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1880 - 1930

Alexander Bogomazov

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A Ukrainian artist, major representative and one of the leading theorists of the Ukrainian art avant-garde of the early 20th century. Alexander Bogomazov is usually accompanied by the epithet “Ukrainian Picasso”, but he interpreted his work as cubofuturism in the article “Painting and Elements”, paying much attention to the rhythmic component of the work.

Art critics characterize the world-class master as the most consistent of Cubo-Futurists, who most harmoniously combined the ideas of Italian Futurism with the stylistics of French Cubism and Orphism in his paintings. Moreover, it was he who theoretically substantiated the synthesis of these art movements.
Bogomazov was a prominent cultural activist who reformed the country’s system of art education. As a talented teacher, he taught for many years at various art schools, at the Institute of Plastic Arts (renamed in 1924 as the Kyiv Art Institute).

The name of Alexander Bogomazov was removed from the history of art for more than 30 years due to the intensified struggle against formalism. People’s attention to his “arrested” paintings resumed only in the 1960s. The canvases of the outstanding avant-garde artist are exhibited at European and American galleries and museums.

Key ideas:

– Starting with works in the style of pointillism and symbolism, A. Bogomazov became the artist who most organically combined the craving for speed dynamics and cubist technology. The energy embodied in the achievements of technological progress at the beginning of the 20th century became his harmonious visual system after he began to study the behaviour of line and form as the elements of painting, combined with rhythm and colour.

– It was Bogomazov who wrote the theoretical article “Painting and Elements” (1914), which became the manifesto of cubofuturism. It stated, “the independent value of the element of painting as the carrier of sensations of the Artist.” One of the elements was the Spectator.

– The artist, who noted in his manuscripts that “art is an endless rhythm, and the artist is its sensitive resonator”, paid great attention to the rhythm and pace of painting. In his opinion, they can be both a quantitative and qualitative characteristic of the work; at the same time, an attentive spectator will see that the world is “filled with the energy of movement” even in a static image.

– In his late period, the master addressed the problems of using colours and also proposed to introduce the term “spectralism” into the numerous “isms” of his time. This theory implied the use of a spectrally clean palette in painting, as the painting “Repairing Saws” demonstrates.

– There is one specialty of painting a big canvas: the artist previously drew graphic compositions with similar plots. They made up a significant and no less valuable part of Bogomazov’s creative legacy as they are not inferior to oil analogues in their artistic value (six drawings are stored in the New York Museum of Modern Art).

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1880

1902

1905

1907

1908

1910

1913

1914

1915

1917

1919

1922

1927

1930

Alexander Bogomazov was born

Alexander Bogomazov was born into the family of an accountant, lost his mother early. His father, who raised his son alone and gave him the “earthly and grain” profession of an agronomist, was angry finding out that his son became engaged in “daubing” and communicated with “empty” people. As a result, he refused to support his son financially.

Entered the Kyiv Art College

Entered the Kyiv Art College immediately after graduating from the Kherson Agricultural College, violating the will of his strict father. His teachers were A. Murashko, I. Seleznev and N. Pimonenko.

He was expelled from the Kyiv College

He was expelled from the Kyiv College for participating in student political demonstrations and strikes. To continue his education, he entered the private studio of the famous landscape painter Professor S. Svetoslavsky.

Studied at private Moscow workshops of Fedor Rerberg and Konstantin Yuon

Studied at private Moscow workshops of Fedor Rerberg and Konstantin Yuon. Together with painters A. Grishchenko and V. Denisov, he took a trip around the Crimea, which was reflected in the artist’s early paintings.

Started attending lessons at the Kyiv Art School again

Started attending lessons at the Kyiv Art School again, participated in the exhibition “Link” organized and financed by brothers Burliuk and Larionov. This vernissage was a repetition of the First Moscow exhibition “Stefanos”; the viewers were given leaflets with the first declaration of D. Burliuk “Voice of the Impressionist in defense of painting”.

Worked at the newspaper “Kyiv thought”

Worked at the newspaper “Kyiv thought”, became interested in Impressionism and Fauvism, became close to A. Exter and M. Larionov. After graduating from college, he was sent to Finland as a correspondent of “Kyiv Thought”. He created a number of paintings depicting the “white country”.

“Ring”

He became the organizer and exhibitor of 88 of his paintings at the exhibition of the youth association of Cubofuturists “Ring” (Kyiv). He taught art at the Kyiv school for deaf and numb. Married artist Wanda Monastyrskaya, who became his comrade-in-arms and muse; the world saw most of Bogomazov’s works thanks to Wanda, who carefully preserved every paper of her husband’s archive.

He wrote the program treatise "Painting and Elements"

He wrote the program treatise “Painting and Elements”, which sounded like a report during the life of the author but was not published. The Kyiv group “Ring” broke up due to the theoretical disagreement between its members.

He moved to the Caucasus

He moved to the Caucasus, in Nagorno-Karabakh, worked as a teacher in the town of Gerusy (now Goris). Later his series of paintings “Memories of the Caucasus” appeared, among which the canvas “Karabakh” is the most noticeable.

Returned to Ukraine

Returned to Ukraine, worked and taught at several educational institutions (Kyiv, Zolotonosha, Boyarka). His daughter Yaroslava was born; she left precious memories about her father. The artist wrote the report “The main tasks of the development of painting in Ukraine”, which he presented at the forum of Ukrainian artists.

Became one of the founders of the First Artel of Artists

Became one of the founders of the First Artel of Artists, the first secretary of the Artists Union of Kyiv. He developed the reform of art education, presented it at the Congress of Artists and Educators.

He was elected professor of easel painting at the Kyiv Institute of Plastic Arts

He was elected professor of easel painting at the Kyiv Institute of Plastic Arts. His colleagues were his like-minded people and friends, such as V. Palmov, K. Malevich, V. Tatlin and V. Ermilov.

He developed a new approach to the use of colour

He became a member of the Association of Revolutionary Art of Ukraine from the moment of its foundation. He developed a new approach to the use of colour, which he called “spectralism”.

Alexander Bogomazov died of tuberculosis

The artist’s paintings were shown at the exhibition “Collection of exemplary works of artists of the USSR” in Venice. He died of tuberculosis; was buried in the Lukyanovsky cemetery.