Musical ideas and images in the works of K. S. Petrov-Vodkin

K. S. Petrov-Vodkin (1878–1939) is an outstanding Russian painter, graphic artist, book illustrator, theater artist. He is also known as the author of literary works, works of a theoretical nature on issues of art, and a person with a keen sense of music. Comparisons and images that carry musical semantics appear in the literary works of Petrov-Vodkin. He shares with his family and friends in letters about his experiences with music; from the memoirs of his contemporaries, we know about his successful experiences playing the violin and piano. It is not surprising that music on a symbolic level is organically present in a number of his paintings. First, this is the artist’s early symbolist work, where images appear that carry musical meaning or motifs of dance. However, already at the initial stage of post-revolutionary creativity, musical plasticity and rhythm in his works became less and less. However, it is possible to highlight a number of still life compositions that include the image of a violin, the artist’s favorite musical instrument. We can conclude that Petrov-Vodkin’s “musical” works are attractive, filled with expression and expressive color. Music at the associative level is present in each of them, which is achieved through the rhythmic organization of the composition and the presence of certain symbols, such as notes, musical instruments, dance movements of figures. All this enhances the artistic imagery of the paintings and deepens their ideological and semantic meaning. To date, no major research works have been devoted to the study of musical motifs and images in the work of Petrov-Vodkin, however, this aspect of studying the artist’s work seems relevant. This article attempts to systematize images with musical significance in the works of this artist, analyze them and outline new directions for studying the creative heritage of Petrov-Vodkin.