Page 38 - Studio International - June 1974

information? The designs for the scenery and Artistic Culture in Leningrad. which not only plays the role of super-formal '
costumes could just as well have been made in 17b Vl. Markov (`Russian Futurism', op. cit. p. 398, catalyst, but also determines the meaning of new
Petrograd and elaborated by Malevich in Moscow. n. 21) has not missed this source of Krouchenkh, plastic signs. Thus their plastic creation does not
9 The three authors also published a Futurist however it is Markov's only reference to Ouspenski, reach the level of pure painting, for it always
Manifesto at this time, which unfortunately still whose importance for Russian Futurism he does not remains subordinate to the anecdotal nature of the
owes too much to the famous text 'A slap in the face recognize. subject. The differences with Malevich's visual
for public taste' to offer any real interest of its own. 17C cf. Andersen, 197o, bibl. 94,111. p. 153. method can particularly be established in 1915.
10 Ousikirko, a seaside resort, not far from the 17d Hinton's name also appears in Benedikt 25 So Marcel Duchamp's dependence on language
Finlandish border. In the publications on Russian Livchitz's book 'The Archer with one and a half eyes' prevents him from going beyond certain limits of
Futurism, a 'Futurist Congress in Finland' has (Leningrad, 1933, p. 151) Unfortunately, the French meaning (cf. Michel Sanouillet's article,
sometimes been mentioned, for Burljuk and translators of the work (L'Age de l'Homme Press, `Marcel Duchamp and the French Intellectual
Khlebnikov also came to visit Matiouchine at the same Lausanne 1971, p. 146, note 14) indulge in a curious Tradition' in Marcel Duchamp catalogue,
period. In fact, they were visits by friends, not really a invention by transcribing Hinton's name as Hatton Philadelphia 1973, Anne d'Harnoncourt editor,
`congress'. and refer in a completely fantastical way to a writer pp. 47-55). Similarly his inscription on the inside of
11 They are a series of familiar scenes of Venetian who has no connection whatsoever with Matiouchine. an erotic symbol forms the real mythological
life from the end of the fifteenth century (theatre, 17e Contrary to what might be thought, determinant of his evolution. Malevich's example
engravings). Erasmus's In Praise of Folly reflects in its P. D. Ouspenski (1878-1947) was not a member of proves how difficult it was for him to escape from this
way this type of metaphorical thought, illustrating any theosophic society; his views on the Madras dependence and at what price he could free himself in
the change of symbolic values which took place at Russo-English group he visited in 1912 were very 1915.
this time. critical. His publicizing activity before 1915 is the " Oil on canvas, 106*5 x 106*5 cm., Costakis coll.,
12 The symbolic association of the image of the sun best proof of how extensively his ideas were read. Moscow. Reproduced in Andersen 1970, p. 23 and in
with an image of culture, order and 'superior' power His career and the false reputation currently attached the catalogue The Cubist Epoque (197o) by Douglas
will not be studied here. Let us just point out the to his work result from his relations with Gurdjiev Cooper (No 202, colour ill. p1. 164).
reversal of roles taking place in Kroutchenkh's play. after 1915. Ouspenski was to separate himself very 27 Oil on canvas and collage, 62 49 cm., private
The actuality of this same symbol in the surrealist rapidly from Gurdjiev, going back to personal collection, Leningrad. It was published for the first
mythology, moving from a completely different scale themes articulated before 1915. time by Lamac in his 1967 article (Vytvarné Umeni,
of cultural values, with the image of the 'black sun' 17f c.f. P. D. Ouspenski, 'The Inner Circle', No 8/9, 1967, p. 379), with the date 1913. Andersen
(Bataille), is there to prove the importance of this St Petersburg, 1913, p. 53. (1970, ill. p. 25) gives the date 1914, which seems to us
image as a symbol of cultural regeneration. A mere " The drawings are kept in the Theatrical Museum of more appropriate for this work: the cubist
comparison of these two scales of values would allow Leningrad, under the file number 5199. They are composition in the background leads us to prefer the
us to reach conclusions revealing the dynamic- reproduced by Camilla Gray (ill. 99). The dimensions second date. The work is composed of wide
constructive nature of this 1913 text and its cultural of the drawing representing the square (black pencil) surface-planes and parts imitating sculptural reliefs,
radicality, in the face of the melancholy are: sheet 27 X 21 CM., composition 15.5 x 13.5 cm. which together lead us, after a stylistic
contemplation of the surrealists, who do not succeed The collector Wilhelm Hack was kind enough to examination, to date it around the spring of 1914.
in overthrowing the balance of cultural values, but point out the existence of a scenery drawing for "Notice in passing the frequent presence of metric
limit themselves solely to 'sabotage'. On the subject of Victory over the Sun, where the Black Square is elements (saw teeth, ladder, rule, etc.) in the
solar symbolism, see the anthology The Sun in Art, clearly seen in entirety, giving a supplementary compositions of this period. The law of numbers - one
edited by Walter Herdeg, Graphis Press, Zurich, confirmation of Camilla Gray's thesis. of the favourite subjects of Khlebnikov - appealed to
1962. 19 In 192o a new staging of Victory over the Sun Malevich's mind by its proposition of
13 In his article, 'Picasso', published in Sofia No 3, took place in Vitebsk. The scenery was to be done by systematization, capable of cutting across the
1914 and reprinted in the collection The crisis in Art his pupil Ermolaieva. It is significant that Malevich, too-complicated analytical atomization, It offers at
(Krizis iskousstva) Moscow, 1918. placing this production in the pedagogical perspective the same time a valuable piece of background
14 See amongst others the diagrams on this matter, of Unovis, again begins the analysis of his path information qualifying significantly the analytical
-published by E. P. Radin in his essay 'Futurism and towards pure painting with the staging of this same - research of Malevich.
Insanity', St Peterburg 1914. The author play, recreated with a didactic aim by all his 28a Cf. P. D. Ouspenski, Tertium Organum, A Key to
nevertheless stresses that by its optimism and the students to whom he was teaching the analytical the Enigmas of the World, 2nd edition, London and
energy shown, Futurism is the only tendency in path of the new painting. The little scenery we know New York, 1922, p. 214. We refer to the pagination of
modern art in opposition to the suicidal direction leads one to see in it a modernization of the production, the English edition of 1970, while bearing in mind the
embodied in the symbolist school, but their common in which, however, geometric characters similar to differences with the first Russian edition of 1911.
link still remains the appeal to intuition understood those drawn by Malevich in 1913 appear (cf. the On comparing these two editions, we see that only
as the subsconscious source of artistic creation. illustration in the catalogue Erste Russische two chapters of secondary importance - XI and XV -
In P. D. Ouspenski's text on Arcybachev's book Kunstausstellung, Berlin 1922, No. 302). have been added.
`The Last Stroke' (in The Inner Circle, in Russian, 20 Cf. the catalogue of the last exhibition of the "b Cf. Chapter XXI of the 197o edition.
St Petersburg 1913) we find many details on this Union of Youth December 1913-January 1914, 29 The Cubist Still Life of 1913 (Estorick coll.,
question and a remarkable socio-philosophical St Petersburg, Nos 61-66. London) serves as an example of this desired
analysis of the phenomenon of suicide, considered as 21 Nos 67-72 of the same catalogue. levelling of any colourist effect, taken to the brutal
an influence of the cultural sort (literary in this case), 22 We are thinking of Cubist Still Life of 1913 uniformity of a totally colourless mass. The small
on the behaviour of individuals (cf. op. cit. p. 5 and (Estorick coll., London, illus. Camilla Gray, pl. 96); extent of `picturality' of this work, in complete
following). of the Samovar; and of the Table and Room (No 41, contrast with the colourist exuberance of the
15 Independent futurist group of 'Hyleens' as well as Andersen 1970 (Stedelijk Museum Collection, neighbouring periods (1910-1912 and 1914-1916),
cubo-futurists in St Petersburg. On this matter, Amsterdam), both from 1913. The latter in particular shows the power of the analytical effort Malevich
see V. Markov, Russian Futurism: A History, UCLA is based on a focal structure (centrifugal) illustrating was capable of attaining, through the force of logical
Press, California, 1968. Ignatiev is the pen name of Malevich's analytical desire to reach the limit of discipline.
Kazanski. cubist possibilities. Samovar (Riklis Collection, 3° See Lamac's article, 1967, illustrations pp. 375,
16 Nikolai Hardjiev, whom we thank here for New York) reveals a structure of opposed diagonals 38o, 381 and 382.
information on this period, has expressed the that Malevich was to declare two years later as 31 The wooden spoons are one of the favourite
opinion that a large proportion of Gnedov's texts `the aesthetic trap of Cubism'. Remember that symbols of the futurists in 1914. Malevich and
were directly inspired by Ignatiev, whose natural Picasso and Braque escaped the 'abstract' Morgounov appeared in the streets of Moscow and at
shyness did not go well with the public role temptations of analytical Cubism by the use of public soirees (discussions, organized by the group
necessitated by his futurist activity. So Gnedov was collage. `Knave of Diamonds' on 19 February 1914)
to some extent the 'public alter-ego' of Ignatiev, " Malevich's lithograph takes up the schema of an with wooden spoons in their buttonholes. See the
an opinion that few of Gnedov's activities after 1914 oil composition on panel (48.7 x 25.7 cm. Russian article of Tugenhold in the newspaper Nov' of
seems to confirm. Vassili (Vassilisk) Gnedov (born in Museum, Leningrad) called Cm and Violin 20 February, 1914.
189o) still lives today in the Ukrain. Among Gnedov's (Andersen 197o, ill. p. 23). Camilla Gray (p. 132, 32 Note that all these works (`A-logical' paintings and
other works dating from this period is the 'Book of the note 5) was the first to point out the importance of this drawings) are carried out in the old orthography.
Great', St Petersburg 1914 (published together with composition, on the back of which Malevich had 33 The catalogues of exhibitions after 1914 do not give
Chirikov) and 'Inn of Feelings', 1913. 'Death to Art' written 'the a-logical collusion of two forms, the examples of this type.
was published by the Ignatiev Press called violin and the cow, illustrates the moment of struggle 31 To see our opinion on the dependence of Puni's
Peterbourskii glachatai'. between logic, natural law, bourgeois meaning and style on Malevich's innovations, reference can be
" Certain poems are composed of a single word or prejudice., K. Malevitch, 1911'. (Like many dates made to the article, 'Notes from an Unpublished
even a sound. (Nos I I, 14). designed to support the appearance of Suprematism Catalogue' in Studio International, Vol. 186, No 961,
17a These texts remain in manuscript form. All the in 1913, the date of this picture has deliberately been December 1973, pp. 224-225.
subjects touched on by Matiouchine are closely moved forward by two years. The inscription 35 Oil on canvas, 73 x 92 cm. Berninger coll.,
linked with Ouspenski's statements. The final certainly dates from after 1918). Zurich, cf. H. Berninger and J.-A. Cartier, Pougny,
subject, reflecting certain of Ouspenski's 'spherical' " In Western Europe, only Picabia and Marcel Catalogue of his Work: Avant Garde Years,
preoccupations, also touched on in the book on the Duchamp come near to Malevich's analytical mode of Russia-Berlin 1910-1923', Tubingen 1972, No 30,
`Fourth Dimension' (1909), bring Matiouchine later thinking. However, their path is still different, for ill. p. 79.
to his very original theory of 'extended view', they work for a transformation of the meaning of 36 Oil on canvas, 85 x 67 cm. private coll., Zurich.
developed during 1919-1926 in the Institute for geometric or mechanical forms through language, Cf. H. Berninger and J.-A. Cartier, ibid., catalogue
No 34, ill. p. 182.
288