Classicism and representatives of classicism

Classicism is the direction of European culture of the late 17th - early 19th centuries. The name comes from the Latin word classicus, which in translation means "exemplary". A distinctive feature of classicism is a strictly developed system of artistic norms, which should have been observed, manifestation of creative imagination was considered unacceptable. Ideas of classicism were present in all spheres of cultural life. Classicism in art, literature, painting, architecture, music had to express universal harmony.

The basic principles of classicism were formulated in a treatise by Nicolas Boileau (France, 1674). In it, he convincingly substantiated a number of requirements of an artistic nature, which were presented to literary creativity. Dramatic works should have been sustained in the strict rule of three oneness. Unity of place implies a fixed space where events occur, the unity of time is a certain, limited time interval, the unity of action is one central storyline.

Also according to F. Fenelon and MV Lomonosov, representatives of classicism in literature are obliged to observe a strict hierarchy of genres and styles. "High calm" is a lofty vocabulary, genres: odes, heroic poems. "Middle Calm" - elegies, satirical works, dramas. "Low Calm" - private and everyday life, genres: fables, comedies, letters. Mixing styles was forbidden. By the beginning of the 19th century, classicism began to be supplanted from the pedestal by such styles as sentimentalism and romanticism. The pursuit of rigor and clarity halted.

In Russia, classicism appeared only in the early 18th century. The impetus for its development was the transformation of Peter I and the theory of the "Three Calms" by Lomonosov, the reform of Trediakovsky. The most famous representatives of classicism in Russia: Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin (comedy), Antioch Dmitrievich Cantemir (satire), Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin and Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (ode), Ivan Ivanovich Chemnitzer and Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov (fable). The central problem of the society of that time was the problem of power, therefore Russian Classicism has its own distinctive features, unlike the classicism of the West. Since after Peter the Great no emperor came to power legally, the actual was the problem of intrigues, palace coups, the monarch's inadequacy to the expectations of the courtiers and the people. It is these problems that are reflected in Russian classicism.

Representatives of classicism in music, for example, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, have forever entered the world history. Their works have become a reference point for the development of further musical composition. Musical works began to have a more precise structure, all parts of one work were balanced.

Classicism strongly influenced the branch of culture as architecture. Antique forms were used, Greek, Roman motifs are visible. Pastel shades predominate. In Russia, a mixture of Byzantine culture and Russian baroque is very noticeable. Representatives of classicism in Russian architecture: Kazakov, Eropkin, Zemtsov, Korobov, Rossi, Stasov, Montferrand.

Classicism in painting, as a rule, emphasizes the smoothness of forms, and the main elements of the form are the line and chiaroscuro. Among the best painters are N. Poussin and C. Lorren. Poussin created masterpieces, which depicted heroic deeds, stories in a historical style. Lorrain, in turn, was engaged in landscapes, where the connection between man and nature, the harmony of their interaction is noticeable. Representatives of classicism in Russian painting: an unrivaled master of historical paintings AP. Losenko, his students (IA Akimov, PI Sokolov and others).