Mystical and Theosophical Influences in Soviet Fine Art (1920s - 1980s)

Abstract

The fascination with esotericism in the Russian artistic community of the Silver Age has been studied quite well, but we cannot claim the same about a similar phenomenon in the Soviet era, mostly due to censorship restrictions and the typical secrecy of the mystic artists themselves. Nowadays the relevant information can be collected in the artists’ personal archives and correspondence, as well as in the memoirs. The belonging of certain artists to cultural societies where communication on such topics took place is equally important, e. g. the so-called “Roerich movement” and, in particular, the circles formed around the artists-cosmists of the creative group “Amaravella”. Finally, the connection of a number of artists with the corresponding cultural centers is of great importance for these studies: e. g. the Darwin Museum in Moscow (created initially as an anthroposophical center), or the theosophist Maximilian Voloshin’s house-museum in Koktebel. This paper explores these mystical-theosophical influences on painting and sculpture in the USSR.