The “Makovets” Association in Russian Culture

This article examines the creative legacy of “Makovets”, an artistic and literary group active in the early twentieth century. The author argues that the group was grounded in the idea of the unity of Russian culture, with its spiritual foundations shaped by reinterpretations of Christian tradition. The “Makovets” society worked within what might be called an archaeo-avant-garde approach, seeking to bring past and future, tradition and innovation, into organic conversation. Rejecting the principle of “Art for Art’s Sake”, its members advanced the slogan “Art is Life”. The leading figure of the group, Vasily Chekrygin, authored its main manifesto. He developed concepts such as the integrity of the artistic image, the religious nature of the creator, conciliar (sobornyi) art, “naïve realism”, and the interconnection of spirit and form, painting and philosophy. Chekrygin pushed art beyond a purely aesthetic category, insisting that its true purpose lies in the transfiguration of the world. At the center of his thought stood the idea of the synthesis of the arts. The article shows that, within Russian culture, this idea is often interpreted through the problem of anthropodicy, and compares Chekrygin’s position regarding the synthesis of the arts with that of Pavel Florensky, one of the intellectual supporters of “Makovets”. It also considers the influence of Nikolai Fyodorov’s works on Chekrygin’s philosophy of creativity. The article also pays particular attention to the legacy of Sergei Romanovich, Lev Zhegin, and Raisa Florenskaya. The author concludes that, a century later, the central idea of “Makovets” — the unity of culture grounded in enduring values — has regained new relevance.

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