Illuminated by Darkness: Two Symbolist Masterpieces

  • Artemy Magun
Keywords: symbolism, negativity, Lars von Trier, Jacek Malcziewski, aesthetics

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the problem of negativity in modernist art. It ties together the substantive gloom of a modernist artwork with the catastrophes that happen at the level of its form. In this sense, there is a difference among the shock aesthetic of mass culture, the abstraction of avant-garde, and the ideological and figurative construction that is provided by a symbolist artwork. The article offers an apology of symbolism, primarily in plastic arts, and demonstrates its incessant influence.

Author Biography

Artemy Magun

PhD in Philosophy, PhD in Political Science, Professor of Democratic Theory
European University at St Petersburg, Department of Political Science and Sociology 
Gagarinskaya ul., d. 6/1A, Saint Petersburg, Russia 191187
e-mail: amagun@eu.spb.ru

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Published
2018-12-28
How to Cite
Magun, A. (2018). Illuminated by Darkness: Two Symbolist Masterpieces. Stasis, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.33280/2310-3817-2018-6-2-222-253
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