Russian Symbolism

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Western European and Russian artists and writers were captivated by the idea of the unconscious. This was true for the Russian painter Mikhail Vrubel. However, a significant difference existed between him and other artists. While most sought to consciously depict the reality of the unconscious, the invisible, and the impossible to experience, Vrubel expressed it unconsciously, as it aligned with his sensibility. He began his artistic career before the formal introduction of the Symbolist movement.

The paper will examine several of Vrubel's images of the Demon and the philosophical meaning of each of them.