THE ORIGINS OF DECADENCE IN EUROPEAN FINE ART OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE XIX – EARLY XX CENTURIES

Abstract

The article deals with the question of the formation of decadence in European cultural space and fine arts at the end of the 19th century. Also, the sociocultural and historical processes that caused changes in public sentiment and creative processes are analyzed. The main stylistic features, themes and images inherent in decadence painting are highlighted. In addition, attention is paid to the question of the distinction between decadence and another leading direction of the art of the turn of the centuries – symbolism. Their stylistic and ideological peculiarities are compared,
which allows us to consider decadence and symbolism as separate directions in the visual arts.