Victor Hugo’s Spiritualistic Drawings: Between Marginality and Surrealistic Images – МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ

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Daria O. MARTYNOVA
Saint Petersburg State University
7-9, Universitetskaya embankment, Saint Petersburg, 199034 Russian Federation
Senior Lecturer of the Institute of History
PhD in Art Studies
e-mail: d.o.martynova@gmail.com
ORCID: 0000-0003-0426-6458

Victor Hugo’s Spiritualistic Drawings: Between Marginality and Surrealistic Images

Abstract: The subject of this study is Victor Hugo's mediumistic drawings and the reasons for the formation of spiritualistic images within the writer's work. The main attention in the study is paid to the representation of spiritualistic practices in the analyzed drawings as a marker of the liminal not only in the works of Victor Hugo, but also in the culture of the XIX century as a whole. The purpose of this article is to analyze the history of the creation of “Spiritual albums” in the socio-cultural context of the second half of the XIX century to identify the formation of new cultural images and artistic techniques, as well as the degree of influence of Hugo's work on the formation of new trends in the art of the twentieth century. After describing a number of drawings from the “Spiritual Album”, their genesis and mythopoetic coordinates and entering them into the socio-cultural context, the author came to the conclusion that Hugo, responding to the phenomena popular in his period, anticipated the crisis of classical art and the search for new forms and materials that led to the formation of abstraction, automatism and aesthetics of the ugly and wild in the art of the twentieth century. This is confirmed by the appeal of the Surrealists to the works of Hugo in a number of manifestos. In addition, Hugo often decorated his drawings with household products: lace, juice and coffee. These materials themselves contributed to the unusual vision of the master. However, it is important to note that Victor Hugo can hardly be considered a full-fledged forerunner of art Brut or surrealism: his images and techniques were predetermined by the cultural environment and were carefully thought out by him.

Key words: Victor Hugo, spiritualistic drawings, art of the XIXth century, marginalia in art, spiritualism, surrealism, art brut.

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For Citation:

Martynova, D. (2023) Victor Hugo’s Spiritualistic Drawings: Between Marginality and Surrealistic Images. International Journal of Cultural Research, 3 (52). 22–33. DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2023_3_22

DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2023_3_22