The phenomenon of painting ekphrasis in the poetry of G. Derzhavin, K. Batiushkov and A. Polezhaev

   Through Byzantium, Ancient Russia appeared to be the direct heiress to Ancient Greece. By studying interactions of these cultures, we study the history of preserving spiritual values significant in antiquity, perceived and rethought by Russian culture: beauty, harmony, calocagathy, eidos and many others. One of the important categories conceptualized by anthological lyrical poetry is the category of plastic beauty as a variant of a special ethical and aesthetic ideal. The article considers the genesis and development of the ekphrasis phenomenon, one of the variants of expressing “plastic beauty”, which from the 18th century was perceived as a phenomenon that arose at the intersection of arts. This phenomenon is analyzed based on the works of poets of various aesthetic views. We study the form of the painting ekphrasis embodiment in the anthological lyrical poetry of G. Derzhavin, K. Batyushkov and A. Polezhaev - an “imaginary portrait”. Owing to ekphrasis, the authors achieve the synthesis of painting and poetry in their poems. Derzhavin sees the ideal of plastic beauty in terms of calocagathy, in the harmony of external and internal, Batyushkov focuses on the earthly embodiment of the ideal of beauty, which contributes to the emergence of erotic motifs. Polezhaev creates an unattainable ideal that can cause pain and suffering to his character.

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