Peredvizhniki

Peredvizhniki (Передвижники, in Russian) – the Russian artists-realists entering into Company of mobile art exhibitions (1870-1923). Perdvizhniki displayed a national life, the nature.

The company was formed in 1870 in St.Petersburg under I.N. Kramskoi, G.G. Myasoedov, Nikolai Ge and Vasily Perov's initiative during struggle of the advanced art forces of the country for democratic ideals and in a counterbalance to the official center of art – the St.Petersburg Academy of arts. The company developed the best traditions of Artel of artists which was headed I.N. Kramskoi who became a leader of new association. Peredvizhniki were under influence public and aesthetic views of Vissarion Belinsky and Nikolai Chernyshevsky. From 1871 the Company arranged 48 mobile exhibitions in St.Petersburg and Moscow then they were shown in Kiev, Kharkov, Kazan, Orel, Riga, Odessa and other cities.

Peredvizhniki were realists and they showed many-sided characters of social life and often with critical tendency. Their art showed not only poverty but also beauty of folk mode of life; not only suffering but also fortitude, strength of characters. In humanistic art of Peredvizhniki there was found resolute condemnation the Russian autocratic orders; emancipating movement of Russian people was shown with empathy (The Arrest of Propagandist; Refuse from Confession; Not Expected Ilya Yefimovich Repin) . The most important meaning in their art was social-urban life and later – historic art where the main persons were people (The Morning of the Execution of Streltsy Vasily Surikov).

Peredvizhniki’s pictures were differed the big strength of psychologism and social generalization, managing from separate images and plots to represent the whole classes and estates. Conducting genres in their art was also a portrait allowed most full to show a life of people, to create images of advanced people, directly to assert democratic ideals. Significant development was received also with actual moral-philosophical problems that were embodied in pictures on evangelical plots.

The Peredvizhniki’s company during the blossoming in 1870-1890 developed aside more and more wide scope of a life, the increasing naturalness and freedom of the image. On change a little to the held down and manner of the letter dark paints came a free, wide manner, transfer light environments with the help of a light palette, reflexes, color shadows; the composition of a picture reflecting aspiration of artists to the greatest naturalness of the image, to a reconstruction of alive communication of the person with an environment, the nature becomes more various and more free. In their creativity the critical realism reached in Russian fine arts of the culmination. Innovative, originally folk art of Peredvizhniki, served as effective means of democratic, public, moral and aesthetic education of many generations and finally became the important factor of development of Russian emancipating movement, helped growth of revolutionary consciousness of a society. V.I. Lenin, and also the advanced figures of Russian revolutionary movement and Russian culture assessed creativity of Peredvizhniki.

The company united almost all most talented art forces of the country. Into his structure at various times entered (besides initiators) Ilya Repin, Vasily Surikov, V.E. Makovsky, I.M. Pryanishnikov, A.K. Savrasov, Ivan Shishkin, V.M. Maksimov,K.A. Savitsky, Apollinary Vasnetsov Viktor Vasnetsov, Arkhip Kuindzhi, Vasily Polenov, N.A. Yaroshenko, Isaac Levitan, Valentin Serov, etc. Participants of exhibitions of Company were M.M. Antokolsky, V.V. Vereschagin, A.P. Ryabushkin, etc. The big role in development of Peredvizhniki’s art was played by critic-democrat V.V. Stasov; Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov, purchasing in his gallery of Peredvizhniki’s arts, rendered them important material and moral support. The authority and public influence of Company steadily grew. The autocracy had to refuse initial tactics of a clip and hunting of Peredvizhniki. It did attempts to subordinate to itself their activity to lift value of the Academy of arts, experiencing deep crisis. In 1890th in Academy of arts structure was included outstanding co-partners (Repin, V. Makovsky, Shishkin, etc.). Among Peredvizhniki there were artists of Ukraine, Latvia, Armenia, etc., rendered the big influence on development of the national art schools on a way of realism, nationality and democratic ideals. Huge value for development of Russian had realistic art pedagogical activity of Peredvizhniki (V.G. Perov, I.E. Repin, V.E. Makovsky, I.N. Kramskoi, A.K. Savrasov, A.I. Kuindzhi, K.A. Savitsky, V.D. Polenov, etc.).

On a boundary of 19–20 centuries art of Peredvizhniki began to lose depth of reflection of a life, accusatory pathos. The company lost the former public influence, but Peredvizhniki saved the main purposed of showing realism and democratic ideals. In 1890-1900th in creativity of advanced group of Peredvizhniki there were appeared the socialist ideas reflecting development of working-class movement, elements of socialist art (N.A. Kasatkin, L.V. Popov, S.V. Ivanov, etc.) Many of the Peredvizhniki entered in the Soviet art culture, they were carriers of great realistic traditions of 19 century and helped formation of art of socialist realism.

The last 48 exhibition of Peredvizhniki was in 1923. Its members joined mainly in Аssociation of artists in the Revolutionary Russia, whose members leaning on tradition of Peredvizhniki, aspired to creation understandable to people art truthfully reflecting the Soviet validity.