Page 44 - Studio International - July August 1973

(Left) atmosphere that Constructivism and
Watercolour Expressionism, Realism and Surrealism could
Courtesy Galerie Jean Chauvelin, Paris
exist side by side. And yet despite such cultural
(Below) synthesism, Filonov's attempt to encompass the
Head 1925
Watercolour, 24.5 x 18 cm. whole 'periphery' to answer the question once
Coll. G. Riabov, New York posed by Matyushin — 'How can one depict the
whole of mankind by one face ?'31 — produced,
perhaps in spite of himself, a fragmented and
terrifying vision. It was ironic, therefore, that in
the 1930s, a period of apparent political and
social consolidation, Filonov's endeavours to
transmit the cosmic process of growth and
development in his 'metaphysical aspirations'32
should have emerged as symbols of disharmony
and disintegration.
The legacy of Filonov's theoretical and
pictorial work was not entirely lost. After his
death, former pupils such as Arapova and
Gurvich maintained the principles of
Analytical Art and at the present time members
of Russia's new so-called avant-garde turn to
Filonov's word and image with admiration and
respect. It is our duty to share their task and
`toil for the glory of Filonov so that he will take
his place in the history of Analytical Art.'33

Translator's note
Filonov's style of writing, like that of David
Burliuk and Malevich, is, to say the least,
unconventional. At times his awkward
constructions and very long sentences tend to
create ambiguities; occasionally, therefore, long
passages have been divided or connecting words
inserted in order to ensure fluency in English.
The word 'madeness' has been used to translate
the Russian sdelannost (see note i below) and
for the sake of brevity the particle IZO (an
abbreviation for 'the visual arts' as in IZO
Narkompros) has been retained.

Notes to the biography
1The term 'madeness' (Russian : sdelannost, from the
verb sdelat (to do or to make)) was invented by
Filonov. It played a key role in his artistic world-
view and for him implied the quality of execution,
of craftsmanship evident in the completed work.
'For illustrations and details of these frescoes see :
I. Grabar: Istoriya russkogo iskusstva, vol. 6,
Moscow, (191r), pp. 287-296.
3K. Tomashevsky: 'Vladimir Mayakovsky' — Teatr,
Moscow, 1938, No. 4, p. 141.
'For details see: V. Markov: Russian Futurism,
London, 1969, pp. 168-172; B. Livchits ;
Polutoraglazyi strelets, Leningrad, 1933, pp.
197-199; French translation of the latter by E.
Sébald, V. and J. Marcadé: B. Livchits : L' Archer a
un oeil et demi, Lausanne, 1971, pp. 19o-193.
Filonov also contributed illustrations to
Khlebnikov's book of poems, Izbornik stikhov,
St Petersburg, 1914.
'It is known that Filonov was in Italy and France
during 1912. D. Burliuk in `Filonov' — Colour and
Rhyme, New York, 1954, no. 28, p. 4 mentions that
Filonov spent four days in London, but this is
doubtful.
'The title, Popoven o prorosli mirovoi, is difficult to
translate since it is based on neologisms invented by
Filonov. The text of the drama uses transrational
language (zaum), a system of neologisms based on
existing roots, although some of Filonov's words
have no semantic connection whatsoever. Several
writers and artists used zaum including Khlebnikov,
Kruchenykh, Malevich, Rozanova and Stepanova.
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