol, in which contradictions between materialistic and spiritual as well as worldly and divine are resolved.