Художественная культура (Jun 2023)
Miserabilism in French Art of the 1940s-1960s. To the Origin of the Concept
Abstract
The article discusses the emergence and evolution of the notion of miserabilism, analyses its current state, and based on the findings, gives its definition. The subject of the article is the notion of miserabilism in French art of the mid-20th century. The purpose of the article is to determine the conceptual boundaries and give a clear definition of the notion of miserabilism in relation to French art of the mid-20th century. The research was carried out based on textual materials: philosophical works, art criticism, interviews and manifestos of artists. The scientific novelty and relevance of the article lies in the analysis and development of the little-explored artistic phenomenon of miserabilism and in the author’s appeal to understudied texts on its comprehension. The analysis of the genesis of the notion of miserabilism and its current state shows that it goes beyond the existing definitions. In addition, as follows from the study, the concept of miserabilism is undergoing a significant transformation from the moment of its appearance to getting into the art history discourse. In the course of the analysis, it was possible to reveal that the notion of miserabilism stems from the philosophy of pessimism, and before being introduced into the artistic field, it takes on the meaning from existential philosophy as an interest in man and his being. Based on the study of art criticism and bringing in the statements of miserabilism artists themselves, such as F. Gruber, B. Buffet, and the “L’Homme-Témoin” group, it is established that the main thing in miserabilism is the realistic reflection of the world, as well as the image of the “little man” and their everyday life. At the end of the article, the author comes to the conclusion that miserabilism is an artistic tendency in French art of the 1940s-1960s.
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