The cycle of works by H.V. Savkuev based on the novellas of L.N. Tolstoy “The Cossacks” and “Hadji Murat”: artistic features and interpretation

Abstract

The study focuses on the work of Hamid Vladimirovich Savkuev, one of the leaders of the contemporary Saint Petersburg academic school, who fruitfully works in different spheres of fine arts and art education. The article examines Savkuev's series of works based on L.N. Tolstoy's novellas “The Cossacks” and “Hadji Murat”, presented at the exhibition at the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts in 2024. These are primarily graphic works made specifically for future illustrations of Tolstoy's novellas, but unusually monumental in size and complemented by sculptural objects and audio accompaniment. The study considers the morphology of the exhibition space in connection with the works presented, explores the issues of artistic interpretation and the synthesis of art forms and genres, touches upon the theme of the mutual influence of national cultures in the epoch of globalization, and highlights the innovative aspects of Savkuev's work. Through interviews and figurative, stylistic and comparative analyses, it was determined that Savkuev's works on Tolstoy's novellas intertwine the traditions of academic plastic thinking, the artist's patriotic and civic stance rooted in traditional moral and cultural values, and a modern perspective on the role of art, as well as the search for non-standard compositional and spatial solutions in the field of exhibiting and creating a synthetic artwork. The series of works being examined is significant for studying the development of contemporary illustration and Russian art in general.