Peredvizhniki (Russian: передви́жники, IPA: [pɪrɪˈdviʐnɪkɪ]), alternatively known in English as The Wanderers or The Itinerants, constituted a collective of Russian realist artists who established an artists' cooperative to challenge prevailing academic constraints; this collective subsequently transformed into the Society for Travelling Art Exhibitions, abbreviated as Peredvizhniks, in 1870.
History
In 1863, a cohort of fourteen students departed from the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg. These students perceived the Academy's regulations as restrictive, noting that the faculty adhered to conservative principles and maintained a rigid demarcation between elevated and popular art forms. Driven by a desire to democratize art, the students established an autonomous artistic society, The Petersburg Cooperative of Artists (Artel). By 1870, this organization was primarily superseded by the Association of Travelling Art Exhibits (Peredvizhniki), with the dual objectives of disseminating Russian artistic accomplishments to provincial populations and cultivating public appreciation for art. The society operated autonomously, eschewing governmental patronage, and disseminated art depicting the contemporary lives of individuals from Moscow and Saint Petersburg throughout the provinces.
From 1871 to 1923, the society orchestrated 48 itinerant exhibitions in St. Petersburg and Moscow, which were subsequently presented in Kiev, Kharkov, Kazan, Oryol, Riga, Odessa, among other urban centers.
Influence of Literary Critics
The Peredvizhniki drew inspiration from the public perspectives of literary critics Vissarion Belinsky and Nikolai Chernyshevsky, both proponents of liberal ideologies. Belinsky posited that literature and art ought to bear social and moral accountability. Like most Slavophiles, Chernyshevsky fervently advocated for the emancipation of serfs, a goal ultimately achieved through the 1861 reform. He regarded press censorship, serfdom, and capital punishment as manifestations of Western influence. Due to his political engagement, authorities proscribed the publication of his works, including his dissertation; nevertheless, his ideas ultimately permeated the nineteenth-century Russian art scene. In 1863, shortly following the emancipation of serfs, Chernyshevsky's objectives were actualized through the Peredvizhniki, who embraced the prevalent Slavophile-populist notion of Russia possessing a distinct, understated, intrinsic beauty and devised methods to render it on canvas.
Subjects of the Paintings
The Peredvizhniki depicted multifaceted dimensions of social existence, frequently critiquing inequities and injustices. However, their artistic output encompassed not merely destitution but also the aesthetic qualities of folk life, and not solely suffering but also the resilience and strength of character. The Peredvizhniki denounced the Russian aristocratic hierarchies and autocratic governance through their humanistic artistic expressions. They sympathetically rendered the Russian people's emancipation movement (for example, The Arrest of a Propagandist, Refusal of Confession, and They Did Not Expect Him by Ilya Yefimovich Repin). They illustrated social-urban existence, subsequently employing historical art to portray the populace (The Morning of the Streltsy Execution by Vasily Surikov).
During their period of flourishing (1870–1890), the Peredvizhniki society expanded its thematic range, incorporating more naturalistic and unconstrained imagery. Departing from the prevailing dark palettes of the era, they adopted a lighter chromatic range and a more uninhibited technical approach. They strove for verisimilitude in their portrayals, emphasizing the human connection to the environment. The society amalgamated many of the nation's most gifted artists. The Peredvizhniki included artists from Ukraine, Latvia, and Armenia. The society also exhibited the creations of Mark Antokolski, Vasili Vereshchagin, and Andrei Ryabushkin. The work of the critic and democrat Vladimir Stasov played a significant role in shaping Peredvizhniki art. Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov exhibited the works of these artists in his gallery, providing substantial material and moral encouragement.
Landscape as the Predominant Genre
The period between the 1870s and 1880s witnessed a significant flourishing of landscape painting. The Peredvizhniki artists predominantly focused on landscapes, with some, such as Polenov, employing the plein air technique. Ivan Shishkin and Isaak Levitan exclusively depicted Russian landscapes; Shishkin remains recognized as the "Singer of the Forest," while Levitan's works are celebrated for their profound emotional intensity. Following the Peredvizhniki movement, the Russian landscape attained considerable significance as a national symbol.
The Peredvizhniki artists rendered landscapes to both explore the inherent beauty of their homeland and to foster a sense of appreciation and preservation among the populace. Isaak Levitan articulated this sentiment, stating, "I envision such elegance in our Russian land – with overflowing rivers revitalizing everything. No country surpasses Russia in beauty! A genuine landscapist can only emerge in Russia." Through their work, the Peredvizhniki imbued landscapes with a distinct national character, enabling international recognition of Russian scenery. Consequently, their landscapes serve as symbolic representations of Russian national identity.
Reproduction of Works
While attendance at the traveling exhibitions by provincial visitors steadily increased over time, the primary audience remained the urban elite. Early reproductions of Peredvizhniki paintings were produced by local photographers, contributing to the popularization of these works and making them available for purchase at exhibitions. The magazine Niva further disseminated awareness by publishing illustrated articles on these exhibitions. From 1898 onwards, the society's landscape works were adapted for the postcard industry. Additionally, numerous poetry collections featured landscape illustrations. Given that most ordinary Russian citizens of that era could not travel to Moscow or Saint Petersburg, the widespread popularization of Russian art introduced them to a significant array of national masterpieces. Contemporary publishers continue to utilize these reproductions in textbooks, serving as visual emblems of national identity.
Decline of Creative Output
With the continuous growth in the society's authority and public influence, governmental attempts to suppress its members ceased. Efforts were subsequently directed towards integrating their activities and enhancing the diminishing prestige of works sanctioned by the Academy of Arts. By the 1890s, the Academy of Arts had incorporated Peredvizhniki art into its curriculum and historical narratives, and the artists' influence became evident in national art schools.
Gallery
Members
Prominent Peredvizhniki artists included:
- Abram Arkhipov
- Ivan Bogdanov
- Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky
- Alexey Bogolyubov
- Pavel Brullov
- Nikolai Ge
- Kārlis Hūns
- Nikolay Kasatkin
- Alexander Kiselyov
- Ivan Kramskoi
- Arkhip Kuindzhi
- Nikolai Kuznetsov
- Isaac Levitan
- Rafail Levitsky
- Alexander Litovchenko
- Vladimir Makovsky
- Vassily Maximov
- Grigoriy Myasoyedov
- Leonid Pasternak
- Vasily Perov
- Konstantin Pervukhin
- Vasily Polenov
- Illarion Pryanishnikov
- Ilya Repin
- Andrei Ryabushkin
- Antonina Rzhevskaya
- Konstantin Savitsky
- Alexei Savrasov
- Valentin Serov
- Emily Shanks
- Ivan Shishkin
- Alexei Stepanov
- Vasily Surikov
- Vitaly Tikhov
- Apollinary Vasnetsov
- Viktor Vasnetsov
- Yefim Volkov
- Nikolai Yaroshenko
- Nikolai Zagorsky
- List of Russian artists
- List of 20th-century Russian painters
References
Society of Wandering Art Exhibits. Letters and Documents. 1869–1899. Vol. 1, 2. Iskusstvo Publishing House, Moscow, 1987. (Originally published in Russian)
- Society of Wandering Art Exhibits. Letters and Documents. 1869–1899. Vol. 1, 2., Publisher ‘Iskusstvo’, Moscow, 1987. Text in Russian
- Steiner, Evgeny. "The Battle for 'The People's Cause' or for the Market Case?" *Cahiers du Monde Russe*, vol. 50, no. 4, 2009, pp. 627–646.
- Steiner, Evgeny. "Pursuing Independence: Kramskoi and the Itinerants Versus the Academy of Arts." *Russian Review*, no. 70, 2011, pp. 252–271.
- "A Battle for the 'People's Cause' or for the Market Case" – Cairn.info
- "The Seeds of Russia's Cultural Revolution: The Peredvizhniki (Wanderers) and the Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions"
- Society of Traveling Exhibitions Web Site (in Russian)