“The House on Fontanka”: Formation of the Image of Petersburg in Mstislav Dobuzhinsky’s Works

The article examines a number of gra­phic works by M.V. Dobuzhinsky: the drawings “Magnificent City, Poor City...”, “View of a Petersburg House”, and a decorative drawing with a fragment of a house in the style of classicism. In spite of the fact that M.V. Dobuzhinsky’s creativity is quite well stu­died, these works are considered for the first time in the article, in order to explore the process of finding the original artistic language in which the master “spoke” about his favorite city. The article identifies the architectural monuments of St. Petersburg that served as prototypes of those depicted, reveals the sources (visual and literary), analyzes the stylistic features. The scientific novelty of the article is defined by a new methodological approach to studying M.V. Dobuzhinsky’s graphic heritage consi­dered in the context of intersection of literature and fine arts — Russian, Western European and Japanese. For the first time, the author makes an attempt to determine the stylistic affiliation of the mentioned works. Their traditional (formal) analysis, in comparison with works by Hiroshige, A. Dürer, G.B. Piranesi, E.E. Lansere, and J. Whistler, is supplemented by an analysis of M.V. Dobuzhinsky’s memoirs and letters. This significantly expands the existing ideas about the visual sources of the artist’s work. The article reveals that the drawings “Magnificent City, Poor City...”, “View of a Petersburg House”, as well as the decorative drawing with a fragment of a house in the style of classicism, depict the house of Galashevsky — V.Ya. Lebedev (87, Fontanka Embankment). The author ascertains the influence of Hiroshige’s woodcuts from the series “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” on the artistic solution of the drawing “Magnificent City, Poor City...”, as well as on the drawing “Market” by E.E. Lansere, who, in turn, had influenced the abovementioned drawings by M.V. Dobuzhnisky. The article shows that A. Dürer’s and G.B. Piranesi’s engravings influenced the artistic solution of the drawing “View of a Petersburg House”, likewise J. Whistler’s etchings and lithographs exerted influence on a number of works by M.V. Dobuzhinsky and E.E. Lansere. The author concludes that M.V. Dobuzhinsky’s works over various versions of images of the house of Galashevsky — V.Ya. Lebedev were in line with his intensive creative experiments: the search for his own vision of the ima­ge of Petersburg.

M.V. Dobuzhinsky, Russian art of the late 19th — early 20th century, modernism, Jugendstil, , Japanese engraving of the 18th — first half of the 19th century, magazine graphics, ima­ge of Petersburg, city view, architecture of St. Petersburg, house of Galashevsky — V.Ya. Lebedev, lattices of St. Petersburg, E.E. Lansere, J. Whistler, G.B. Piranesi, A. Dürer, Hiroshige

1. Dobuzhinsky M.V. Vospominaniya [Memoirs]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1987, 477 p.

2. Zavyalova A.E. A.S. Pushkin’s Works in the Gra­phics of M.V. Dobuzhinsky, Observatoriya kul’tury [Observatory of Culture], 2018, vol. 15, no. 5, pp. 584 — 591 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.25281/2072-3156-2018-15-5-584-591.

3. Fahr-Becker G. Stil’ modern [Art Nouveau]. Cologne, Könemann Publ., 2004, 425 p.

4. Grabar I.E. Istoriya russkogo iskusstva. T. 3. Arkhitektura. Peterburgskaya arkhitektura v XVIII i XIX veke [History of Russian Art. Volume 3. Architecture. Petersburg Architecture in the 18th and 19th Century]. Moscow, I. Knebel’ Publ., 584 p.

5. Zolotoe runo [Golden Fleece], 1906, no. 6.

6. Dostoevsky F.M. White Nights. A Sentimental Story from the Diary of a Dreamer, F.M. Dostoevskii Sobranie sochinenii v 15-ti t. [F.M. Dostoevsky. Collected Works in 15 Volumes], vol. 2. Leningrad, Nauka Publ., 1988, pp. 152—202 (in Russ.).

7. Mstislav Dobuzhinskii: Zhivopis’. Grafika. Teatr [Msti­slav Dobuzhinsky: Painting. Graphics. Theatre]. Moscow, Izobrazitel’noe Iskusstvo Publ., 1982, 203 p.

8. Zavyalova A.E. Literary Sources of Images and Symbols in the Works of Mstislav Dobuzhinsky (H.Ch. Andersen and F.M. Dostoevsky), Epokha simvolizma: vstrecha literatury i iskusstva [The Era of Symbolism: The Meeting of Literature and Art]. Moscow, “Azbukovnik” Publ., 2016, pp. 367—379 (in Russ.).

9. Andersen H.Ch. The Old House, Andersen G Kh. Skazki i istorii [Andersen H.Ch. Fairy Tales and Stories]. Moscow, Moskovskii Rabochii Publ., 1959, pp. 286—294 (in Russ.).

10. The Illustrated Bartsch. Vol. 10 (Formerly vol. 7 part 1): Sixteenth Century German Artists. Albrecht Dürer. New York, Alaris Books Publ., 1980, 632 p.

11. M.V. Dobuzhinskii. Pis’ma [M.V. Dobuzhinsky. Letters]. St. Petersburg, Dmitrii Bulanin Publ., 2001, 444 p.

12. Chugunov G.I. M.V. Dobuzhinsky and his “Memoirs”, Dobuzhinskii M.V. Vospominaniya [M.V. Dobuzhinsky. Memoirs]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1987, pp. 321—365 (in Russ.).

13. Mir iskusstva [The World of Art], 1902, vol. 7.

14. Podobedova O.E. Evgeny Evgenyevich Lansere. 1857—1946. Moscow, Sovetskii Khudozhnik Publ., 1961, 420 p. (in Russ.).

15. Zavyalova A.E. Mir iskusstva. Yaponizm [The World of Art. Japonism]. Moscow, BuksMArt Publ., 2014, 96 p.

16. Voronova B.G. Yaponskaya gravyura. T. 2. Seredina — konets XIX veka [Japanese Prints. Volume 2. Middle — Late 19th Century]. Moscow, Krasnaya Ploshchad’ Publ., 2009, 592 p.

17. Kruglov V.F. Whistler’s Fates in Russia, Stranitsy istorii otechestvennogo iskusstva: sb. st. po materialam nauch. konf. (Gosudarstvennyi Russkii muzei, Sankt-Peterburg, 2007) [Proceedings of the Sci. Conf. “Pages of the History of Russian Art” (State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, 2007)], issue XV. St. Petersburg, Palace Editions Publ., 2009, pp. 52 — 73 (in Russ.).

18. Lochnan K.J. The Etchings of James McNeill Whistler. New Haven, London, Yale University Press Publ., 1984, 309 p.

19. Sternin G.Yu. Khudozhestvennaya zhizn’ Rossii na rubezhe XIX—XX vekov [The Artistic Life of Russia at the Turn of the 19th—20th Centuries]. Moscow, Iskusstvo Publ., 1970, 293 p.

20. Lapshina N.P. Mir iskusstva: ocherki istorii i tvorcheskoi praktiki [The World of Art: Essays on History and Creative Practice]. Moscow, Iskusstvo Publ., 1977, 343 p.

21. Vyazova E.S. “Whistlerianism” in Russia at the Turn of the 19th — 20th Centuries, Uistler i Rossiya [Whistler and Russia]. Moscow, SkanRus Publ., 2006, pp. 86—117 (in Russ.).

22. Pennell J. Whistler as Etcher and Lithographer, The Burlington Magazine, 1903, vol. 7, no. XVIII, pp. 160—168.

23. Apollo, 1911, no. 2.