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1861 - 1934

Mikhail Matyushin

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A Russian artist, theorist of art, as well as a musician and composer, who wrote the futuristic opera «Victory Over the Sun». Mikhail Matyushin, as one of bright leaders of the the Russian avant-garde, actively developing in the first half of the 20th century, studied the interconnection between colors and shapes. His research and conclusions resulted in the unique handbook “Pattern of variability of color combinations”, reprinted even today. The treatise was supplemented with tables, representing color harmonization for the first time in visual arts. It is based on the principle of coupling color, discovered by Matyushin and his associates.

The artist, who was a close friend of futuristic groups, together with his wife, artist and poet E. Guro, organized the publishing house “Crane”, thanks to which books by Kruchenykh, Burliuk, Khlebnikov, Mayakovsky and others were published. The intensive research work of the author of the theory of “extended viewing” was inextricably connected with his teaching experience – M. Matyushin had many students and followers at his workshop of spatial realism, in the group “Zoreved” and later at the Petrograd department of organic culture of the State Art Institute.

The Museum of the St. Petersburg avant-garde works in the house of Matyushin and Guro in St. Petersburg; it has a large permanent exposition, including works by Pavel Filonov, Kazimir Malevich and Vladimir Tatlin. Some paintings by Mikhail Matyushin are kept at the Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Moscow Museum of Organic Culture, and at the Museum in Amsterdam.

Key ideas:

– M. Matyushin went through Art Nouveau to avant-garde, but his art was not as revolutionary as that of other representatives of this art movement. Noting the exceptional brightness of light and movement of the canvases of G. Segantini and E. Manet, he started developing and proving the possibility to expand the borders of world perception in an experimental way.

– Developing his idea of “extended viewing” (it emerged under the impression from the theory of the “fourth dimension” of theosophist and mathematician P. Ouspensky), promoted practical tasks, noting in his works, “this was the end of plane observation, departure from the peripheral image”.

– Another important component of his theory was a study of interacting colors, which create a feeling of harmony in the viewer. The theorist stated in his main work and tables that the main color recreates the second color, contrast one, in a neutral space; together they create additional red color.

– Matyushin called his art new spatial realism, which followed the path of overcoming fragmentation in order to grasp shape and color as a whole, express the infinity and fullness of space, show the single coexistence of the environment and objects in it without details.

– It is clear from the master’s diary that that he practiced, seeking the fourth space, learning to “see everything around.” Analyzing the history of art, Mikhail came into conclusion that the angle of view of the painters expanded in its course. For example, cubism (Matyushin preferred to call this method “crystallization”) “breaks planes and shows invisible sides of objects in order to show the creative power tending to move in all directions”.

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1934

He was an illegitimate son

He was an illegitimate son of N. Saburov from the acting dynasty and a former serf. Received the surname of his mother. At the age of 6, he started remembering music that he had heard; then he learnt to play and made a violin by himself.

The ten-year-old boy completed elementary education

The ten-year-old boy completed elementary education at the school of the Nizhny Novgorod Russian Musical Society; at the age of 8 he started working as a leader and teacher of singers of the local chorus.

For three years he attended the Moscow Conservatory

For three years he attended the Moscow Conservatory, where he improved his violin playing skills. Inspired by the visual arts, he independently engaged in drawing and painting, selecting church icons as a kind of “guide” for imitation and copying. The graduate of the Conservatory went to Saint Petersburg and worked at the Court Orchestra (was the first violin) until 1913.

Worked in different private art institutions

Worked in different private art institutions: school of the Community for the Encouragement of Arts, at the Tsionglinsky studio and at the school and studio of Zvantseva. He painted a lot from nature and copied paintings of old masters. Even when he was young he started thinking about the problem of the synthesis of musical and fine arts.

He visited France

He visited France, went to the International exhibition in Paris. There he met the best French art collections, first of all in Louvre. Mostly was impressed by E. Manet and F. Millet.

He wrote his first symphonic suite “Harlequin”

At the Tsioglinsky studio, he met poet and artist Elena Guro, who became his second wife (he divorced his first wife). Starting to work as a composer, he wrote his first symphonic suite “Harlequin”, lyrics by Guro. Joined the circle of cubofuturists-aveniristes.

"Triangle”

He became one of the inspirers and creators of the group of innovative artists “Triangle” associated with the emergence of the unique St. Petersburg avant-garde. A year later, “Triangle” announced itself by showing “The Modern trends in art”.

He worked at his own publishing house “Crane”

Together with Guro, he worked at his own publishing house “Crane”, which produced a total of 20 futuristic collections, including the first cubofuturistic “Garden of judges”. Participated in the 4th exhibition of the “Youth Union”, created sculptures of roots, which were presented at the exhibition in Petersburg (they are now in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery).

“The Victory over the Sun”

Wrote music for the futuristic opera based on the texts of Kruchenykh “The Victory over the Sun” – it made K. Malevich famous, as he was its set designer. Participated in the Paris Autumn Salon; paintings and sculptures of the roots were destroyed there during the First World War.

Worked as a teacher at the State Free Art Studios

Worked as a teacher at the State Free Art Studios (later – the Petrograd branch of the Art Institute), where he organized and headed the special “workshop of the spatial realism”.

Established the new association "Zorved"

Established the new association “Zorved” (this name was composed of the roots of the words “gaze” or “keenly” and “know”). The event was preceded by Matyushin’s article “Not art, but life”. He exhibited his works together with his students at the “Exhibition of Petrograd Artists of All Art Movements” in 1923 and 1930.

Exhibited his works at the 14th International Art Exhibition in Venice

Exhibited his works at the 14th International Art Exhibition in Venice and at the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and the Art Industry in Paris in the following year.

“Pattern of variability of color combinations. Color Handbook ”

An exhibition of works by Matyushin and his school was held at the Central House of Artists, where he presented paintings-volumes for the first time. Two years later, he wrote his famous work “Pattern of variability of color combinations. Color Handbook ”- he logically completed the work of the “Zorved” group (the valuable treatise was reprinted in 2007).