Pavel Kondratiev

A Russian painter and graphic artist, one of the first students of Pavel Filonov and a talented follower of the method of analytical art. Pavel Kondratiev was a member of a circle of young artists, musicians and writers who collaborated with Isaiah Braudo, Maria Yudina, and Tatyana Glebova. He was a close friend of Alice Poret and for some time lived in her house, where a creative atmosphere reigned and meetings of people of art took place. The artist also became a regular character of several verses of famous poet Daniil Kharms and maintained friendly relations with him.

The artist was famous not only for his numerous paintings and graphic works but also as an art theorist and a talented teacher. In the post-war period, a kind of “Kondratyev’s circle” supporting his creative ideas formed around him. The painter collaborated with Vladimir Sterligov and together with him used the so-called “surplus element” in painting – a curved line that formed the basis of the famous “cup-dome” system.

Kondratiev’s work is a kind of synthesis of several areas of the Russian avant-garde. He possessed a special talent to feel the pulse of his era and to combine seemingly incompatible styles and trends in his works. The works of Pavel Kondratiev are a unique fusion of scientific theories and the deep spirituality inherent in the real Artist.

Key ideas:

– The individual creative style of the artist was formed under the influence of several areas. He combined the elements of the analytical art of P. Filonov and the basic principles of the Suprematism system, with its strict rationalistic approach to painting. The artist was mostly attracted by the theory of the surplus element of Malewicz, which he rethought and constantly applied in his works.

– Being interested in a particular topic, Kondratyev created several graphic and pictorial works dedicated to it. He examined the object or phenomenon from different angles, trying to most profoundly and fully reflect its essence, thus creating cycles of paintings. The most famous of them were “North Caucasus”, “Remembering Chukotka”, “Pskov Land” “Sheaves”, “Sisters of Mercy” and others.

– Worked according to the principle of “completeness”, when an artist paints basing on the main form, gradually filling it with content and colour. This technique allows you to depict not only the appearance of the object, but also its internal features, hidden from the eyes, its nature and energy using plastic methods. At the same time, Kondratyev, like all Filonov’s students, adhered to the principle “form in any form and any colour in any colour”.

– Colour occupied a special place in the work of Pavel Kondratiev. The artist paid much attention to working with various colour schemes and combinations, studying the influence that he had on a person’s perception of the work of art and on the way the shades influence each other in different combinations. As a result of this work, he created his theoretical definition – “modern Russian gamma”, which based on Russian icon painting tradition and the peculiarities of the Slavic perception of the world.