“Of course, I could do without flowers, but they help me maintain respect for myself, because they prove that I am not shackled hand and foot by everyday worries. They are the evidence of my freedom. "(Rabindranath Tagore)

What an interesting and deep thought: flowers - and personal freedom! It is even more striking what the man says about this. Writer, poet, composer, artist, public figure, laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature ... He found time to enjoy the beauty of flowers and feel free!

Six months of cold weather in Russia is a lot! Snow-covered gardens, fields and forests, gray skies ... The need for a sense of the fullness of being has always prompted people to create analogues of the wonderful creations of nature, capable of pleasing the heart and soul all year round.

That is why Russian folk art is so bright and festive. And it is no coincidence that in the 19th century, in the center of Russia, another wonderful craft was born, which was named, as is often the case in such cases, according to its "place of residence" - Zhostovo! It is unlikely that there is a person in our country whose memory does not immediately appear bright, almost fabulous, bouquets of flowers, if he hears this word! Flower arrangements - on a metal tray. And I must say that the freedom that Tagore's genius noted when communicating with flowers is manifested in the brightest way when creating the famous Zhostovo bouquets.

Representative of one of the famous dynasties of Zhostov artists - Larisa Goncharova (examples of the master's works). A dynasty in any field of activity is the history of this business. Turning to one family, you will learn the centuries-old history of the development of a whole craft. So, speaking about the secrets of mastery, Larisa said that painting is an improvisation: the author himself does not know what will turn out, the hand goes “automatically”!

What kind of a Master you need to be so that these mesmerizing flowers glowing from the depths of the buds with magical light, vibrantly "sounded" on the varnished surface, like notes of virtuoso musical improvisation! The refined beauty of the flowers created by the Goncharovs is filled with a special meaning that conveys to us the mood of either a jubilant holiday or impartial contemplation.

Admiring the perfection of the embodiment of the conceived, enjoying the freedom and airy lightness in the image of bouquets, you begin to understand that once a utilitarian object has long become a symbol of art, and that Zhostovo painting is its independent form.

The village of Zhostovo, which is very close to the capital, has been a symbol of the unique Russian craft for several centuries. In the last decades of the 20th century, the new Russians, tired of the bustle of the city and the deteriorating ecology, chose the village. By the way, Gerda from the "Snow Queen" familiar to us from childhood, or rather, Elena Proklova, who played her popular theater and film actress, has also lived in this village next to the forest for many years, enjoying landscape design, growing organic fruits and vegetables. She did not escape the temptation to learn how to paint trays!

Against the background of the ever-expanding "city of mansions", the houses of the old-timers became lower and lower, "grew" into their native land, clinging deeper and tighter, as if afraid of being uprooted. And there were reasons for this.

At first there were rumors, but I didn't want to believe. Could the ancient folk craft, which the state was so proud of, become private property? A little time passed and the rumors became a fait accompli. The Bank became the owner of the legendary Zhostovo field (we will not do additional advertising for it, especially as the owner of the bank can sell it!). And everything went according to the usual pattern. The bank promised to preserve the folk craft and the famous Museum of Zhostovo Trays, but the territory and areas of the factory began to be leased out. There are now about thirty enterprises not related to the tray industry. The thirty young masters remaining at the factory are huddled in four small rooms set aside for painting workshops. Now they work for the owner. All great artists, old masters, real creators left the craft and work at home. Recently they have practically stopped working with the factory.

A tray as a household item has been known for a long time, but precisely from the beginning of the 19th century, due to the growth of cities, the appearance of numerous hotels, taverns, restaurants, trays began to be required in large quantities and were used not only for their intended purpose, but also for decorating interiors. Bright bouquets, still lifes, scenes of tea drinking or riding in a troika are traditional subjects of tray paintings that adorned the walls of such establishments.

Zhostovo trays belong to the direction that has the general name "Russian varnishes". First, at the end of the 18th century, lacquer miniature painting on papier-mâché appeared. The village of Danilkovo near Fedoskino, the villages of Zhostovo and Ostashkovo were known for the production of boxes, snuff boxes, boxes, glasses for pencils, cigarette cases, albums, rusks, purses - items decorated with miniature paintings. Artists at that time turned to famous works of easel painting, engravings, freely interpreting which, they created their works. Having originated in the mainstream of lacquer miniatures, the production of trays gradually emerged as an independent craft. The starting point is 1807, when the workshop of Philip Nikitich Vishnyakov began to work in Zhostovo. Although the foundation of the trade is associated with the name of another Vishnyakov - Osip Filippovich. By the middle of the 19th century, there were already twelve workshops in the district: Belyaev, Mitrofanov, Zaitsev, Leontyev and others. The craft developed, and they began to make trays not only from papier-mâché, but also from iron. Undoubtedly, in this respect, the influence of the center of production of trays in Nizhny Tagil, famous since the 18th century.

If at first the owners worked on a par with the workers, then by the 1870-1880s they were increasingly turning into entrepreneurs. During these years, there were more than 240 hired workers in the suburban trades industry. Usually three people worked on one tray: a forge who made the mold, a puttyler who primed the surface, and a painter who painted the tray. After drying, the primer varnished it.

By the beginning of the 20th century, having mastered all the most interesting that was in the tray production of St. Petersburg, Nizhny Tagil, in the Moscow region lacquer miniature, easel painting, painting on porcelain and other types of art, Zhostov's artists formed their own style, based all the same, first of all , on the development of their local traditions. A system has been developed, a professional painting canon, which is inherent in Zhostov's art today. In the sequence of techniques of multilayer Zhostovo writing, a peculiar alphabet is recorded, which is absorbed by the masters, which is called "with milk". Shading, shading, laying, glare, drawing, binding - these are the “steps” that, from the generalized silhouettes of flowers and leaves of painting, led to the creation of complex compositions with the finest details of binding, combining flowers into bouquets and connecting it to the background. And only having mastered this alphabet “perfectly well”, having learned to “speak the most difficult words purely”, the artist receives the long-awaited Freedom. Now the hand of the Master has the right to lead him along his own paths of magical gardens in which birds of paradise live, and masterfully improvising, create all new bouquets of fabulous beauty.

Communicating with famous masters of various Russian crafts, I noticed that they are all talented not only in their main profession, but often in many other areas of activity. Several years ago, Nikolay Gushchin, People's Artist of Russia, chief artist of the Nizhny Novgorod craft, "Khokhloma Artist", took part in the Buyan-Island festival in Sochi. He amazed the participants not only with the works brought to the exhibition, talented painting, which he demonstrated at the master class, but also ... with the wonderful gift of a dancer! How he danced at the banquet! Not many men can boast of such abilities. And one more thing: the artist's eyes constantly snatch from the surrounding reality the elements necessary for creativity, and each creator has his own. I remember how, having come to visit me, Gushchin immediately found new ideas for his paintings: in the first minute of walking in the garden he picked an inconspicuous flower. Admiringly examining the curls of the "weed", he said that in the middle lane he had not seen such and must use them in his paintings. He carefully wrapped the flower-blade and put it in his pocket. Flowers are the most popular motive for murals in Russian art crafts.

This is how traditions develop. Each artist contributes to the established canons his own, seen and experienced by him. Each author has his own individual style. Professionals, by the nature of their strokes, easily distinguish between the "hands" of the masters, and, noting the individuality brought up by labor and talent, they often give definitions, by no means in art history terms. "Dancing" they enthusiastically call the smear of the Honored Artist of Russia Larisa Goncharova, the master of Zhostovo painting. Larisa sings like she writes her famous flowers (or writes how she sings!).

Larisa Goncharova's diploma work at the Art School named after Kalinina was highly appreciated by the commission and sent to VDNKh, and Larisa received an award from the Central Committee of the Komsomol.

As a child, Larisa was engaged in choreography, but having received the profession of an artist, for many years she sang in the folklore ensemble "Rus", toured. She is also a natural born clothing designer, who can make herself a beautiful outfit overnight. Try to repeat: a taffeta dress with "rabbit" trim, painted with Zhostovo flowers - exclusive!

A positive character, bright artistic inclinations found a natural reflection in the painting. Hence the "dancing" stroke!

An artist in the fourth generation, from childhood, Larisa could observe all the stages of the creation of the famous Zhostovo trays, running to her mother to work (fortunately, the Zhostovo Factory of Decorative Painting was located next to her house!), Although she had no intention of following in her footsteps. But my mother was a wise woman and was able to gradually guide her along the right path. This is where genes obviously played a role. After all, the same Timofey Maksimovich Belyaev, who in the 1830s had his own workshop for making trays in Zhostovo, was the great-grandfather of Larisa Goncharova's mother - Nina Nikolaevna, People's Artist of Russia, Laureate of the State Prize named after I. I. E. Repin.

The pre-war history of the trade left us only male names. But 1941 turned the life of the country upside down and began to write its history in all areas and spheres of life. The men were taken to the front. And for the first time, so as not to perish the Zhostovo trade, which was already more than 100 years old, six girls 13-14 years old were taken to the factory. Among them was Nina Belyaeva (later married to Goncharov). Wartime childhood in production is a separate article. You can write novels and make films of fiction! Nina Nikolaevna told how they, little girls, dragged logs from the forest on themselves to heat production, and painted cans from canned food, since there was no iron (all the metal was used for defense). It is unlikely that in those years Nina could present her works in museum collections and the best exhibition halls in the world! Obviously, it doesn't matter what walls, floors, pots and cans your child's hand painted. It is important who "puts" this hand. The girls were taught by the oldest master Andrei Pavlovich Gogin, who played an outstanding role in the history of Zhostov. It was Gogin who in the 20s of the last century became an active organizer of the artel, on the basis of which he created many outstanding works and taught the traditional skills of numerous students. He was one of those whose activities helped to survive the crisis that disrupted literally all folk crafts at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1928, the artels merged into one - "Metallopodnos", which in 1960 was renamed into the Zhostovo factory of decorative painting. All these stages were the life of Andrei Pavlovich, and after the war, from 1948 to 1961, he headed the craft as artistic director and chief artist. At that time, Zhostov's collective of artists still had to overcome the attempts of Soviet state bodies, which began in the 1920s and 1930s, to change the established direction of the development of the craft by introducing a straightforward statement of realism. Such innovations could destroy an entire trend in Russian art. But the leading masters were able to resist this, directing the implementation of new ideas to deepen traditional craftsmanship.

In his work, Gogin experimented with the shape of trays and with compositional schemes, used mother-of-pearl inlay, colored and gold backgrounds. His lyrical gift remained unchanged, which he passed on to his student, Nina Goncharova. For more than half a century she has been creating works that delight us with their perfection.

It has long been proven that a person who does not live in the area where the craft originated and developed will never become its representative, will not be able to develop traditions. The art of Russian folk crafts is truly alive only on the native land and is inspired by it. Despite this, in different parts of our country and in many countries of the world there are people who are passionately drawn to the beauty of Russian art and dream of mastering at least the basics of art. Therefore, our artists are invited to different countries, organize schools, conduct master classes. Larisa often travels abroad, teaches foreigners. Anyone can learn the basics of Zhostovo painting, but not everyone can be an artist of this painting. Foreigners study because it is new to them. For many years, acquaintance with Russian art was limited to nesting dolls. For some it is now entertainment, for others it is business. Taught L. Goncharova in Australia, Taiwan. She had a chance to visit America several times: art studios of 8 states organized her master classes. And once such a master class on painting trays turned into a real and unique show: it was held against the backdrop of a performance by a folklore ensemble, whose participants were dressed in chic colorful Russian costumes. Larisa also sang, alternating her performances with training. In a luxurious suit, she was sitting at a tray against the background of the ensemble! The American women ran to watch the singer-artist change clothes and outfit in one minute: it was an exciting sight!

"Abroad will help us" - such a familiar phrase for all. Classic. The frequent trips of our artists abroad for long periods of time in recent years confirm it without humor. Working and living conditions, wages - there are immeasurably higher! Although no, it is possible to “measure”, but I don’t want to! Money is good: a master gets satisfaction not only from what he can buy bread and butter. Money is the “yardstick”, the assessment of the creator: “I get paid well, which means they appreciate my talent, my works. So I have achieved something! No wonder he studied and worked hard! " It turns out that money is an incentive to work further! And here is the phrase: "An artist must be hungry" ... Hungry yourself, gentlemen!

Time is changing, Zhostovo painting, responding to the trends of fashion, adorns not only traditional trays in our time, but also other interior items: cabinets, tables, chests, boxes ... and even buckets! There would be orders: you can paint both shoes and a dress. And it's really beautiful. Several years ago, the exhibition "Everything about the structure of the world" was held in Moscow. The organizers ordered Larisa Goncharova to paint the computer. The result is a wonderful and unusual artifact!

Nevertheless, talented craftsmen are doing everything to preserve the Zhostovo tray as a phenomenon of Russian culture. And "Flowers of the Goncharovs", with their subtle lyricism and exquisite beauty of painting, tear the everyday fetters from our hands and feet and give us a feeling of freedom and joy!

Natalia Tsygikalo

Goncharova N.S. "Women with a rake" 1907 Oil on canvas

"Peacock in the bright sun" 1911 Oil on canvas. 129 x 144 cm.
State Tretyakov Gallery

Description of the picture

The artist depicted the same peacock in 10 styles (in the "Egyptian" style, in the form of "Russian embroidery", futuristic, cubist, etc.). A whole series was created called "Artistic Possibilities about the Peacock". He was her symbol, the symbol of her art.

The peacock was close to Goncharova, because it is a deep, holistic symbol. For example, in Roman art, it could mean the triumph of the emperor's daughters. In the East, the peacock was an expression of the soul, which drew its strength from the principles of unity. In Christianity, the peacock was considered an image of faith in immortality and resurrection, and its plumage of "a thousand eyes" indicated omniscience. The multicolor plumage hinted at the beauty of the world (in China) and the very act of creation in Islam is a symbol of the Universe).

The peacock can be perceived as a sign of the unity of Being. Its symbolism is associated with those ancient syncretic cultures that the artist loved so much. In the Egyptian version, the head and neck of the peacock are depicted in profile, and the tail, according to the canons of Egyptian art, is frontally deployed. At the same time, it seems to be spread over the plane of a dark background, standing out with its unique plumage. It seems to be covered not with feathers, but with bright colors, acting on the viewer more physiologically.

A truly pristine energy is embodied in bright colors, reminiscent of similar incarnations of human emotions in Russian folk art. Presumably, this picture reflected the young artist's passion for paintings by Gauguin with their colorful exoticism and freedom of natural life.

Goncharova N.S. Sheep Shearing 1907 Oil on canvas

"Cyclist" 1913 Oil on canvas. 78x105 cm.
State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

Description of the picture

The picture accurately conveys the rapid speed of movement. Street signs flicker past the racing cyclist and merge into one whole. The rapid movement of the wheels is conveyed through their repeated repetition near each other.

And the man himself, bent over the steering wheel, stratifies, becomes subordinate to the general idea - speed. These are the main signs of futurism - displacement of contours, repetition of details and interspersing of unfinished fragments. Decomposing the forms of the visible world, Goncharova, nevertheless, managed to create a holistic image of dynamics in the life of an individual.

This picture embodies the aesthetics of the twentieth century - a century of technological progress and an accelerated pace of life.

The 1 Russian Revolution of 1905 has already taken place. On the eve of the First World War, which began in 1914, the turbulent situation in society was subtly captured by the artist and expressed in an innocent plot - a conventional figure of a man on a bicycle.

This is one of the artist's best cubo-futuristic paintings. Subsequent creativity Goncharova went in the spirit of the new style invented by M. Larionov "rayonism".

"Round dance" 1910 Oil on canvas Historical and Art Museum, Serpukhov, Russia

"Archangel Michael" 1910 Oil on canvas 129.5 x 101.6 cm

Goncharova N.S. “Liturgy, St. Andrew "1914

Goncharova N.S. "The Virgin and Child". Description of the painting

The painting is made in the spirit of Russian iconography. The artist used traditional schemes and techniques, and at the same time she was not constrained by any framework.

The Mother of God is depicted in yellow robes with brown folds. A baby sits on her left hand, which she holds with her right. Contrary to Orthodox traditions, the child looks neither at her nor at the viewer. The plain blue background is filled with primitive green plants and angelic figures. The conventional interpretation of the face of the Mother of God is complemented by its unconventional coloring, which is characteristic of Rayonism.

The free plastic transformation of the figures of angels and the child of Christ is complemented by the sonority of bright colors, which removes the picture from icon-painting canons and puts it in its rightful place among the achievements of like-minded people.

Goncharova N.S. "Pokos" 1910

Goncharova N.S. "Harvest" 1911

Goncharova N.S. "Little Station" 1911

"Airplane over the train" 1913 Oil on canvas. 55 x 83 cm
State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, Russia

Goncharova N.S. "Cats" 1913

Goncharova N.S. "Peasant Dances" 1911

Goncharova N.S. "Flowers" 1912

Goncharova N.S. "Laundresses" 1911

Goncharova N.S. "Dynamo-machine" 1913

"Portrait of Larionov" 1913 Oil on canvas. Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany

Goncharova N.S. "Nutbymort with a tiger" 1915

Goncharova N.S. "Planting potatoes" 1908-1909

Goncharova N.S. "Flax" 1908

Goncharova N.S. "Pillars of Salt" 1908 Description of the painting

The picture is characterized by great architectonicity, complication and multi-figured composition, a variety of angles, freedom in building forms.

Using the technique of "picturesque story", Goncharov's composition is based on the biblical legend about Lot, but retolds it with a digression.

The point of attraction for a cubist interpretation is the moment when a human figure turns into a salt crystal against the background of a plunged city.

In Goncharov's interpretation, all the participants in the scene turned into pillars - Lot, his wife, daughters, even their future children.

Many pictorial and plastic techniques flow from the previous painting "The God of Fertility", namely, the interpretation of the face, especially the double outline of the eyes, the line of the eyebrows passing into the nose, the head set on the shoulders, thin arms and legs, rigid deformations of proportions, dominance 4- coal forms.

A new element is also outlined in the painterly development of the surface - one in the form of a "dovetail" in Lot's image. Here it has not yet been sufficiently identified either functionally or picturesquely, but in subsequent works it will find its place.

Goncharova N.S. "Stone Maiden" 1908

Goncharova N.S. "Peasant women" 1910

Goncharova N.S. "Nude black woman". Description of the picture

This picture is an illustrative example of Goncharova's primitivism. She breathes with the super-energy of the movement of nature and the dynamism of the painting itself. At the same time, she is close to both Picasso and Matisse.

In the interpretation of the feet, hands, and especially in the shape and positioning of the head, one can feel the plastic affinity of Picasso's Dryad and Friendship. The streaking smear on the face evokes associations with the "Dance with the Veils".

The influence of Matisse is noticeable in the grouping of the figure depicted in a swift dance, which makes it possible to show it simultaneously in different angles, color contrasts (a black figure on a crimson-pink background), in the expression of movement, the compactness of the figure in minimal space and super-relief of the contours, in the optimistic images.

Goncharova softens the cubist cut and achieves a greater plasticity of the image, in comparison with the emotional fractures of the figures on the canvases of her idols. The popularity of the picture was facilitated by the cultural expansion of the population from the conquered countries, which covered the countries of Europe. Passion for new forms was picked up by Russian artists following their European colleagues.

Goncharova N.S. "Emptiness" . Description of the picture

This picture is an exception and at the same time an innovation. In the work of Goncharova, for the first time in almost all Russian avant-garde painting, an abstract structure appears in the form of multicolored concentric rings of irregular shape.

This structure, which has a biological, protein form, is unstable in its outlines, shrinking and expanding in breadth and depth, looks like an unknown material substance, like a burst of energy. She is filled, as always with Goncharova, with the breath of life, however, life of a different level - the life of thinking matter.

The rhythm and alternation of blue and white rings of decreasing sizes with a varying ribbon width of dense smooth texture creates its own space, flowing inside these forms, streamlined by another space, formed by a picturesque mass of black-green-purple color with a matte texture. The surrounding space becomes permeable, despite the ability of the dark matte structure to absorb all the light.

Goncharova violates the physics of color and the physics of matter, destroying the unity and material density created by coloring pigments, by introducing whitewash pictorial elements that resemble mirror reflections. The plane of the entire pictorial field of the picture seems to be losing its material boundaries. And the composition is ready to overcome them, becoming, as it were, an illustration of the position of 4 dimensions: "The picture is sliding, it gives the feeling of what can be called the 4 dimension - timeless and extra-spatial ...".

Material volume - paints, their texture, i.e. “Complete” - depicts “empty”: “full” gives rise to “empty”, volume becomes a category of space. The picture may seem purely abstract. If you think about theosophical knowledge, you can imagine that the central white spot is, as it were, the designation of a tunnel that leads to another world, to an imaginary "emptiness". It is an otherworldly color. The blue rings are a kind of stepping stone through this tunnel to another world.

This is not the first time the theme of transition to another world has been raised in the works of artists. Similar tunnels were present in the works of other visionary artists. A striking example is the "Birth of the Human Soul" of 1808 by the German romantic F.O. Runge.

Goncharova N.S. "Angels Throwing Stones at the City." Description of the picture

One of the 9 expressive paintings of the general cycle called "The Harvest".

In this picture, Goncharova builds her own religious picture of the world. The top of this world is the divine heavenly world. Everything on earth is done under his patronage, and the warrior angels intervene directly in earthly life, opposing technology and urbanism, and at the same time protecting arable land and gardens. Thus, the oppositions "city-village" and "natural-technical" are being built.

In addition, the idea of \u200b\u200bretribution, heavenly punishment, fate, fate, in general, apocalyptic moods, correlated with Christian symbolism, is strong. The picture was created by the artist during the period of creative searches: rayonism, futurism - all this was ahead. Only primitivism and participation in "Jack of Diamonds" were Goncharova's creative experience so far. So this neo-primitivist painting is considered one of the best.

Like many others, this painting has outstanding decorative qualities. In particular, the rhythmic movements of the lines and spots are noticeable, the accentuated gravitation to the plane - the earth - is clearly manifested. All this emphasized Goncharova's striving for monumental forms.

Goncharova N.S. "Yellow and Green Forest". Description of the picture

One of a series of "radiant landscapes". Everything in this picture is blurred by glimpses of intersecting rays, behind them the outlines of trees are barely guessed. In the center of the composition there are 2 tree trunks that go upward, deep blue and brown tones. An intense patch of yellow in the crown of the tree, from which rays erupt, thick green and dark blue tones reach the absolute depth of color.

Tall tree crowns - all in intersecting rays. Even in the dense brown tone of the earth, glimpses of rays of light flash. It brings to the landscape an agitated and uplifting yet unreal, almost mystical sound.

It is believed that this landscape is a simple illustration of the philosophical constructions of P.D. Uspensky “Tertium Organum. Key to the riddles of the world. " Mysticism and esotericism were intertwined in his life path with occultism and healing. The philosopher's innovative model of the Universe, in which not 3, but 4 dimensions, including time. He also called for the creation of the world based on the idea of \u200b\u200ba synthesis of Psychology and Esotericism, which led to the highest level of comprehension and awareness of human life.

Born on August 16, 1881 in the village of Ladyzhino, Tula Region. Natalia was brought up in the family of an architect. This family belonged to the old family of the Goncharovs.

Carried away by art, Goncharova began her studies at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, which lasted from 1901 to 1909. At first, Natalia was mainly engaged in sculpture, and later became interested in painting. The first mentor of the aspiring artist was K.A. Korovin. At the same time, the sculptural works of the artist were also highly appreciated.

Goncharova's early works were paintings in the spirit of impressionism. These canvases were successfully exhibited at the World of Art and Moscow Art Theater exhibitions. She later received an invitation from S.P. Diaghilev. He invited the aspiring artist to participate in the Autumn Salon in Paris.

During this period, Goncharova mainly paints streets with old buildings, city parks in pastel technique. The peculiarities of the perception of the world, traced in these canvases, clearly indicate the influence on the artist of the work of the masters of the Nabis group. However, the gentle lyricism that characterized the work of the early period soon gave way to consistent neo-primitivism.

Even while studying at the Goncharov school, he met M.F. Larionov. Soon this acquaintance will lead to a warm relationship, and Larionov will become the artist's husband. Together with him, Goncharova participated in various Russian and European exhibitions. The creative ascent of the young artist was associated with 1906, when Goncharova came to grips with paintings in the spirit of primitivism. The artist is attracted by the theme of peasant art. She seeks to know the essence of the people's creativity in all its depth.

Later, Goncharova would work in other styles, actively using the traditions of different eras. At this time, the paintings "Mother", "Round Dance", "Cleaning of Bread", "Evangelists" appeared.

In 1913, Goncharova worked a lot on illustrations for literary works, including the publications of S.P. Bobrova, A.E. Kruchenykh, V.V. Khlebnikov. Since 1914, the artist has designed theatrical performances such as The Golden Cockerel. In the late period of creativity Goncharova creates many works that support the idea of \u200b\u200bnon-objective art. At this time, the paintings "Radiant Lilies", "Orchids" appeared.

In 1915, Goncharova and her husband left for France. Here the artist's life will end on October 17, 1962.

Natalia Goncharova - Russian artist, painter, graphic artist, theater artist, book illustrator. A representative of the Russian avant-garde of the early 1910s, one of the brightest set designers of the 20th century.

Natalya Sergeevna Goncharova was born on July 3, 1881 in the village of Ladyzhino, Tula Region. Belonged to the old noble family of the Goncharovs, was a great-uncle's wife Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

Sergey Mikhailovich, Natalia's father, was an architect, a representative of Moscow Art Nouveau. Mum Ekaterina Ilyinichna - the daughter of a Moscow professor of the Theological Academy. The artist's childhood passed in the Tula province, where her father owned several villages and estates, which instilled in her a love of rural life. It is with this that art historians associate the decorativeness of her mature work.

In 1891, when the girl was 10 years old, the family moved to Moscow.

Education

In Moscow, Natalia Goncharova entered the women's gymnasium, which she graduated in 1898 with a silver medal.

Despite her penchant for drawing, in her youth, Goncharova did not seriously consider the opportunity to become an artist.

In 1900 she enrolled in medical courses, but dropped out after three days. In the same year, she studied at the Faculty of History of the Higher Courses for Women for six months.

Then she became very interested in art and a year later entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, in the sculpture class of S. Volnukhin and P. Trubetskoy.

In 1904 she received a small silver medal for her work, but soon left her studies.

Natalya Sergeevna Goncharova Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Meeting with husband

While studying at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, Goncharova met her future husband: a painter Mikhail Larionov... Meeting with him changed the girl's life and intentions: she begins to write a lot and look for her own style. It was Larionov who advised her not to waste time on sculpture and take up painting. “Open your eyes to your eyes. You have a talent for color, and you are engaged in form, ”he said.

In 1904, Goncharova returned to her studies, but moved to the painting studio to Konstantin Korovin... Goncharova's early works were paintings in the spirit of impressionism. The girl did not abandon the sculpture and in 1907 she received another medal.

In 1909, Natalya finally decides to leave her studies. She stops paying tuition fees and is expelled from school.

Having connected her life with Mikhail Larionov, she shared his aspirations and artistic views. Goncharova tries herself in many areas of painting: cubism ("Portrait of M. Larionov", 1913) and primitivism ("Washing the canvas", 1910).

At this time, the artist was attracted by the theme of peasant art. She seeks to know the essence of the people's creativity. Goncharova returns to decorative and applied art: she writes drawings for wallpaper, decorates friezes of houses.

Reproduction of painting by Natalia Goncharova "Canvas Washing". 1910 year. Photo: « RIA News »

From 1908 to 1911 she gave private lessons at the painter's art studio Ilya Mashkov.

Illustrating

The artist participated in the activities of the society of futurists, collaborating with Velimir Khlebnikov and Alexei Kruchenykh... Friendship with the futurists led her to book graphics. In 1912, Goncharova designed the books of the Kruchenykh and Khlebnikov "Mirskonts", "The Game in Hell". She was one of the first book graphic artists in Europe to use the collage technique.

Exhibitions

On March 24, 1910, in the premises of the literary and artistic circle of the Society of Free Aesthetics, Goncharova organized her first solo exhibition, at which 22 paintings were presented. The exhibition lasted only one day: because of the presented painting "The Model (against a blue background)" Goncharova was accused of pornography, several works were confiscated. The court soon acquitted her.

In 1911 she, together with Larionov, organized the exhibition "Jack of Diamonds", in 1912 - "Donkey's Tail". Further - "Targets", "No. 4". The artist was a member of the Munich Blue Rider Society. Goncharova actively supported numerous actions and initiatives of that time.

In 1912, at the famous exhibition "Donkey's Tail" Natalia Goncharova exhibited a cycle of 4 paintings "The Evangelists". This work infuriated the censors with its non-trivial portrayal of saints.

In 1914, a large personal exhibition of Goncharova's works took place, 762 canvases were exhibited. But it was also not without a scandal: 22 works were removed, after which the censors went to court, accusing Goncharova of blasphemy.

In 1915, the last exhibition of Goncharova's works in Russia took place. In June Diaghilevinvites Goncharova and Larionov for permanent work in his "Russian Seasons", they leave Russia.

Emigration

Goncharova and Larionov arrived in France, where the couple remained until the end of their lives. The revolution prevented them from returning to Russia.

They settled in the Latin Quarter of Paris, where the whole bloom of the Russian emigration loved to be. Goncharova and Larionov organized charity balls for aspiring painters. Their house was often visited Nikolay Gumilyov and Marina Tsvetaeva.

Goncharova worked a lot in Paris, her cycles "Peacocks", "Magnolias", "Thorny Flowers" speak of her as a mature painter. Marina Tsvetaeva wrote: “How does Natalia Goncharova work? Firstly, always, secondly, everywhere, thirdly, everything. All themes, all sizes, all methods of implementation (oil, watercolor, tempera, pastel, pencil, colored pencils, charcoal - what else?), All areas of painting, everything is taken and gives every time. The same phenomenon of painting as a phenomenon of nature. "

Natalia Goncharova. Peacock in the bright sun, 1911 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

However, Goncharova devoted most of her strength to work in the theater. Until Diaghilev's death in 1929, she was one of the leading artists of his entreprise. She designed the ballets "Spanish Rhapsody" (to music M. Ravel), "Firebird" (to music I. Stravinsky), "Bogatyrs" (to music A. Borodina), the opera "Koschey the Immortal" (to music N. Rimsky-Korsakov).

In the fifties, Natalya Sergeevna painted numerous still lifes and canvases of the "space cycle".

In the sixties, there was a revival of wide interest in the art of Larionov and Goncharova, their exhibitions were held in many countries and cities of Europe and America. In 1961 in London, the Arts Council of Great Britain organized a large retrospective of the works of Larionov and Goncharova.

Natalia Goncharova died in Paris on October 17, 1962. Buried in the cemetery in Ivry-sur-Seine.

After her death, the Museum of Modern Art in Paris dedicated a major retrospective to her and Larionov.

10 most expensive works of art created by women

An extensive collection of works by Natalia Goncharova, a famous Russian avant-garde artist who left for Paris at the beginning of the 20th century, was brought to Moscow. This is the largest exhibition of Goncharova in Russia over the past 100 years: until February 16, 2014, the Tretyakov Gallery will display about 400 exhibits, most of which have not been exhibited in Russia before.

Goncharova received recognition not only in Russia, but also in the world. Her most expensive work - "Flowers" - was sold for more than $ 10 million. And this is a record for works of art created by women.

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Natalia Goncharova "Flowers" (1912)
Price: $ 10.9 / Auction: Christie’s / Year of sale: 2008

This painting is considered significant for the Russian avant-garde. In it, Goncharova mixed the latest trends in European art (she studied the canvases of Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso) and her own new direction - Rayonism. This style - one of the earliest forms of abstractionism - Goncharova came up with together with her husband, the futurist Mikhail Larionov. Artists depicted rays of light with colored lines, and thus conveyed the image of objects. They believed that objects in human perception are "the sum of rays coming from a light source, reflected from an object and falling into our field of vision" (Manifesto of Rayonism).

Louise Bourgeois "Spider"
Price: $ 10.7 million / Auction: Christie "s / Year: 2011

An American of French descent Louise Bourgeois lived to be almost a hundred years old and tried herself in almost all the main directions of 20th century art - Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism, Constructivism and Abstractionism. But Bourgeois became famous, first of all, as a sculptor. All her works are united by a unique system of symbols. The key theme of her work is childhood memories. A spider, or rather a spider, in the Bourgeois sign system is a symbol of the mother. “She was as smart, patient, pure, judicious and obliging as the spider. And she knew how to defend herself, ”said the artist about her mother.

Louise Bourgeois's giant bronze spider sculptures are breaking records at the auction. The last record belongs to the nearly seven-meter Spider from a private collection in the Napa Valley near San Francisco: on November 8, 2011, it was purchased at Christie's for $ 10.7 million.

Natalia Goncharova "The Spanish Woman" (1916)
Price: $ 10.7 million / Auction: Christie's / Year of sale: 2010

This painting was painted by Goncharova during the First World War. Then, serious changes took place in the artist's life. She moved from Russia to Paris, where she did the scenery for Diaghilev's Russian Ballets. Goncharova's skill as a theater artist was manifested in "The Spanish Woman": the powerful energy of Spanish dance was conveyed in the composition. At the same time, she managed to combine the detailing of theatrical scenery and the simplification inherent in abstract art. A radically new technique emerged in The Spanish Flu, which was later called theatrical constructivism.

Natalia Goncharova "Picking Apples" (1909)
Price: $ 9.8 million / Auction: Christie's / Year of sale: 2006

According to the results of the auction "Impressionists and Masters of the XX century" in 2006, "Picking apples" set a record for Russian painting. True, who bought the painting is not known: the buyer wished to remain anonymous.

At the moment when this work was written, the artist was fond of impressionism, post-impressionism, cubism and futurism, but the influence of Gauguin is especially noticeable in her. Goncharova was also inspired by the Russian icon painting and popular prints tradition. As a result, there was a whole cycle of "Fruit picking", performed in a completely original manner.

Joan Mitchell "Untitled" (1959)
Price: $ 9.3 million / Auction: Sotheby's / Year of sale: 2011

"Untitled" - one of the first works by Mitchell in the style of abstract expressionism that was new for her at that time. Mitchell is the most successful artist in terms of auction turnover, according to Berlin-based trading company Artnet.com. From 1985 to 2013, 646 of her works were sold, for which buyers paid a total of $ 239.8 million. Unlike other American artists who worked in the style of abstract expressionism, Mitchell turned to the European tradition.

Tamara de Lempicka "Dream" ("Raphael on a green background") (1927)
Price: $ 8.5 million / Auction: Sotheby's / Year of sale: 2011

Tamara de Lempicka is an American artist with Polish roots who lived in St. Petersburg for some time. She worked in the Art Deco style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s and absorbed the spirit of the "jazz age". The Dream was painted by Lempicka in a fruitful Parisian period and after the 2011 auction turned out to be the most expensive of the artist's creations. Prior to that, her most expensive works were sold in 2009 "Portrait of Marjorie Ferry" ($ 4.9 million) and "Portrait of Madame M." ($ 6.1 million).

Joan Mitchell "Salute, Sally!" (1970 year)
Price: $ 7 million / Auction: Chistie "s / Year: 2012

This painting is dedicated to Mitchell's older sister, Sally. The work differs sharply from her previous paintings. Bright times have come in the artist's life, which is reflected on the canvas. "Salute, Sally!" - bright and sunny picture. By 1970, Mitchell had found a permanent home, settling in the small town of Vetey, 55 km from Paris. There, she observed nature and constantly painted on her terrace, mainly sunflowers and other bright flowers. Mitchell received recognition from the Parisian public - the first solo exhibition of the abstractionist was held in the French capital in 1970.

The painting is painted in oil on canvas. Before the sale, the canvas was in a private collection.

Cady Noland "Ozwald" (1989)
Price: $ 6.6 million / Auction: Sotheby's / Year: 2011

American Cady Noland is a postmodern sculptor and installation artist. The peak of her creativity came in 1980-1990, and Noland created her last work 11 years ago. This, however, does not prevent her paintings from becoming more expensive. According to Bloomberg, Noland is one of three artists whose work has risen the most in the past 13 years (+ 5.488%). She achieved such impressive figures, among other things, thanks to Ozwald, which was sold for $ 6.6 million.

The sculpture depicts Lee Harvey Oswald, the only suspect in the assassination of American President John F. Kennedy. Noland worked on this installation in her usual technique. She uses images from the media (newspaper clippings, footage of the chronicle), enlarges them and using silk-screen printing, applies them to sheets of aluminum, and then cuts them out. To give the figures expressiveness, in some cases she makes holes - traces of bullets.

Noland's works are in leading galleries. Her solo exhibitions were held in the USA, Japan, Europe, and her works are sold by the world's leading auction houses.

Tamara de Lempicka "Sleeping" (1930)
Price: $ 6.6 million / Auction: Sotheby's / Year: 2011

Portraits, including those in the nude genre, occupy an important place in de Lempicka's artistic heritage. She created the image of a strong and sexy woman (it is not surprising that Madonna became one of the main collectors of Lempicki's works). The artist's world is filled with luxury, expensive dresses, perfect bodies.

Natalia Goncharova "Blossoming Trees" ("Apple Blossom") (1912)
Price: $ 3.96 million / Auction: Sotheby's / Year: 2011

In this work, Goncharov, according to critics, is much closer to the pictorial French tradition of the 19th century than to the works of Kazimir Malevich and Wassily Kandinsky.

Anna Namit
Forbes