Patronage … The word is not quite familiar to us. Everyone heard it at least once in a lifetime, but far from everyone can correctly explain the essence of this term. And this is sad, since Russia has always been famous for the fact that charity and philanthropy have been an integral part of its long tradition.
What is patronage?
If you ask anyone you know what patronage is, few will be able to give an intelligible answer right away. Yes, everyone heard about wealthy people who provide financial assistance to museums, orphanages, hospitals, children's sports organizations, aspiring artists, musicians and poets. But is all the assistance provided patronage? After all, there is still charity and sponsorship. How to distinguish these concepts from each other? This article will help to understand these difficult questions.
Patronage is a material or other other gratuitous support of individuals provided to organizations, as well as representatives of culture and art.
History of the term
The word originates from a real historical person. Guy Tsiliy Patron - that's whose name has become a household name. The noble Roman nobleman, a companion of the emperor Octavian, became famous for helping talented poets and writers persecuted by the authorities. He saved from death the author of the immortal Aeneid Virgil and many other cultural figures whose lives were threatened for political reasons.
There were other patrons of art in Rome, except for Guy Patron. Why exactly did his name become a household name and turn into a modern term? The fact is that all other wealthy benefactors would refuse to stand up for the disgraced poet or artist because of fear of the emperor. But Guy Maecenas had a very strong influence on Octavian Augustus, and was not afraid to go against his will and desire. He saved Virgil. The poet supported the political opponents of the emperor and because of this fell into disfavor. And the only one who came to his aid was a philanthropist. Therefore, the name of the other benefactors has been lost for centuries, and he forever remained in the memory of those whom he had unselfishly helped all his life.
History of patronage
The exact date of the patronage is impossible to name. The only indisputable fact is that the need for assistance to artists from the side of those endowed with power and wealth has always been. The reasons for providing such assistance were various. Someone really loved art and sincerely tried to help poets, artists and musicians. For other rich people, this was either a tribute to fashion, or a desire to show themselves as a generous donor and patron in the eyes of the rest of society. The authorities tried to provide patronage to the representatives of art in order to keep them subordinate.
Thus, patronage appeared in the period after the emergence of the state. And in the era of antiquity, and in the Middle Ages, poets and artists were in a dependent position on government officials. It was almost domestic slavery. This situation remained until the collapse of the feudal system.
In the period of absolute monarchy, patronage takes the form of pensions, awards, honorary titles, court posts.
Charity and philanthropy - is there a difference?
There is some confusion with the terminology and concepts of philanthropy, charity and sponsorship. All of them involve the provision of assistance, but the difference between them is still quite substantial, and holding an equal sign would be a mistake. It is worth considering the issue of terminology in more detail. Of all three concepts, sponsorship and patronage are the most different. The first term means providing assistance on certain conditions, or investing in a business. For example, support for an artist may be subject to the creation of a portrait of the sponsor or mention of his name in the media. Simply put, sponsorship involves any kind of benefit. Patronage is an unselfish and gratuitous aid to art and culture. The philanthropist does not prioritize the receipt of additional benefits for himself.
Next in line is charity. It is very close to the concept of philanthropy, and the difference between them is barely noticeable. This is helping people in need, and the main motive here is compassion. The concept of charity is very broad, and philanthropy acts as its specific form.
Why do people do patronage?
Russian philanthropists and philanthropists have always differed from Western ones in their approach to the issue of helping artists. If we talk about Russia, then patronage is a material support that comes from a feeling of compassion, a desire to help without extracting any benefit for oneself. In the West, there was a moment of benefiting from charity in the form of tax cuts or exemptions from them. Therefore, it is impossible to speak of complete disinterestedness here.
Why, since the 18th century, Russian philanthropists are increasingly beginning to patronize art and science, build libraries, museums and theaters?
The main driving forces here were the following reasons - the high morality, morality and religiosity of the patrons. Public opinion actively supported the ideas of compassion and mercy. Correct traditions and religious education led to such a vivid phenomenon in the history of Russia as the flowering of patronage of art in the late XIX - early XX centuries.
Patronage in Russia. History of origin and attitude of the state to this kind of activity
Charity and philanthropy in Russia have a long and deep tradition. They are primarily associated with the time Christianity appeared in Kievan Rus. At that time, charity existed as a personal aid to those in need. First of all, the church was engaged in such activities, opening strange houses for the elderly, disabled and infirm, and hospitals. The beginning of charity was laid by Prince Vladimir, officially obliging the church and monasteries to engage in public charity.
The following rulers of Russia, eradicating professional begging, at the same time continued to care for the truly needy. Hospitals, almshouses, orphanages for illegitimate and mentally ill continued to be built.
Charity in Russia has successfully developed thanks to women. Catherine I, Maria Fyodorovna and Elizaveta Alekseevna were especially distinguished in assisting the needy by the Empress.
The history of philanthropy in Russia begins at the end of the 18th century, when it becomes one of the forms of charity.
The first Russian patrons
The first patron in the history of Russia was Count Alexander Sergeevich Stroganov. One of the largest landowners in the country, the Count is most famous for being a generous benefactor and collector. Traveling a lot, Stroganov became interested in compiling a collection of paintings, stones and coins. The Count devoted much time, money and effort to the development of culture and art, and rendered help and support to such famous poets as Gabriel Derzhavin and Ivan Krylov.
Until the end of his life, Count Stroganov was the permanent president of the Imperial Academy of Arts. At the same time, he oversaw the Imperial Public Library and was its director. It was on his initiative that the construction of the Kazan Cathedral began with the involvement of not foreign, but Russian architects.
Such people as Stroganov opened the way for subsequent patrons of art who selflessly and sincerely help the development of culture and art in Russia.
The famous dynasty of the Demidovs, the founders of the metallurgical industry of Russia, is known not only for its huge contribution to the development of the country's industry, but also for its charity. Representatives of the dynasty patronized Moscow University and founded a scholarship for students from low-income families. They opened the first commercial school for merchant children. Constantly helped Demidov Educational Home. At the same time they were engaged in the collection of art collections. She became the largest private collection in the world.
Another famous patron and patron of the 18th century is Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev. He was a true connoisseur of art, especially theatrical.
At one time, he was scandalously famous for marrying his own serf, actress of the home theater Praskovye Zhemchugova. She died early and bequeathed to her husband not to quit charity work. Count Sheremetev fulfilled her request. He spent part of the capital to help artisans and homeless brides. On his initiative, the construction of the Hospice House in Moscow began. He also invested in the construction of theaters and temples.
Particular contribution of merchants to the development of patronage of arts
Many now have a completely wrong opinion about the Russian merchants of the XIX – XX centuries. It was formed under the influence of Soviet films and literary works in which the mentioned layer of society was exposed in the most unsightly way. All merchants without exception look poorly educated, focused exclusively on making profit in any way people, while completely devoid of compassion and mercy for their neighbors. This is fundamentally wrong idea. Of course, there are always and will be exceptions, but for the most part the merchants made up the most educated and informative part of the population, not counting, of course, the nobility.
But among representatives of noble families of benefactors and patrons, one could count on the fingers. Charity in Russia is entirely the merit of the merchant estate.
We have already briefly mentioned above why people began to engage in philanthropy. For most merchants and manufacturers, charity has become almost a way of life, has become an integral feature of character. Here, the fact that many wealthy merchants and bankers were descendants of the Old Believers, who were characterized by a special attitude to money and wealth, played a role. And the attitude of Russian businessmen to their activities was somewhat different than, for example, in the West. For them, wealth is not a fetish, trade is not a source of profit, but rather a kind of obligation God has entrusted.
Brought up on deep religious traditions, Russian philanthropic entrepreneurs believed that wealth is given by God, which means that responsibility must be borne for it. In fact, they thought they were obligated to help. But this was not a compulsion. Everything was done at the call of the soul.
Famous Russian patrons of the 19th century
This period is considered the heyday of charity in Russia. The rapid economic growth that has begun has contributed to the astonishing scope and generosity of wealthy people.
Famous patrons of the 19th – 20th centuries are all representatives of the merchant estate. The most prominent representatives are Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov and his less well-known brother Sergei Mikhailovich.
It must be said that the Tretyakov merchants did not possess significant wealth. But this did not prevent them from carefully collecting paintings by famous masters, spending serious amounts on them. Sergei Mikhailovich was more interested in Western European painting. After his death, the collection bequeathed to his brother was included in the collection of paintings by Pavel Mikhailovich. The art gallery that appeared in 1893 bore the name of both remarkable Russian philanthropists. If we talk only about the collection of paintings by Pavel Mikhailovich, then throughout his life, the patron Tretyakov spent about a million rubles on it. Incredible at the time the amount.
Tretyakov began to collect his collection of Russian painting in his youth. Even then, he had a precisely set goal - to open a national public gallery, so that anyone could visit it for free and join the masterpieces of Russian fine art.
To the Tretyakov brothers, we owe a magnificent monument to Russian philanthropy - the Tretyakov Gallery.
Patron Tretyakov was not the only patron of art in Russia. Savva Ivanovich Mamontov, representative of the famous dynasty, is the founder and builder of the largest railways of Russia. He did not seek fame and was completely indifferent to the awards. His only passion was a love of art. Savva Ivanovich himself was a deeply creative nature, and his business was very burdensome for him. According to contemporaries, he himself could become both a magnificent opera singer (he was even offered to perform on the stage of the Italian opera house), and a sculptor.
He turned his estate Abramtsevo into a hospitable house for Russian artists. Vrubel, Repin, Vasnetsov, Serov, and also Chaliapin constantly visited here. Mamontov provided financial assistance and patronage to all of them. But the philanthropist gave the greatest support to the theatrical art.
His relatives and business partners considered Mamontov's charity work a stupid whim, but this did not stop him. Towards the end of his life, Savva Ivanovich was ruined and barely escaped prison. He was completely justified, but could no longer do business. Until the end of his life, he was supported by all those whom he once selflessly helped.
Savva Timofeevich Morozov is an amazingly modest philanthropist who helped the Art Theater on the condition that his name would not be mentioned in the newspapers about this. And the rest of the representatives of this dynasty rendered invaluable assistance in the development of culture and art. Sergei Timofeevich Morozov was fond of Russian arts and crafts, the collection he collected was the center of the Handicraft Museum in Moscow. Ivan Abramovich was the patron saint of then unknown to Marc Chagall.
Modernity
The revolution and subsequent events interrupted the wonderful traditions of Russian philanthropy. And after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a lot of time passed before new patrons of modern Russia appeared. For them, patronage is a professionally organized part of the activity. Unfortunately, the topic of charity, which is becoming increasingly popular in Russia from year to year, is extremely sparingly covered in the media. Only a few cases become known to the general public, and most of the work of sponsors, philanthropists and charitable foundations passes by the population. If you now ask anyone you meet: “What modern patrons are known to you?”, Hardly anyone will answer this question. Meanwhile, such people need to know.
Among Russian entrepreneurs who are actively involved in charity work, it is worth noting first of all the president of Interros holding Vladimir Potanin, who in 2013 announced that he would bequeath all his fortune to charity. This was a truly stunning statement. He founded a foundation bearing his name, which is engaged in large projects in the field of education and culture. As Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hermitage, he had already donated 5 million rubles to him.
Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska, one of the most influential and richest entrepreneurs in Russia, is the founder of the Volnoe Delo charitable foundation, which is financed from the personal funds of a businessman. The fund conducted more than 400 programs, the budget of which amounted to almost 7 billion rubles. Deripaska's charitable organization is engaged in activities in the field of education, science and culture, and sports. The foundation also assists the Hermitage, many theaters, monasteries and educational centers throughout our country.
The role of patrons in modern Russia can be played not only by large businessmen, but also by officials and commercial structures. Gazprom, JSC Lukoil, CB Alfa Bank and many other companies and banks are involved in charity.
I would especially like to mention Dmitry Borisovich Zimin, the founder of Vimpel-Communications OJSC. Since 2001, having achieved steady profitability of the company, he retired and completely devoted himself to charity. He founded the Enlightener Prize and the Dynasty Foundation. According to Zimin himself, he transferred all his capital to the cause of charity absolutely free of charge. The foundation he created is engaged in supporting fundamental science in Russia.
Of course, modern patronage of art did not reach the level that was observed in the "golden" years of the 19th century. Now it is fragmentary, while philanthropists of past centuries have provided systematic support to culture and science.
