Федоровское учение в творчестве Павла Филонова

Among Russian artists Pavel Filonov is the best interpreter of the basic ideas of Fedorov concerning man's destination on earth. Filonov's art can be considered an attempt to overcome the “unbrotherly” situation of the world. Just as Fedorov, Filonov thought that this situation was caused by urban culture — the embodiment of the mechanical principle and estrangement among people. Hence his hostile attitude towards the city (most clearly expressed in the painting Man and Woman, 1912—1913) and the emphasis on the rural, organic principle of life, which presupposes the introduction of reason and freedom into nature (examples are the anthropomorphic flower heads and stalks, and the flowerlike gardeners in his paintings). Filonov's expectations for the role of scientific knowledge in artistic work brings us back again to the philosophical ideas of Fedorov concerning the scientific and technical regulation of nature and the entire cosmos. We can see that, for instance, in titles of his paintings as The Formula of Spring, The Formula of the Blossoming of the World, The Formula of the Cosmos, The Formula of the Universe. Even in his own life Filonov was an ardent supporter of Fedorov's views, which was apparent from his negative attitude towards the selling of his paintings, his refusal of being paid for his lessons and his idea to create the future Museum of Analytical Art.