Blue Rose

Getting to know and getting started

The core of the Blue Rose was formed 10 years before the exhibition of the same name. Pavel Kuznetsov, Petr Utkin and Alexander Matveev became friends in their native Saratov, relations between Kuznetsov and Utkin, who worked together on projects for the decoration of theatrical productions and private houses, were especially close ^[4] . Young artists were inspired by the work of fellow countryman Viktor Borisov-Musatov, whose works differed from the work of other symbolists by longing for the illusive past of Russian estates. The creative followers and friends of Borisov-Musatov borrowed the gray-blue and pastel pink tones of his paintings. Through him, the Saratov trio learned about the latest trends in Parisian and Russian art, as well as the ideas of symbolism ^[2] .

Soon, Saratov artists moved to Moscow and in 1897 entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where by 1900 they had met other future members of the Blue Rose - Martiros Saryan , Nikolai Sapunov , Sergey Sudeikin , Nikolay Krymov , Anatoly Arapov , brothers Nikolai and Vasily Milioti , Ivan Knabe, Nikolai Feofilaktov, Vladimir Drittenpreys, Arthur Fonvizin , Peter Bromirsky . For a short time, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin joined the group of artists, although he subsequently did not join the association ^[1] . At the Moscow School, the teachers of the future “blue-rozovets” were Isaac Levitan , Konstantin Korovin , Valentin Serov and Paolo Trubetskoy ^[2] . In his memoirs, Korovin called Sapunov, Sudeikin, Krymov and Kuznetsov one of the best students of his workshop ^[2] .

The first joint work of artists was associated with the theater ^[5] . In 1902, Korovin attracted Kuznetsov and Sapunov to create the scenery for Richard Wagner’s opera “The Valkyrie ” according to his own sketches of the artist ^[2] . A little later, following the example of the mentor of the “Goluborozovites”, the playwright Sergei Savvich Mamontov invited the artists to work on the design of an entreprise at the Hermitage Theater ^{[3] [2]} .

The works of the artists of the association caused an ambiguous and even negative reaction from the audience and critics already at the beginning of the joint work. In 1902, Kuznetsov, Utkin and Petrov-Vodkin received an order for painting the Church of Our Lady of Kazan in Saratov . The frescoes were recognized as “non-prayerful and non-artistic” and destroyed ^{[3] [6]} .

In 1904, the first joint exhibition entitled “ Scarlet Rose ”, organized by Kuznetsov and Utkin, took place in Saratov. Eight future participants of the Blue Rose took part in the exhibition: Arapov, Knabe, Kuznetsov, Sapunov, Saryan, Sudeikin, Utkin, Feofilaktov. A place of honor was given to the works of Vrubel and Borisov-Musatov - the favorite artists and spiritual mentors of the young Symbolists ^{[3] [2]} .

Support for Nikolai Ryabushinsky

The patron of the “Goluborozovites” and the initiator of the famous exhibition was the philanthropist Nikolai Pavlovich Ryabushinsky , a descendant of the dynasty of Moscow entrepreneurs ^[7] . An example of a young philanthropist was Sergei Diaghilev , a theater figure, creator and curator of the magazine " World of Art ". Ryabushinsky decided to publish the Golden Fleece art magazine.

... I'm designing <...> a magazine in which I think to unite our entire artistic life, i.e. to put true painting in illustrations, to say frankly what I think in articles, then to organize a series of annual exhibitions on behalf of the magazine.

- Description by Ryabushinsky of the idea of ​​creating a magazine ^[7]

Despite the disapproval of critics, in 1906 the magazine was published. Ryabushinsky did not skimp on funding: the magazine was full of colorful illustrations, dense pages were decorated with numerous vignettes, gold inserts ^[7] . The magazine published both the “Miruskusniks" - Lansere , Benoit , Bakst , Somov , and the young artists - "Goluborozovtsy", although they initially came together around the journal "Art", which was published only one year - from 1904 to 1905 ^[7] . The "Golden Fleece" also published the work of poets and writers of symbolism, foreign artists. The philanthropist himself joined the group of symbolist artists, exhibited and printed his work with them ^[1] .

Thanks to Ryabushinsky’s efforts, on March 18, 1907, the Blue Rose exhibition was held in Building 8 on Myasnitskaya ^[1] , in which all 16 members of the association participated. The event was organized after the posthumous retrospective of the works of the main inspirer of young artists Viktor Borisov-Musatov, which took place the same year ^[2] . The artists themselves turned to folk art: Krymov’s works were sent to popular prints, and Sapunov and Sudeikin were inspired by the folk theater ^[5] . Works on fabulous mysterious plots reflected the artists' desire for a secret, an unattainable dream. The modest symbol of the blue rose was invented by Sapunov, who drew inspiration from the graphics of Aubrey Beardsley ^[6] .

The interior of the house was decorated to match the pale and foggy works - everywhere there were vases with flowers, the walls were painted in light blue ^{[8] [1]} . Scriabin's music was played at the exhibition, and in the evenings poets Valery Bryusov and Konstantin Balmont performed in the house on Myasnitskaya, Andrei Bely read the report. The exposition gathered the main representatives of Moscow symbolism ^[1] .

The event caused polar reactions: the artist and art critic Igor Grabar unflattering commented on the work of the “Goluborozovites”, considering their works “ decadent ” and devoid of meaning ^[9] . The exhibition made a positive impression on the critic Sergey Makovsky , who wrote in a review: “The exhibition is primarily interested as an expression of a collective search” ^[10] . Kazimir Malevich also praised the exhibition and even wanted to exhibit his work with members of the Blue Rose ^[2] .

Exhibitions supported by the Golden Fleece magazine

After the success of 1907, Ryabushinsky sponsored three more exhibitions, and with each new exposure his plans became more ambitious. In 1908, the philanthropist had the idea to hold a joint exhibition of contemporary Russian and French symbolist artists ^[2] . At the “Salon of the Golden Fleece”, which opened on April 5 in the Khludov’s house (Khomutovsky lane, 5a), the works of Bonnard , Braque , Degas , Denis , Derain , Cezanne , Gauguin , Van Gogh , Marche , Matisse , Renoir , Ruo , Bourdelle , Majol , Rodin and others ^{[1] [7]} . Russian art was represented exclusively by the work of the “Blue-roozovets” ^[7] .

In January 1909, the second such exhibition was held, to which Ryabushinsky did not invite the French impressionists, but gave preference to the latest trends in art - Cubism and Fauvism, with which the Russian public was little familiar. He exhibited works of Braque, Derain, Dongen , Marche, Matisse, Rouault, Vlaminck . Among Russian artists Kuznetsov, Utkin, Matveev, Milioti, Saryan, Knabe, Ryabushinsky, Fonvizin, Petrov-Vodkin were represented ^[7] . Next to the “Goluborozovites” exhibited young Natalia Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov ^[3] .

The third and last exhibition was held in late December 1909 - January 1910. The exhibition was not covered in the Golden Fleece, since by that time the magazine itself had already ceased to exist due to financial problems ^[7] . However, the event was a success. This time Ryabushinsky sought to show national Russian art, and therefore the work of foreign artists was not presented at the exhibition. In addition to Kuznetsov, Utkin, Knabe, Saryan, and Ryabushinsky himself, the exhibition was attended by Ilya Mashkov , Peter Konchalovsky , Alexander Kuprin and Robert Falk , who later in 1910 formed their own artistic association, Jack of Diamonds ^[7] .

After high-profile exhibitions, the fame of the Blue Rose association attracted patrons and art lovers who vied with each other to invite artists to design new projects ^[11] . But the creative aspirations of the “Blue-roozovets” were not limited to the creation of painting and sculpture. Artists sought to implement the idea of ​​a synthesis of arts , which was typical for representatives of symbolism ^[1] .

This idea was embodied in the planning and design of the Crimean estate " New Kuchuk-Koy " ^[12] . After the sensational exhibition of 1907, Kuznetsov, Utkin and Matveyev were invited by Yakov Evgenyevich Zhukovsky, real state adviser and employee of the Ministry of Finance in St. Petersburg ^[12] to create his estate in Crimea. Matveev was entrusted with the creation of the sculptural decoration of the estate (for the sculptures he chose the theme of sleep and dream), Kuznetsov and Utkin took up mosaics and painting the house, planning the garden ^[12] . The owner’s cabinet was painted by Eugene Lansere, and in the grotto near the seashore Vrubel created small panels ^[12] .

"Goluborozovtsy" also painted the Moscow residence of Ryabushinsky "Black Swan", where a large number of their paintings and sculptures were kept. In 1915, a fire broke out in the villa, and a rich collection of Ryabushinsky died in the fire ^[13] .

The Blue Rose did not have a clear manifesto or unifying idea ^[14] . On the pages of the Golden Fleece, they wrote about their work this way:

And for them, creativity was really free: artists stopped participating in joint exhibitions after 1910 and only occasionally worked with each other on common projects, preferring to go their own way ^[8] . For example, the works of Martiros Saryan and Pavel Kuznetsov were imbued with oriental motifs: Kuznetsov traveled extensively in Central Asia, and Saryan wrote his native Armenia ^{[10] [14]} . Nikolai Feofilaktov, Nikolai Milioti and Nikolai Krymov, on the contrary, became interested in neoclassicism , turned to antique plots. Sapunov and Sudeikin continued to stage theatrical productions ^[5] .

In Soviet times, symbolism was considered "decadent", alien to the "Soviet audience." Despite this, many “blue-rookers” decided to stay in the country under the new political regime and apply their skills in the new conditions. Only three of the 16 artists - Nikolai Milioti, Sergey Sudeikin and Nikolai Ryabushinsky - emigrated ^{[2] [8]} . Pavel Kuznetsov created the magazine “The Way of Liberation”, which also included Bromirsky, Krymov and Arapov. Alexander Matveev was appointed professor at the Petrograd Central School of Technical Drawing , Krymov and Sudeikin became members of various commissions for the protection of monuments of art. Krymov, Kuznetsov, Matveyev, Utkin, Fonvizin and Saryan in the 1920s taught at art schools ^[2] . In 1925, the Tretyakov Gallery hosted the first retrospective exhibition of the Blue Rose association ^[2] .

All these “Blue Roses”, “Jack of Diamonds”, “Donkey Tails” and other products of a decadent and formalistic aesthetics carried a reactionary content, lost their national independence in the field of art, stupefied and spiritually corrupted the people.

- Review of the work of the association in the journal "Art", 1947 ^[15] .

The attitude towards the artists was ambiguous: in the late 1920s Kuznetsov lost his job due to negative feedback on the exhibition of his works, later Arthur Fonvizin and Alexander Matveev were accused of formalism ^[2] .

Painters

Sculptors

Poets

• Symbolism
• Russian symbolism
• Modern
• Creative associations of artists of Russia and the USSR
• World of art (association)

1. Kravchenko I. Art association “Blue Rose” / Chap. ed. Baragamyan A. .. - M .: “Direct Media”, 2011. - T. 95. - 49 p. - ISBN 978-5-7475-0130-0 .
2. Makovsky S.K. Silhouettes of Russian artists / Chapters. ed. Polyakov A.P. - Kazan: Republic, 1999 .-- 383 p. - ISBN 5-250-02634-6 .
3. Nashchokina M.V. Manor in the work of the “Blue Rose” // Ways of Russian Symbolism: Province and Capital. Materials of the ninth Bogolyubov readings. - Saratov: Saratov State Art Museum named after A. N. Radishchev, 2006. - Issue. 1 . - S. 35-44 . - ISBN 5-94370-013-7 . (inaccessible link)