North Caucasus in the Russian literature and art in the second half of the 19th century

Thу article devoted to the analysis of the problems of reflection of the Caucasian motives in the works of Russian writers, poets and artists who visited the North Caucasus in the second half of the 19th century. The author focuses on the historical ties between the peoples of the North Caucasus and the Russian people, arisen in particular due to creative figures of Russian culture. Literary works associated with Caucasus were created by Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Leo Tolstoy, writers and poets of the "Silver Age" of Russian culture as well as the representatives of Soviet literature. Those works are full of artistic realism and truth of life. The author raises a number of issues related to the work of Russian artists, who found unique basis for their creations in the aesthetics of the North Caucasus landscapes. It is concluded that the Caucasian theme of Russian culture acted as a measure of talent, objectivity and moral convictions of the artist, poet or writer, showing their civic consciousness, commitment to universal ideals.