Natalia Goncharova (exhibition)

Natalia Goncharova: Harvest polyptych: The Phoenix. Harvest n:o 3 (1911). Н. Гончарова. Жатва. Птица феникс. 92 х 97.5 холст, масло. Ж-1438. © The State Tretyakov gallery.

Natalia Gontcharova (1881 - 1962): Peacock / Le paon (Harvest / Moisson) n:o 1. 1911. Huile sur toile 100 x 92,5 cm. Un des 9 éléments du polyptyque "Moisson". Donation Etat soviétique, 1988. Numéro d'inventaire : AM 1988-873. Date 1911. Musée National d'Art Moderne - Centre Pompidou. Domaine publique.

Гончарова Н.С. Angels Throwing Stones on the City. Harvest n:o 2 / «Ангелы, мечущие камни на город» (Rev 6:14-17). 100 x 129. Инв. Ж-1439 Date 1911. Photo: The State Tretyakov Gallery.

Natalia Goncharova: Feet Pressing Grapes. Harvest n:o 7. Н. Гончарова. Жатва. Ноги, мнущие виноград. 100×92. 1911. Natalia Gontcharova (1881 - 1962) Pieds foulant le raisin (Moisson) [1911] Huile sur toile 99,5 x 92,5 cm. Pieds foulant/le raisin/de la série/Moisson /N 596 v. Un des 9 éléments du polyptyque "Moisson". Donation Etat soviétique, 1988. Numéro d'inventaire : AM 1988-872. Musée National d'Art Moderne - Centre Pompidou.

N. Goncharova: Maiden on the Beast. Harvest n:o 5. Дева на звере. 168 x 129,5. Костромской Государственный историко-архитектурный, художественный музей-заповедник. 1911. Source http://artpoisk.info/artist/goncharova_natal_ya_sergeevna_1881/eva_na_zvere/ Kostroma State Museum.

Natalia Goncharova: A Prophet. Harvest n:o 6 / Пророк. 1911. 166 х 92 холст, масло. Ж-1437. State Tretyakov Gallery.

Natalia Goncharova: Harvest. Harvest n:o 9. Урожай (Жатва). 1911. 99 x 93. Омский музей. M. A. Vrubel Omsk Regional Museum of Fine Arts.

EXHIBITION
Natalia Goncharova. Exhibition at the Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki, 27 Feb to 17 May 2020.
    The exhibition is organised by the Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki, Tate Modern in London and Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, in collaboration with State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. The exhibition is curated by Timo Huusko, chief curator at the Ateneum Art Museum; Matthew Gale, head of displays at Tate Modern; and Natalia Sidlina, curator of international art at Tate Modern.
    The touring show was launched at Tate Modern, London, 6 June – 8 September 2019.
    It comes to Helsinki from Palazzo Strozzi, Florence: Natalia Goncharova. A Woman of the Avant-garde with Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso. 28 Sep 2019 – 12 Jan, 2020
    Helsinki exhibition architecture: Hannele Grönlund.
    Press preview visited on 26 Feb 2020.
    Наталья Сергеевна Гончарова / pronunciation: Ната́лья Серге́евна Гончаро́ва / Finnish transliteration Natalia Gontsharova.

CATALOGUE
Natalia Goncharova. Edited by Matthew Gale and Natalia Sidlina. With contributions by Timo Huusko, Evgenia Iliukhina, Evgenia Petrova, Jane Pritchard, Ludovica Sebregondi, Zelfira Tregulova and Katy Wan. London: Tate Enterprises Ltd 2019. ISBN 978 1 84976 629 6. 224 pages. In English.
    There are Finnish and Swedish editions for Ateneum. Helsinki catalogue design: Hanne Selkokari.

AA: For the first time in Finland there is a solo exhibition of Natalia Goncharova (1881–1962), the early master of Russian avantgarde who moved to Paris with her companion Mikhail Larionov before the Revolution and never worked in Soviet Russia.

For me, it's a revelation. I have seen Goncharova's art at the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, at the excellent avantgarde collections of Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum and at Centre Pompidou, but this is my first opportunity to see Goncharova in full.

The timing is perfect. We have had a black winter in Helsinki, and Goncharova's exhibition is a burst of sunlight and glowing warm colour. Her signature cadmium orange shines triumphantly.

The heart of the show is the Harvest polyptych (see images above): seven paintings that remain from the original set of nine have been brought together at last for this touring show. The only time all paintings were seen together was in Goncharova's first solo exhibition in 1911 in Moscow. The Harvest cycle is based on the Book of Revelation, or the Apocalypse of John. Goncharova's radiant colour palette is in extreme contrast to the doomsday motifs. I see in the Harvest polyptych a battleground between Eros and Thanatos.

Goncharova was inspired by her great contemporaries in France such as Derain, Gauguin and Picasso, also displayed in the exhibition. She was influenced by impressionism, cubism and futurism, and by a drive towards abstraction. On display is her contribution to the Russian avantgardist phenomena of Jack of the Diamonds, Donkey's Tail and Rayonism as well as her participation in Der Blaue Reiter. A typical movement for Goncharova was Everythingism (Vsechestvo) because her taste was catholic.

Her drive towards the abstract was always rooted in the material, the sensual and the concrete, perfectly expressed in the Harvest polyptych. Goncharova came from an aristocratic family who lived in the countryside. She shared her family's liberal sense of social consciousness, but she was not a Bolshevik revolutionary. She loved to dress in peasant style and portray herself in peasant dress, and she was also a skillful tailor who made clothes for herself and designed dresses for others.

A streak of sunny spirituality runs through her work. She was inspired by icons, and her avantgardist approach to religious art was considered blasphemous. In her joy in naivism there is an affinity with Chagall.

Goncharova was also influenced by the primitive folk art of the lubok: popular prints of religious subjects or historical topics with a fairy-tale approach and a two-dimensional pictorial space. One of the most impressive sets of images in the exhibition is Mystical Images of War (1914):  a suite of lithographs in lubok style. A motif that obsessed Goncharova, also stemming from luboks, was "maiden on the beast": in the exhibition it appears in two great cycles the Harvest series (see above) and the Mystical Images of War.

The exhibition is rich and versatile, starting with early impressionism, highlighting the "spiritual autobiography" of her giant 1913 solo exhibition and proceeding to Goncharova's later remarkable career as an art director (Ballets Russes for starters) and costume and interior designer. We also see posters and book illustrations. Her pioneering body art and performances are not neglected. Like Picasso, Goncharova was happy to switch abruptly between isms, styles and modes of expression. She seems to court eclecticism, but in all her different incarnations she retains and expands her recognizable self. She never stood still, and an original spirit shines through a multitude of expressions.

Goncharova loved also Russia in its multitude of traditions and ethnicalities, including the Jewish culture in what was known at the time the Pale of Settlement. It would be interesting to see a complete set of these works.

The passage from la Belle Époque to the Age of Extremes was devastating in art, but Goncharova never lost her sunny disposition. There is a smile on her face whether in self-portraits or portraits painted by Larionov. Even in images bordering on the non-figurative there is a peculiar sense of humour. I don't sense escapism but a life-affirming mission of art as a counter-image in dark times. As an artist Goncharova was an incarnation of la joie de vivre. Her art is deeply religious, and her emphasis is not in suffering but in goodness. Even in the great apocalyptic suites (Harvest, Mystical Images of War) the power of love is overwhelming.

The hanging, the colour patterns of the rooms, and the lighting are beautiful at Ateneum, the museum architect Hannele Grönlund perfectly in tune with the spirit of Goncharova. Most of the artworks have been seen in other legs of the touring show. The copies of luboks, Goncharova's book illustrations and Mystical Images of War are on loan from the National Library of Finland (see a list below of the works from Finnish collections).

The catalogue to the touring show has been edited at Tate by Matthew Gale and Natalia Sidlina. Worth noticing next to the illuminating essays and articles is "Goncharova on Colour", the artist's inspired laudatio to the glories of colour ("colours have a strange magic quality") – red, black, yellow, orange, green, blue, palepink, grey, yellow-yellow ochre, earth brown, violet, and white. Visiting a Goncharova exhibition we take a bath in colours. Also very useful and rewarding is Katy Wan's "Natalia Goncharova: Chronology", an illustrated capsule biography in 16 pages. The illustrations are wonderful. This book is a valuable keepsake.

GROUND PLAN OF ATENEUM'S NATALIA GONCHAROVA EXHIBITION:
Gallery 20: Neo-Primitivism
Gallery 21: Countryside and Folk Art
Gallery 22: Natalia Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov
Gallery 23: Moscow and Western Art
Gallery 24: Mystical Images of War
Gallery 25: Harvest
Gallery 27: 1913 Exhibition
Gallery 28: Cubo-Futurism and Rayonism
Gallery 29: Art and Religion
Gallery 30: Goncharova in Paris
Gallery 31: Fashion and Ballets Russes

LUBOKS FROM THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF FINLAND (prints on paper, artist unknown):
Lubok: The Rich Man and Lazarus (1862), 45 x 35.
Lubok: Подвечерь осенью ненастной / Podvecher osenyu nenastnoi / Candlelight in Rainy Autumn (1866), 35 x 45.
Lubok: Отгадай, моя родина... / Otgadai, moya rodina... / Guess, My Fatherland... (1871), 35 x 45.
Lubok: Вот извольте видеть / Vot izvolte videt / Here You Can See (1878), 45 x 35.

MYSTICAL IMAGES OF WAR (1914), LITHOGRAPHS FROM THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF FINLAND, ALL 36 x 28:
Mystical Images of War Nr. 1: St. George
Mystical Images of War Nr. 2: The White Eagle
Mystical Images of War Nr. 3: The English Lion
Mystical Images of War Nr. 4: Галльский петух / The Gallic Rooster
Mystical Images of War Nr. 5: Maiden on the Beast
Mystical Images of War Nr. 6: Peresvet and Oslyabya
Mystical Images of War Nr. 7: Archangel Michael
Mystical Images of War Nr. 8: Vision in the Clouds
Mystical Images of War Nr. 9: Devoted Christian Troops
Mystical Images of War Nr. 10: Angels and Aeroplanes
Mystical Images of War Nr. 11: The Doomed City
Mystical Images of War Nr. 12: The Pale Horse
Mystical Images of War Nr. 13: Communal Grave
Mystical Images of War Nr. 14: Saint Alexander Nevski

BOOKS FROM THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF FINLAND:
Exhibition catalogue: Natalia Goncharova / Mikhail Larionov (1913). 30 x 23.
Book: Aleksandr Blok: Двенадцать / Скифы / The Twelve / The Scythians (1920). 24 x 18.
Book: Tihon Churilin: Весна после смерти / Spring After Death (1915). 33 x 25.

ICONS FROM SINEBRYCHOFF ART MUSEUM (artist unknown):
Mother of God, Hodegetria, Byzantine icon (16th century), 39,5 x 31.
Archangel Michael from the Deesis, Russian icon. (late 17th / 18th century), 77 x 37. Sinebrychoff Art Museum / Sara Hildén.

FELLOW ARTISTS IN THE EXHIBITION: FINNISH NATIONAL GALLERY:
Paul Gauguin: Landscape in Tahiti (Mahana Maà), 1892. 54,5 × 31 cm, oil on canvas. Purchase, A II 986.

BEYOND THE JUMP BREAK: THE OFFICIAL INTRODUCTION:
BEYOND THE JUMP BREAK: THE OFFICIAL INTRODUCTION:

Natalia Goncharova’s exhibition to introduce the pioneer of “everythingism”

An exhibition of Natalia Goncharova’s work is shown on the third floor of the Ateneum Art Museum from 27 February to 17 May 2020. Natalia Goncharova (1881–1962) is known as a central figure in Russian avant-garde art, inspiring experimental artists in both Russia and Western Europe. The exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of the artist’s work from the first four decades of the 20th century.

Before coming to the Ateneum, the exhibition is on display at Tate Modern in London and the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. The exhibition continues the work done by the Ateneum in highlighting women artists, examples of which are the Alice Neel exhibition, held in the summer of 2016, and displays by female Finnish artists.

Natalia Goncharova received recognition early on in her career. She proclaimed herself the leading figure of the Russian avant-garde before her artist colleagues, who have since risen to fame, including Kazimir Malevich, Marc Chagall or Wassily Kandinsky, by staging a huge private exhibition in Moscow in 1913. In 1916, she moved to France and became a key figure in the whirling art world of Paris.

Goncharova’s extensive artistic work was inspired by folk art and religious icons. Her art was also contradictory: Goncharova could at one moment be taking part in a street performance in Moscow with a painted face, and at the next be working on creating religious art inspired by old icons. In addition to visual art, Goncharova designed costumes and sets for Sergei Diaghilev’s famous Ballets Russes. She also created designs for fashion houses in Moscow and Paris, was involved in avant-garde cinema, and provided illustrations for experimental poems. The term “everythingism” (Russian “vsechestvo”) aptly captures Goncharova’s multifaceted oeuvre.

Goncharova’s bold and innovative work was influential among her contemporaries, crossing the boundaries that typically existed between 20th-century art forms. The exhibition focuses on the artist’s most innovative period from the early 1900s to the 1920s, when she inspired experimental artists in both Russia and Western Europe. The exhibition features more than one hundred works, including a large number of paintings, but also illustrations, costumes, sketches of set designs, and recordings of ballet performances. Almost all the works in the exhibition will be seen in Finland for the first time.

The exhibition is organised by the Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki, Tate Modern in London and Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, in collaboration with State Tretyakov Gallery. The exhibition is curated by Timo Huusko, chief curator at the Ateneum Art Museum; Matthew Gale, head of displays at Tate Modern; and Natalia Sidlina, curator of international art at Tate Modern.

Natalia Goncharova (1881–1962) is known as a central figure in Russian avant-garde art, inspiring experimental artists in both Russia and Western Europe. The exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of the artist’s work from the first four decades of the 20th century. Before coming to the Ateneum, the exhibition is on display at Tate Modern in London and the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence.

Natalia Goncharova’s bold and innovative work was influential among her contemporaries, crossing the boundaries that typically existed between 20th-century art forms. The exhibition focuses on the artist’s most innovative period from the early 1900s to the 1920s, when she inspired experimental artists in both Russia and Western Europe. The exhibition features more than one hundred works, including a large number of paintings, but also illustrations, costumes, sketches of set designs, and recordings of ballet performances. Almost all the works in the exhibition will be seen in Finland for the first time.

Goncharova’s extensive artistic work was inspired by folk art and religious icons. Her art was also contradictory: Goncharova could at one moment be taking part in a street performance in Moscow with a painted face, and at the next be working on creating religious art inspired by old icons. In addition to visual art, Goncharova designed costumes and sets for Sergei Diaghilev’s famous Ballets Russes. She also created designs for fashion houses in Moscow and Paris, was involved in avant-garde cinema, and provided illustrations for experimental poems.

The exhibition is organised by the Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki, Tate Modern in London and Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, in collaboration with State Tretyakov Gallery. The exhibition is curated by Timo Huusko, chief curator at the Ateneum Art Museum; Matthew Gale, head of displays at Tate Modern; and Natalia Sidlina, curator of international art at Tate Modern.

Did you know this about Natalia Goncharova?

The queen of the avant-garde

At the beginning of the 20th century, Moscow was one of the most interesting art cities in the world. Natalia Goncharova proclaimed herself the leading figure of the Russian avant-garde before her artist colleagues, who have since risen to fame, including Kazimir Malevich, Marc Chagall or Wassily Kandinsky, by staging a huge private exhibition in Moscow in 1913 at the age of 32. This ambitious display was the first solo exhibition of work by a Russian avant-garde artist – and a woman at that.

The bold rebel

Natalia Goncharova, who was a prominent innovator in the visual arts, fashion and ballet, was not shackled by gender roles or boundaries between art forms. Contemporary critics, however, were especially outraged by a 1910 exhibition and the way in which the female artist portrayed the naked body. The nudes in the exhibition, such as The Deity of Fertility (1909–1910), were confiscated by the police. The artist was charged with exhibiting “corrupt” works of art. Today, the works are held by the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, and some of them are included in the Ateneum exhibition.

A theatre reformer

In 1914, Natalia Goncharova rose to international fame as a set and costume designer for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Later, she was responsible for the set and costume design for the composer Igor Stravinsky’s ballets The Firebird and The Wedding. Goncharova’s work in the theatre was strongly influenced by Russian folk art. The artist continued to work in the theatre throughout her career. The Ateneum exhibition features costumes and sketches of set designs by Goncharova, and recordings of ballet performances.

The pioneer of “everythingism”

Natalia Goncharova developed a new abstract art movement, called rayonism, together with her partner Mikhail Larionov. The style evolved from cubism and futurism: the term rayonism refers to the radiation emitted by various objects and its depiction. Goncharova’s enthusiasm also drew on knowledge of the existence of radio waves and X-rays. “Everythingism” aptly captures Goncharova’s diverse oeuvre: in addition to paintings, costumes and sets, she also did performance art, created illustrations for experimental poems, and participated in avant-garde cinema.

A combiner of Eastern and Western influences

In 1913, Natalia Goncharova stated: “The West has shown me one thing: everything it has is from the East.”

In addition to rayonism, Natalia Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov also developed neo-primitivism. This style of painting combined Western modernism with traditional Russian folk-art forms. Neo-primitivist works could include elements from Russian lubok prints, icon painting, and shop signboards. Natalia Goncharova’s diverse work has inspired experimental artists in both Russia and Western Europe.