The Red Man

The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (Russia).

Canvas, oil.

The painting represents the beginning of the experimental period in the career of Gustavs Klucis, because until 1918 he painted, as a student of Purvitis and Korovin, impressionist landscapes and sketches. Only a few paintings of that time have been preserved. The young artist searched for a way to an art language in tune with his era; in this work, he used the techniques of Cubism. In the future, Klucis sought a synthesis of existing expressive non-figurative means, leading to a more powerful expressiveness. In his autobiography, Gustav wrote, “The search for a new strong revolutionary form has begun”.