Natalia Gontcharova

(1884 - 1962)

1713

Michel Seuphor

Larionov 5 eaux fortes

Gontcharova  4 eaux-fortes

Milan: Galleria Schwarz, 1965

305 x 245 mm. pages nn.

Edition: 100. Copy nr. 38

As the third volume in his series International anthology of contemporary engravings Schwarz published this book including nine etchings by Larionov and Gontcharova, the only such in the oeuvre of both artists, which, with their sequence of trembling lines, seem to reflect the aged hands of the eighty year-old artists. Nevertheless the abstract sequence of lines, powerful in their simplicity, seem to be emblematic in the careers of both artists, and their adherence to the zero-movement aesthetic. In fact they do not show a new language, but fit very well into the graphic language of both artists. After a long life in exile, during which they were completely forgotten by the art critics, the five etchings by Larionov and the four etchings by Gontcharova show a return to the period of Rayonism. This style was developed 50 years before, during the heydays of Russian Futurism. In a way these works celebrate that anniversary. They also celebrate the return of the artists in the limelight in the same year a retrospective exhibition for the British Arts Council was organized by Camilla Gray. Only one year before Gontcharova died she and Larionov regained their rightful place in art history. Their importance, undisputed nowadays, is again confirmed in the introduction of this book written by the Belgian abstract artist Michel Seuphor. Published posthumously in 10 copies for the collaborators and 90 copies for the market, the book is a proper homage to two beacons of the Russian avant-garde.

References:

Offenbach 2016, nr. 33