Phenomenon of Realism as an Object of Study. On the History of the Question

The article examines the complex process of critical and encyclopedic comprehension of the concept of realism during the late 19 th–20 th centuries. In the second half of the 19  th century, the declarative style of defining this concept dominated, represented mainly by the journalism of V.V. Stasov. However, already in the encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron, articles appear that claim to seriously comprehend the phenomenon of realism in the plastic arts. Traditionally relying on Courbet's position, serious authors attempt to objectively determine the features of this phenomenon, its origin and evolution. All three editions of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia also contribute to this process. The authors of the relevant articles, although they give priority to the literary aspects of the problem, are also beginning to mention the plastic arts. They are gradually moving away from orthodox sociologism towards a truly art criticism analysis of the subject. The remaining high degree of uncertainty in the theoretical understanding of the phenomenon of realism has become an incentive to carry out a research project with the participation of the author of this publication. With all the scale of the analysis undertaken, the grandiose topic allows us to state the need to continue work in this direction, which calls on representatives of the art history community.