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Mir iskusstva (Russian:«Мир искусства»,IPA:[ˈmʲirɪˈskustvə],World of Art) was both a Russian magazine and theartistic movement it fostered, playing a significant role in shaping the Russianavant-garde. The movement was deeply influential to Russian artists who contributed to the 20th century revolution in European art. The magazine itself had limited circulation outside of Russia, as it remained a central part of the development of the Russian modernism movement.[1]
The artistic group known as the Miriskusniki was founded in November 1898 by a collective of students that includedAlexandre Benois,Konstantin Somov,Dmitry Filosofov,Léon Bakst, andEugene Lansere.[2][3] the group emerged from a shared vision to challenge the conventional artistic norms of the time and introduce a fresh, individualistic approach to Russian art. The beginnings of Mir Iskustva can be traced back to organization of theExhibition of Russian and Finnish Artists in theStieglitz Museum of Applied Arts inSaint Petersburg.[4]
In 1899, the group launched the magazine Mir Iskustva, which played a pivotal role in their mission to reshape the Russian artistic landscape. The journal was cofounded inSaint Petersburg by Alexandre Benois, Léon Bakst, andSergei Diaghilev (the Chief Editor).[4] the group sought to break away from the rigid, academic traditions upheld by the Peredvizhniki (wanderers).[5] They advocated for artistic freedom, individual expression, and celebrated Art Nouveau aesthetic and other principles ofArt Nouveau. The theoretical foundation of the group’s artistic ideology was articulated through a series of seminal articles by Diaghilev, which were published in the journal's early issues (Nos. 1/2 and 3/4). These writings included titles such as "Difficult Questions," "Our Imaginary Degradation," "Permanent Struggle," "In Search of Beauty," and "The Fundamentals of Artistic Appreciation." Through these pieces, Diaghilev outlined the group’s critical stance on contemporary art and their vision for the future of Russian culture, which was centered on a commitment to beauty, individualism, and innovation.
TheMir Iskustva group entered its "classical period" from 1898 to 1904, during which it organized a series of six significant exhibitions that showcased its avant-garde ideas and artistic endeavors. These exhibitions played a key role in challenging the status quo of Russian art at the time, establishing the group as a force of innovation and cultural change. The exhibitions were as follows:
its "classical period" (1898-1904) the art group organized six exhibitions: 1899 (International), 1900, 1901 (At theImperial Academy of Arts, Saint Petersburg), 1902 (Moscow and Saint Petersburg), 1903, 1906 (Saint Petersburg). The sixth exhibition was seen as a Diaghilev's attempt to prevent the separation from the Moscow members of the group who organized a separate "Exhibition of 36 artists" (1901) and later "The Union of Russian Artists" group (from 1903).[6] The magazine ended in 1904.[6] – The first exhibition was international in scope, featuring works from both Russian and foreign artists.
In 1910, Mir iskustva was revived after Alexandre Benois published a critical articleRech' about the Union of Russian Artists. Nicholas Roerich became the new chairman, and the group expanded to include the avant -garde artists such asNathan Altman,Vladimir Tatlin,[7] andMartiros Saryan. Some said that the inclusion ofRussian avant-garde painters demonstrated that the group had become an exhibition organization rather than an art movement. In 1917 the chairman of the group becameIvan Bilibin. The same year most members of theJack of Diamonds entered the group.
1922 Saint-Petersburg, Moscow). The last exhibition ofMir iskusstva was organized inParis in 1927. Some members of the group entered theZhar-Tsvet (Moscow, organized in 1924) andFour Arts [ru] (Moscow-Leningrad, organized in 1925) artistic movements.
Like the EnglishPre-Raphaelites before them, Benois and his colleagues were disgusted with anti-aesthetic nature of modernindustrial society and modernity in general, and sought to consolidate allNeo-Romantic Russian artists under the banner of fightingPositivism in art. Their mission was to return to art's more expressive and idealizes roots, rejecting the rational and the mechanical.
Like the Romantics before them, themiriskusniki promoted understanding and conservation of the art of previous epochs, particularly traditionalfolk art and the 18th-centuryrococo.Antoine Watteau was probably the single artist whom they admired the most.
Such Revivalist projects were treated by themiriskusnikihumorously, in a spirit of self-parody. They were fascinated withmasks andmarionettes, withcarnaval andpuppet theater, withdreams andfairy-tales. Everythinggrotesque and playful appealed to them more than the serious and emotional. Their favorite city wasVenice, so much so thatDiaghilev andStravinsky selected it as the place of their burial
In 1902, Benois andMir Iskustva established a publishing house, producing a variety of materials aimed at bringing art and knowledge to a wider audience. They created postcards featuring reproductions of art masterpieces, as well as 'educational' postcards with short commentaries and images from various scientific fields, such as geography and zoology. However, these items saw limited demand, with only scenic and landscape postcards selling in large numbers.
By 1909, the publishing house shifted its focus to books, producing guidebooks on locations such as Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg, and the Hermitage Museum. One of their most notable publications was an exquisite edition ofThe Bronze Horseman, illustrated by Benois. This marked a significant step in their goal of making art more accessible to the public. They published guide-books onPavlovsk, St Petersburg,Hermitage Museum, an exquisite edition ofThe Bronze Horseman with illustrations by Benois and many more.[8]
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