LLISP26TH11 - The Russian Silver Age, 1890s-1920s.

Course Description

The Russian Silver Age began in the 1890s and lasted until the 1920s. During this time, Russia experienced an explosion of creativity in literature, theater, painting, music, and dance. Artists like Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Diaghilev, Vaslav Nijinsky, George Balanchine, Anna Akhmatova, Wassily Kandinsky, Konstantin Stanislavsky, and Vladimir Mayakovsky challenged all the traditional rules for music, poetry, art, theater, and dance. They would thrill, shock, and outrage the cultural elite of Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as their audiences in Paris, London, and New York. Yet this glorious period was harshly interrupted by World War I, followed by revolution and civil war. Many artists decided to emigrate, and they would bring their creative ideas with them to Western Europe and especially to the United States, where they would have lasting influences on music, theatre, dance, and painting. In class, we will discuss the writers, artists, and musicians, and their impact on modern art. Slides of their paintings and videos of recent performances of the dances created by The Ballets Russes will be shown in class.