Russian avant garde

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ART HISTORY 4450 Russian Avant-Garde

Russian Avant-Garde •

context: political – pre-World War I • Russians’ humiliating defeat by Japanese • Revolutionary strikes • Czar Nicholas II (1894–1917) – forced to grant a representative national body (Duma) » met for the first time in 1906 » narrowly limited suffrage elects the officials » little influence over Nicholas during WWI

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context: economic/cultural – economic boom (railway construction) • new class of wealthy collectors • progressive plutocrats (e.g., Schukin) vs. conservative aristocracy – became aggressive collectors of new French art (i.e., Matisse, Picasso)

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Russian Avant-Garde •

context: aesthetic – “Jack of Diamonds” group • founded in Moscow (1910) • name: highlights interest in popular/naive art forms & irreverence for tradition • aim: to present exhibitions of new European and Russian art • aesthetic: influenced by avant-garde developments – “Donkey’s Tail” Exhibition (March 1912) • significance: first large all-Russian avant-garde show • aesthetic: inspired by native Russian sources • aim: conscious breakaway from Europe • participants – Larionov – Goncharova – Malevich – Tatlin

Rayonism • Larionov (1881-1964) – – –

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biography: son of doctor/pharmacist training: Moscow School of of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (1898) exhibition history: • Salon d'Automne in Paris (1906) • organized “Golden Fleece” exhibition of modern French painting in Moscow (1908) – as a result, artists experiment w/ Post-Impressionism expelled by Moscow School of Painting for organizing demonstration against school's teaching methods (1910) Rayonism officially launched (1913) exhibited w/ Goncharova in Paris (1914) WWI: returned to Russia w/ Goncharova • Larionov drafted into army • injured; affected ability to concentrate and resulted in decline of artistic energy produced set designs for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes (1914-1929) died in poverty

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Rayonism: Larionov •

White Rayonism (1912) –

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aesthetic: non-representational • synthesis of Cubism, Futurism, & Orphism aim: to portray in 2-d spatial qualities of reflected light spatial order: 2-d • no use of linear or aerial perspective forms: • obtained through crossing of reflected rays from various objects • compare to Boccioni’s Futurist “systemization of the interpenetration of planes” – force-lines – arabesque curves composition: dynamic color: limited to one primary + black /white

Larionov’s Rayonist Landscape (1912)

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Rayonism: Larionov •

Boulevard Venus (1913) – – – –

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subject: urban theme: mythological reference setting: abstracted spatial order: shallow • difficult to assemble linear or aerial perspective figure: abstracted • flattened volume • seen simultaneously in stride/movement – relate to Futurism composition: relatively dynamic color: vibrant light/shadow: unpainted white canvas suggests highlights brushwork: crude handling

Rayonism • Goncharova (1881-1962) –

biography: • born into impoverished aristocratic family • related to poet Pushkin • Larionov’s collaborator & companion for more than 60 years

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early work (c. 1906-10) • visit to Paris (1906) – examined Fauves & protoCubist work of Picasso • “Primitivist” style – combined interests » peasant art » icon painting

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exhibition history: • Blaue Reiter (1912-14) • one-woman shows – Moscow (1913) – St. Petersburg (1914) • joint exhibition w/ Larionov (1923)

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Rayonism: Goncharova • Cutting Hay (1910) – – – –

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subject: rural theme: proletariat perspective: linear & aerial forms: abstracted (see PostImpressionism) • simplified features • flattened volumes • outlined in thick contours composition: combines dynamic & stabilizing elements color: earth tones applied onto broad areas light/shadow: absent brushwork: patchy

Rayonism: Goncharova •

Yellow and Green Forest (1912) – spatial order: slight indications of depth & perspective – forms: Cubo-Futurist fracturing – light/shadow: fractures forms into faceted planes – composition: bi-lateral symmetry enlivened by diagonal sense of movement – color: vibrant, luminous • adjacent surfaces reflect neighboring hues • dynamic slashes of black & white

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Rayonism: Goncharova • Blue-Green Forest (1913) – spatial order: indications of depth & perspective eliminated – forms: fractured in Cubo-Futurist method by effects of light – light/shadow: fractures forms into faceted planes composition: dynamic diagonals – color: vibrant, luminous • adjacent surfaces reflect neighboring hues • dynamic slashes of black & white

Rayonism: Goncharova • Cats (1913) – aim: did not seek spirituality – spatial order: nearly 2-d – process: objects serve as point of departure • motif  two black cats w/ tabby in-between – forms: fractured by light in CuboFuturist method – color: • suggests effects of light • adjacent surfaces reflect neighboring hues • dynamic slashes of black & white

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Goncharova’s Cyclist (1913)

(Left) Goncharova’s [Russian] Rayonist Cyclist (1913) vs. (right) Boccioni’s [Italian] Futurist Dynamism of a Cyclist (1913)

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Goncharova’s Rayonist Airplane over a Train (1913)

Suprematism: Malevich (1878-1935) •

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training: – Kiev School of Art – Moscow Academy of Fine Arts (190410) publications: – From Cubism to Suprematism (1915) – The Non-Objective World (1927) aesthetic: non-objective aims: – to free art from the material world – no longer bound to the canvas (picture plane) – pure, unapplied form – infallibility of nonobjective feeling – to set up a genuine world order, a new philosophy of life – no longer concerned w/ providing illustrations of history of manners

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Malevich •

Morning in the Country after Snowstorm (1910) – subject: proletariat – setting: abstracted natural & architectural forms – spatial order: retains linear &

aerial perspective – figure: abstracted • compare to Leger’s Tubism • pure geometric shapes – truncated cones – composition: relatively stable – color: primaries; black/white/gray – light/shadow: inconsistent source

Malevich •

early work: “folk” style – The Reaper (1912) • • • • •

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aesthetic: Tubist influence subject: proletariat theme: allegorical (?) setting: abstracted natural forms spatial order: – shallow/flattened – lacks either linear or aerial perspective figure: abstracted – compare to Leger’s Tubism – pure geometric shapes » truncated cones composition: relatively stable color: – brilliant background – muted figure light/shadow: inconsistent source

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Malevich • The Aviator (1914) – theme: WWI – aesthetic: Cubo-Tubist influence • Synthetic – collage effect – words • Tubism  metallic/geometric figure – spatial order: fractured/compressed – composition: dynamic – color: vibrant/complimentary – light/shadow: models forms – iconography: allegorical (?)

Suprematism: Malevich •

Suprematism (1915) – aim: • “supremacy of pure feeling” • “to free art from burden of the object” – effect: brought abstract art to a geometric simplicity more radical than anything previous – aesthetic: non-objective • an art of extreme reduction • no reference at all to reality • limited to formal elements of line, form & color • spatial order negated – influence: Theosophy • “The object in itself is meaningless... the ideas of the conscious mind are worthless”

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(Left) Malevich’s Black and Red Square (1915) and (right) Aeroplane Flying (1915)

Constructivism (1917-20) • context: Russian Revolution –

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Romanov dynasty • had ruled Russia for three centuries • collapsed (February 1917) during World War I October Revolution • led by Vladimir Lenin and his Bolshevik Party • overthrew democratic Provisional Government that arose after abdication of tsar • Bolsheviks – soon called themselves Communist Party – set out to impose militant dictatorship in the name of working class – envisioned new society reshaped in accordance w/ radical program of social justice – technological progress was cornerstone of Communist social program – after three years of bloody civil war, emerged victorious in early 1921 – in 1922 renamed Russian empire the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) “avant-garde” sides w/ Bolsheviks • small group of advanced artists soon embrace this vision • “Current social circumstances dictate new forms of art” • sought to create new forms of art to help bring new society into being

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Constructivism • Rodchenko (1891-1956) – –

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biography: childhood in St. Petersburg training: • art school in provincial Kazan (1910-14) • emulates styles popular at turn of 20C • moves to Moscow (c. late 1915) mature work: systematic investigation of material & formal logic of art • came into artistic maturity w/ the Bolshevik Revolution (1917) • deeply committed to ideals of Communist Revolution • rose to prominence in new cultural bureaucracy (1918-21) Stalin era: (1924-53) • embroils him in a great tragedy • utopian aspiration yields instead to violent dictatorship

Rodchenko •

Line and Compass Drawing (1915) – medium: compass-and-ruler drawing – shown at exhibition organized by Tatlin in March 1916 – aesthetic: non-objective • mechanical precision • artistic self-image as a professional technician or engineer – composition: dynamic – spatial order: emphasizes 2-d

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Constructivism: Rodchenko •

Construction no. 127 (Two Circles) – date: 1920 – aim: revolutionary goal of an ordered, technologically advanced society – aesthetic: non-objective • impersonal art • stripped of description & narrative – meaning: devoid of spiritual or metaphysical trappings – formal elements: • planar surface of the work • “faktura”  material/texture • density & weight of color • complete absence of color

Constructivism: Rodchenko •

Spatial Construction (1921) –

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1921: • declares the end of painting • takes up alternative mediums in the service of society • extends 2-d experiments into 3-d • role as “artist-engineer” material: plywood form: restricted to single geometric shape • concentric bands of regular width display: suspended from ceiling shadow: complex; variable

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Constructivism •

Popova (1889-1924) – biography: • daughter of wealthy/cultured merchant • travels to Italy (1910) • travels to Paris (1912) to study Cubism • returns to Moscow (1913) • returns to FR & Italy (1914) • implicated artist w/ Communist Revolution – mature work: c. 1915 • aesthetic: variant of nonobjective art • dynamic combination of principles of icon painting (flatness, linearity) and avantgarde ideas

Constructivism: Popova • Composition w/ Figures (1913) – aesthetic: Cubo-Futurist – spatial order: suggests 3-d – perspective: hints of linear & aerial – figures: mechanistic • analysis of physiognomy • forms abstracted into geometric patterns – color: vibrant & complimentary (see Futurism) – light/shadow: fractures forms into faceted planes – motifs: Cubist • musical instrument • still-life • architectural structures

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Constructivism: Popova • Composition (1917) – aesthetic: non-objective – aim: art in the service of ideology – spatial order: essentially 2-d • however, overlapping indicates dimension – perspective: eliminates reference to natural world – figures: absent – composition: dynamic – color: vibrant – light/shadow: does not est. volume – brushwork: minimized to appear mechanical – motifs: geometric shapes • arcs • triangles • cones • rectangles

Constructivism: Popova • Composition (1918) – aesthetic: non-objective – aim: art in the service of ideology – spatial order: essentially 2-d • however, overlapping indicates dimension – perspective: eliminates reference to natural world – figures: absent – motifs: geometric shapes – composition: dynamic – color: vibrant (primaries) • adjacent surfaces reflect neighboring hues – light/shadow: defines edges of planes – brushwork: abandons mechanical feel, in favor of PostImpressionist patchiness

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Constructivism: Tatlin (1885-1953) •

early work: – exhibited at several avant-garde exhibitions in Russia (1910) – closely associated w/ Goncharova & Larionov – visited Berlin and Paris (1914) • met Picasso • responds to Synthetic Cubism

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Post-Communist Revolution (1917) – worked for new Soviet Education Commissariate • used art to educate the public • an officially authorized art – utilized “real materials in real space” – design principles based on inner behavior and loading capacities of material

Tatlin •

Study for Board No. 1 (1917) – aesthetic: non-objective – style: Synthetic Cubism • collage effect • word play – spatial order: overlapping & transparency hint at 3-d – forms: limited to geometric shapes • no figures or motifs (e.g., musical instruments, still-life, architecture) – color: muted • adjacent surfaces reflect neighboring hues – light/shadow: limited application • defines edges of forms • does not establish volumes – brushwork: patchy; non-expressive

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Constructivism: Tatlin

• Corner Relief (1915) – aesthetic: non-objective – aim: “real materials in real space” – materials: variety of industrial forms – spatial order: 3-d relief, instead of illusionism – composition: series of related geometric forms

(Left) TATLIN’s Constructivist Corner Relief (c. 1915) vs. (right) PICASSO’s Synthetic Cubist sculpture Guitar (1912)

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Constructivism: Tatlin •

Third International Tower (1920) – – – –

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patron: Dept. of Artistic Work of the People’s Commissariat for Enlightenment site: intended for central Moscow; never constructed aesthetic: utopian aim: “union of purely plastic forms for utilitarian purpose” • power/benefits of industrialization • visual reinforcement of social & political reality forms: reductive geometry function: • monument to honor Russian Revolution • propaganda & news center materials: “the culture of materials” • revolving glass & iron • sheet metal & wood scale: envisioned as twice as tall as Empire State Building (c. early 1930s) composition: dynamic • tilted spiral cage • three (3) geometrically shaped chambers to rotating at different speeds around central axis

Constructivism: Tatlin •

Third International Tower (1920) –

arrangement: decreasing size of chambers paralleled decision-making hierarchy in political system – most authoritative, smallest group at apex • bottom – huge cylindrical glass structure – used for lectures & meetings – revolves once/year • middle – cone-shaped chamber – administrative functions – monthly rotations • top – cubic information center – issues news bulletins & proclamations via most modern means of communication » open-air news screen (illuminated @ night) » instrument to project words on clouds on overcast days – daily revolution

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IMAGE INDEX • • • • • •

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Photograph of Mikhail Larionov.

LARIONOV, Mikhail. White Rayonism (1912).

LARIONOV, Mikhail. Rayonist Landscape (1912).

LARIONOV, Mikhail. Boulevard Venus (1913).

Photograph of Natalya Goncharova.

GONCHAROVA, Natalya. Cutting Hay (1910), Oil on canvas, 98 x 117.7 cm., Private collection.

GONCHAROVA, Natalya. Yellow and Green Forest. A Rayonism Construction (1912), Oil on canvas,102 x 146 cm., The Russian Museum, St.Petersburg.

GONCHAROVA, Natalya. Rayonism: Blue-Green Forest (1913).

GONCHAROVA, Natalya. Cats (1913), Oil on canvas, 33 1/4 x 33 in., Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.

IMAGE INDEX •

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GONCHAROVA, Natalya. Cyclist (1913), Oil on canvas, 78 x 105 cm., The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.

(Left) Goncharova’s [Russian] Rayonist Cyclist (1913) vs. (right) Boccioni’s Futurist Dynamism of a Cyclist (1913).

GONCHAROVA, Natalya. The Plane over the Train (1913), Oil on canvas. The Kazan Fine Art Museum of Republic Tatarstan.

MALEVICH, Kasimir. Self Portrait (1933), Oil on canvas, 28 3/4 x 26 in., State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.

MALEVICH, Kasimir. Morning in the Country after Snowstorm (1912), Oil on canvas, 31 3/4 x 31 7/8 in., Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.

MALEVICH, Kasimir. Reaper on Red Background (1912), Oil on canvas, 45 1/4 x 27 1/8 in., Fine Arts Museum, Gorki.

MALEVICH, Kasimir. The Aviator (1914), Oil on canvas, 49 1/4 x 25 5/8 in., State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

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IMAGE INDEX •

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MALEVICH, Kasimir. Black Square (1913), Oil on canvas, 41 3/4 x 41 7/8 in., State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.

(Left) MALEVICH, Kasimir. Black Square and Red Square (1915), Oil on canvas, 28 x 17 1/2 in., The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; and (right) MALEVICH’s Suprematist Painting: Aeroplane Flying (1915), Oil on canvas, 22 5/8 x 19 in., The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), NY. Photograph of Alexsandr Rodchenko.

RODCHENKO, Aleksandr. Line and Compass Drawing (1915), pen and ink on paper, 10 1/16 x 8 1/16 in., A. Rodchenko and V. Stepanova Archive, Moscow.

RODCHENKO, Aleksandr. Construction, No. 127 (1920), Oil on canvas, 24 5/8 x 20 7/8 in., The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Department of Private Collections, Moscow.

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RODCHENKO, Aleksandr. Spatial Construction no. 12 (c.

1920), Plywood painted with aluminum paint and wire, 24 x 32 15/16 x 18 1/2 in., Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), NY. Photograph of Lyubov Popova.

POPOVA, Lyubov. Composition with Figures (1913), Oil on canvas, 160 x 124.3 cm., State Tretiakov Gallery, Moscow.

POPOVA, Lyubov. Composition (1917), oil on canvas, 84.5 x 66 cm., Annely Juda Fine Art, London.

POPOVA, Lyubov. Composition (1917).

TATLIN, Vladimir. Self-portrait as a Sailor (1911), Tempera on canvas, 28 1/8 x 28 1/8 in., Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.

TATLIN, Vladimir. Study for Board No. 1 (1917), Watercolor, metallic paint, goache, and traces of a pencil on paper, 43.9 x 29.6 cm., Gift of The Lauder Foundation. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York.

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IMAGE INDEX • •

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TATLIN, Vladimir. Corner Relief (c. 1915), mixed media.

(Left) TATLIN’s Constructivist Corner Relief (c. 1915); and (right) PICASSO’s Synthetic Cubism sculpture Guitar (1912).

TATLIN, Vladimir. Monument to the Third International (c.

1920), Museum of Modern Art, Stockholm, Sweden.

PUNIN, Nikolai. Monument to the Third International (1920), Cover with letterpress illustration on front, 11 x 8 5/8 in., Gift of The Judith Rothschild Foundation.

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