Philosophy of synthesis and aesthetics of painting of Ivan Goncharov in his book of travelogues Frigate “Pallada”

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to identifying the origins of the artistic synthesis and aesthetics of the art of Ivan Goncharov. Of particular importance in the formation of Goncharov as a writer was Nikolai Nadezhdin. From Nadezhdin, Goncharov inherited an important philosophical category of synthesis. Underlying Nadezhdin’s aesthetic conceptions was the theory of synthesis of the classical and the romantic as the basis of contemporary art. His artistic theory was organically perceived by Goncharov. He understood the development of a literary process as a combination of two extremes: classical and romantic. Goncharov’s understanding of “synthesis” is distinguidhes by the reference to artistry and movement towards the poetization of reality. Depiction is associated with the aesthetics of the writer and the epic understanding of reality. The idea of synthesis was embodied in the character of Goncharov’s formulation of the problem of painting and of the pictorial principle. The aesthetic form of the embodiment of synthesis in the Frigate “Pallada” is represented by numerous “paintings,” “views,” “drawings,” etc., expressing the idea of the artistry of Ivan Goncharov. In Goncharov’s work, depiction appears as a stable system. It is manifested in the image plasticity, dynamic interaction of forms, volumes, color elements, the play of light and shadow, flexibility of lines, various spatial organization, and detailing of the depicted objects, dynamic and static. Goncharov’s depiction is considered a philosophical way of depicting man and reality.