"Pavel Florensky - Russian Leonardo"
ARTinvestment.RU   23 ноября 2012

The exhibition is dedicated to the Russian religious philosopher, theologian, scholar, poet and priest Pavel Alexandrovich Florensky. The exhibition includes drawings, documents, book illustrations, portraits and photos

Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, November 23 - December 16, 2012
st. Ostozhenka, 16

VA Komorowski. Portrait of. Pavel Florensky. 1924
Wood, tempera, oil
Source: mamm- mdf.ru ​​


PA Florensky. Scheme territorial migration of ancient philosophy. From an album of illustrations for the course of classical Greek philosophy. 1908-1909
Paper, watercolor, pencil, ink
Source: mamm-mdf.ru ​​


PA Florensky . Illustration of the work "in the imaginary geometry". 1922
Indian ink
Source: mamm-mdf. ru

Tonight in the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow presents "Florensky - Russian Leonardo". The exhibition tells the story of the Russian religious philosopher, theologian, scholar, poet and priest Pavel Alexandrovich Florensky (1882-1937), one of the most striking and tragic era of representatives of cultural and religious renaissance of the Silver Age, in December will be 75 years from the day of his martyrdom.

The exposition includes unique exhibits from the Museum-apartment of the priest Pavel Florensky: drawings, manuscripts, memorial items, portraits, photographs, illustrations scientist for the course of classical Greek philosophy, materials related to scientific research in photography, mineralogy, the study of permafrost, the production of iodine from seaweed and agar-agar. First demonstrated a few photos from the original glass negatives made Florensky in the late XIX century, and the manuscript of the treatise "The alleged government in the future," written in the extreme conditions of detention at the Lubyanka in 1933.

Priest Pavel Florensky rightly styled Russian Leonardo da Vinci. Brilliant thinker and scientist, engineer and inventor, he has made a significant contribution to philosophy and theology, philology and art history, mathematics, and physics, ethnography and museology, electrical engineering and geology. Unusual versatility of talent and creative interests of the Russian encyclopedic knowledge of the twentieth century. Having started his career with an outstanding theological writings, he also did research on the material world and the history of human culture. Numerous publications and research scientists around the world suggest that the life, personality and creativity PA Florensky have common cultural and church-wide significance. "Creativity priest Pavel Florensky refutes some idea about the alleged incompatibility of the spirit of research, on the one hand, and the Christian understanding of the world - on the other side. The very way of life of the thinker and scientist led him to the need to implement a reconciliation of reason and faith, "- emphasized the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II.

Pavel Florensky was born on 9/22 January 1882 , near Yevlakh (now Azerbaijan) in the family of an engineer. His childhood and adolescence were held in Georgia. "Most of what I bought intellectually, received from the school. And in spite of it. Father gave me a lot personally. But mostly I learned from nature, tried to get out, quickly got rid of the lessons. Then I painted, photographed, studied. These were the observations of the geological nature, weather, etc., but always on the basis of physics. I read and wrote, too often in the nature. Passion for knowledge absorbed all my attention and time "(P. Florensky. Autobiography. 1927).
In August 1899, in the heart of the young Florensky (he was only 17 years old) make deep internal coup, turning it to a religion. The time remaining until the end of high school, the parents, especially the father, devoted persuade the son of a university education for future research activities. Despite all the turmoil, crisis and to begin disagreement with parents, PA Florensky graduated from high-school course first, with the gold medal.

In 1900, PA Florensky joined the Physics and Mathematics at Moscow University. Among his teachers were the famous scientists and professors Mlodzeevskii, Lakhtin, NE Zhukovsky, S. Troubetzkoy, particularly influenced by Professor NV Bugaev, a founder of the Moscow school of mathematics. During his studies at the University of PA Florensky befriended the poet A. White (son Bugaev), and through him met with the Symbolists: Brusov, KD Balmont, DS Merezhkovsky Z. Gippius, Blok. But almost immediately showed up and deep personal and ideological differences PA Florensky with most of the Symbolists. Despite the fact that he was considered one of the most talented students with a great scientific future, in the spring of 1904, after graduating with honors from the University of Moscow, PA Florensky entered the Moscow Theological Academy. Since then, his whole life was connected with the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the walls of which he had lived for nearly 30 years.

Ph.D. work Florensky "of religious truth" (1908) became the nucleus of his famous book "The Pillar and Ground of the Truth" (1914). Its author has succeeded, so to speak, to connect Athens and Jerusalem - the secular and the spiritual culture.

The rank of Professor PA Florensky professor at the Moscow Theological Academy, the history of philosophy (1908-1919). The subject of his lecture was extensive: Plato and Kant, thinking and thinking of the West European Jews, the occult and Christianity, a religious cult and culture. In 1911, he was ordained a priest. He was the chief editor of "Theology Bulletin", the rector of St.. Mary Magdalene in Sergiev Posad (1912-1917), tried to bring his youthful desire to create a synthesis of culture and church.

P. A. Florensky wrote extensively on European spiritual crisis in which Russia was involved and often talked about her impending collapse due to loss of spiritual and national foundations. The revolution was not a surprise. His opinion that the establishment of Soviet power has a natural and irreversible to time in nature, and thus have to take everything with you that it is, except for atheism, Father Paul led to real political loyalty to the Soviet regime in the ideological confrontation which imposed an atheistic ideology. "Testament", which began April 11, 1917, confirms that he foresaw the coming trials of Russia, and his tragic fate.

After the revolution, he took holy orders and refused to emigrate, answering this offer words of St. Paul: "Be happy with what we have." He wanted to finish and all of the people and to share the fate of Russia. "Father Paul organically could not and did not want to be an immigrant in the sense of a voluntary or involuntary separation from home, and he and his fate is the glory and the greatness of Russia, while at the same time its greatest crime" (Archpriest Sergei Bulgakov).

From October 1918 to May 1920, PA Florensky was the keeper of the monastery sacristy and the scientific secretary of the Commission for the protection of works of art and antiquities of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, obey the museum department of the People's Commissariat of Education. Nationalised values ​​were then called Laura threatened by looting, destruction and irreparable loss. As a result, the Commission was saved ecclesiastical and national treasure of immeasurable cultural and material values. On the Commission, the priest Pavel Florensky one of the first in the world developed the idea of ​​a "living museum", requiring the preservation of each object in the environment and relationships in which it arises and lives. However, in 1920 and subsequent years trying to save the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and Optina desert as living centers of spiritual culture was doomed, but time has proved the truth of thought and effort father Paul.

In 1920 -s PA Florensky worked in various public institutions of research character. Edited "Technical Encyclopedia", worked in educational and research institutions and in industry ("SEC Glavelektro RSFSR" plant "Karbolit"). The very appearance of his cassock there was a challenge to state atheism, and a striking refutation of allegations of "darkness and ignorance" of the clergy. Numerous inventions and discoveries about. Paul in the natural sciences and engineering are far ahead of their time.

In August 1921, the priest Pavel Florensky was approved by Professor printing and graphic faculty of the Higher Art and Technical Studios (Higher Art), where for three years, he taught courses "Analysis of prospects." Together with like-minded B. Favorsky and P. Ya Pavlinova , he defended the value and importance of universal forms of culture, full of spiritual meaning. PA Florensky pointed inferiority of linear perspective as an artistic method of image space, and introduced the concept of "reverse perspective" of particular importance in iconography. His activity in the Higher Art been criticized by constructivists and ideologists of the "Left Front of the Arts." At the same time Florensky participates in the Moscow Institute of Museum and artistic research, collaborating with the union of artists and poets "Makovets." He makes a significant contribution to the study of linguistic phenomena related to human exposure suggestive sounds and words, first of all, prayer, and in particular - the name. "The word is the concentration method," - says Florensky, therefore prayer as a "powerful magic word" does not require an indispensable understanding of its meaning and the individual effort of will, she concentrates energy spirit. "Consider what is magical about the word, it means to understand how and why the word can we influence the world" ("The antinomy of language"). Considering texts futurists Florensky gave an exhaustive analysis of the avant-garde poetry and avant-garde in art as such.

Druzhba PA Florensky valued prominent philosophers and writers, artists and musicians, Bulgakov, V. Rozanov, Losev, White, Khlebnikov, M. Voloshin , M. Nesterov , B. Tabor, M. Yudin and others.

In 1922 the book was published Pavel Florensky "imaginaries in geometry," in which he uses mathematical extrapolations and paradoxes of relativity theory of Einstein, based on the geometry of N. Lobachevsky, boldly argued the existence of the supernatural world, the center of which is God, the Creator and Sustainer. Archpriest Alexander Men emphasized that Florensky simultaneously and independently of Friedmann (1888-1925) came to the idea of ​​curved space and the theory of the expanding universe. In the last section, "imaginary" Copernican and Ptolemaic mapped (as embodied in the "Divine Comedy" by Dante) world view and argues in favor of the truth of the latter. Florensky wrote about the reversibility of time in mountain world and the possibility of breaking into the world beyond the threshold of superluminal velocities. The book was one of the reasons for the charges Florensky in mysticism and the subsequent persecution against him.

In 1928, Fr. Florensky was arrested and exiled to Nizhny Novgorod. After the return from exile (in the same year), worked at the State Experimental Electrotechnical Institute. Under the influence of Florensky Andrew White wrote in his time famous lines: "The world was eager to experiment Curie atomic bomb bursting of the electronic jet hecatombs unfulfilled ..." Daughter of Paul Alexandrovich Olga remembered the words of his father in the early 1930s, when the Soviet Union began research in nuclear physics ( in Moscow Physical-Technical Institute and the , Leningrad ): «I could invent a weapon that could win the whole world but I will not do it, no, I will not »...

In 1933, a scientist accused of counter-revolutionary activities and sent to the Far East, and in 1934 was transferred to the Solovki Special Purpose Camp. 75 years ago, December 8th, 1937 Priest Pavel Florensky was shot. The alleged burial place - Levashovskaya wasteland.

Archpriest Sergei Bulgakov wrote about a friend, "I knew it mathematician and physicist, theologian and linguist, philosopher, religious historian, poet, scholar and connoisseur of art and profound mysticism. The spiritual center of his personality, the sun, which covered all his gifts was his priesthood. Of all my contemporaries whom I was to meet in my long life, he is the greatest, and the greatest crime is raised her hand. He walked away, illuminated by a halo of more than a martyr, but for Christ confessor in the persecution of Antichrist ».

In life, Pavel Florensky photographers exceptional place, he loved photography and photographic art fascinated with adolescent years. Each photograph was his enduring symbol, capturing a moment of eternity as a tribute. It is no accident book cases in the study were decorated with photographs of the thinker of the Acropolis, ancient statues and bas-reliefs. As a student, yearning for family and friends, he wrote to his father: "Only consolation photographer who uvesil room." Catching up later, in the middle years, the study of his ancestry, he lovingly and carefully retake old photos (they are represented in the exhibition). In "Analysis of space and time in art-graphic works" (1924-1925), in other lectures on art Florensky laid the conceptual foundations of philosophy photos . In 1930, the scientist has developed a compact device that allows you to take photographs in invisible rays without a source of electric current in the dark and silent. The unit was named "aidograf," which means "drawing invisible", and patented (with G. J. Arjakas) as "a manual device for photographing invisible rays", ie in the infrared and ultraviolet light, beyond the visible spectrum. In the Far East link, examining permafrost and ice crystals, Florensky skillfully used microscopic and fashioned a special camera to the microscope. Even earlier, in 1922, he invented the ultra-microscope with a shift (see "Bulletin of Engineers", 1922, № 4). And in a prison cell in Solovki were with him all the time pictures of his wife and children. In his speculations Florensky anticipated distant future, when people learn to "make an instant mental observation of the universe, its sections, perpendicular to the direction of time (assuming a single time the universe exists), giving like instant photos of the world».

Source: mamm-mdf.ru ​​