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1881 - 1948

David Shterenberg

description

An outstanding Ukrainian painter and graphic artist, one of the main representatives of the avant-garde fine art of the first half of the 20th century. He worked in the genres of landscape, portrait, still life and plot painting. David Shterenberg was a talented teacher; among his numerous students and followers, there were such prominent masters as A. A. Deineka and others. A multi-talented personality and creator, he was a book artist and a master of theatrical scenery.

Being ahead of the development of new styles, the artist developed a theory of minimalism in a still life, where elements of Primitivism and Cubism harmoniously combined. He developed and published the program treatise “Tasks of Contemporary Art.” He was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the USSR.

The merit of the master in the world of art is that he defended the fundamental importance of easel painting in the general formation of a new aesthetics of the 20th century being in full solidarity with avant-garde art.

Key ideas:

– In the early works of the master, which were influenced by Impressionism, the artist’s textural searches and his desire to depict objects in motion were already clearly visible.

– The artist’s passion for the problems of texture and volume led him from Futurism to Cubism. The solution to the problem went along the path of overcoming the abstract formalism, which made Cubists deform the reality. Shterenberg’s paintings, although certainly avant-garde, are concrete and graphic.

– The artist liked to depict simple objects: soap, knife and fork, kerosene lamp, bottles. His still-lifes always have few objects – for example, two herring on a simple plate, half a loaf of brown bread – that is all.

– The master emphasized the material from which the objects were made, the structure of their surface. Scanty things depicted with a rough brush in the bare emptiness of the background are vividly flat, and the background itself is devoid of spatial depth. At the same time, their enveloping atmosphere unites them.

– Shterenberg often used relief in his paintings – sometimes the images significantly protrude from the surface of the canvas, exciting material-specific tactile sensations. The effect is enhanced by the fact that the author’s objects are almost always “lonely” – they don’t touch each other.

– In portraits, the artist was true to himself: he combined the maximum generalization with the quite tactile specificity of the image, whether it was an image of an elderly peasant or a rural girl (“Aniska”).

– Thanks to avaricious interiors and backgrounds that look like a majestic emptiness (often cold), Sterenberg, according to art critic A. Efros, reached the “monumentality of the ancient fresco”.

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1881

1906

1907

1912

1915

1917

1918

1919

1922

1924

1925

1930

1947

1948

David Shterenberg was born

David Shterenberg was born on July 26, 1881, Zhytomyr, Russian Empire (now Ukraine).

He was forced to emigrate

The student of a photographer was forced to emigrate from Odessa to Vienna as an active participant in the Bund (All-Jewish Workers Union in Lithuania, Poland, the Russian Empire).

Moved to Paris

Moved to Paris, where he was engaged in phototype and studied painting at the School of Fine Arts. Settled in a round tower, the so-called “Hive” (La Ruche) – a polygonal structure resembling a circus, where the international community of poor emigrants lived and worked. David became close to the artists of the Paris school – Lipschitz, Kisling, Rivera, Chagall, and Altman.

He attended painting classes at the Academy of A. Vitti

He attended painting classes at the Academy of A. Vitti. He “absorbed” the latest trends in European art, participated in exhibitions of the Spring and Autumn official Parisian salons and the exhibition of the Salon of Independent Artists. G. Apollinaire published an article on the work of Shterenberg and Chagall.

He presented his paintings at the private Parisian gallery "Boutet Nouvel"

He presented his paintings at the private Parisian gallery “Boutet Nouvel”, met A. Lunacharsky, who played a significant role in his fate after returning to Russia.

Returned to Russia

Returned to Russia (Zhytomyr, Moscow, Petersburg). He was appointed a head of the Department of Fine Arts of the People’s Commissariat for Education.

"Tasks of Contemporary Art"

An exhibition of members of the Jewish Society for the Promotion of Art was held in Moscow; the artist participated in it together with Altman, Lissitzky and Baranov-Rossine. He published his program essay “Tasks of Contemporary Art”. The painter had a daughter, Violetta, who later also became an artist.

The first personal exhibition

The first personal exhibition of the master took place in Zhitomir. Soon, the artist began teaching at the All-Russian art free workshops. His students were A. Deineka, A. Labas, Yu. Pimenov, A. Goncharov and P. Williams.

The artist’s joint exhibition with Altman and Chagall was held in Moscow

The artist’s joint exhibition with Altman and Chagall was held in Moscow. The master was appointed a member of the Committee on Foreign Exhibitions; he became the organizer, author of the article for the catalogue and exhibitor of the First Russian Art Exhibition (Berlin – Amsterdam).

Participated in the 14th International Exhibition of Arts

Participated in the 14th International Exhibition of Arts (Venice, Biennale); fundamentally refused to join the LEF (left front of the arts), since its members denied easel art. He joined the members of the Comfut association (communist-futurists).

Became the founder and leader of the Society of Easel Workers

Became the founder and leader of the Society of Easel Workers (SEW). He was the director of the Soviet section and a participant in the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and the Art Industry in Paris.