The interaction between verbal and visual components in the art of symbolists: Aleksandr Block and fra Filippo Lippi

This article explores one of the most fundamental dimensions of Russian Symbolism: life-creation. As an example, the author has chosen the following situation: poet Blok thought that his fiancé and future wife, Mendeleeva, resembles "the Madonna in Sorrow" by Italian Painter, Sassoferrato. The motif of comparing one's fiancé and wife with Madonna also occurred in the poetry of Lermontov and Pushkin. The connection of the symbol of Beautiful Lady in Blok's lyrics with its real life prototype, the wife of the poet, and with the image of Madonna, helps us to understand the nature of a symbol in the poetry of fin de siècle. The paper explores how Blok's innovative artistic ideas impacted his own life and fate, including his relationship with his wife. The process of art influencing life is also analyzed in connection with the story of the Italian artist, Fra Filippo Lippi and his beloved, who was the prototype of his own depiction of Madonnas. The paper examines the role of this subplot in Blok's cycle, Italian Verses, and in his conception of life-creation in general. The concrete historic-literary material enables us to address the question of the interaction between the visual and verbal components in the art of the Symbolists.