Dreams of universal flowering

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia faced radical social changes which were reflected in the oeuvre of most of the artists of that period. In the 1900-1920s, especially after the Revolution of 1905, during the First World War and several years after the Revolution of 1917 the representatives of artistic and literary circles reacted differently on these historical events. The difference of the views lay not only in the variety of ways of depicting the same subjects. For example, in the middle of 1910-1920s, the avant-garde artists focused more on the formal novelty than on the social problems, while the figurative masters such as Repin, Serov, Grigoriev and others emphasized the themes of these days remaining in more traditional forms. On the other hand, most of the artists of that epoch were dreaming of radical changes not only in Russia, but all over the world. Exhibition: The State Russian Museum / The Benois Wing, St. Petersburg, Russia (14.9 - 20.11.2017).