Theatrical motifs in the artworks of V.E. Makovsky: the language of painting and theater

The article considers the artworks by the Russian artist, active member of the Association of Travelling Art Exhibits Vladimir Makovsky in the context of theatrical discourse. The author, revealing the theatrical component of the artist's creative method, analyzes the artworks by V. Makovsky both from the artistic (formal stylistic, compositional, iconographic) and content (historical, cultural, social) sides, including the development of Russian and European artistic culture in the field of performing arts. The artist's works are examined in the following aspects: 1) theatrical image and its embodiment; 2) the correspondence of the content of the painting to the theatrical dramatic plots; 3) stage space (composition), gestures, facial expressions, lighting effects. Particular attention is paid to the study of the means of artistic expression, the analysis of the influence of theatrical art on the Russian genre painting of the second half of the 19th century. The author comes to the conclusion that the style of many paintings by V. Makovsky was significantly influenced by the plays of M. Shchepkin, V. Sollogub, A. Ostrovsky, A. Potekhin, D. Averkiev, A. Pisemsky, K. Stanislavsky, elements of everyday comedy and vaudeville, Russian interpretation of French plays of the 19th century. Compositions in the interiors by V. Makovsky is reminiscent of scenes from plays by A. Ostrovsky “The Poor Bride” (1851), “Poverty is not a Vice” (1853), “The Ward” (1858). In the painting “The First Tailcoat” (1892), scenes from A. Ostrovsky’s play “The Morning of a Young Man” (1850) are recognizable. The master gives lines to the characters and assigns certain roles to the heroes of the artworks. Ordinary scenes, which reflect the life of ordinary people with a variety of social relationships, made it possible to identify the features of genre monologue and dialogue, dramatic experiences, and various emotional states. The stage effect of theatricality in the paintings is created due to a complex system of relationships between characters, emotional states, compositional features. Being closely associated with the theatrical and musical circles of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the artist showed himself to be a talented director, costume designer, make-up artist, master of stage movement in a picturesque space. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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