Even Marina Tsvetaeva admired the creativity and talent of the Russian artist Natalia Goncharova. She assured that the artist's life and creativity are inseparable and united, and this is not at all accidental.
Hearing “Natalia Goncharova” many people will notice the amazing coincidence of names with another historical figure. And this is not in vain. The talented artist was a great-great-granddaughter of the wife of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. She was born in Tula province, the village of Ladyzhino and until the end of her days appreciated the quiet, measured rural life. Staying in the city, she always considered it a forced measure. The daughter of an architect herself planned to connect her life with this craft, but fate had its own calculations.
1901. Goncharova became a student of the Moscow School of Painting and Architecture. She studied sculpture, got excellent marks and was quite a promising specialist. Everything changed after meeting Mikhail Larionov. He noted that Natalia had a natural sense of color, but spent her time on forms.
Peacock in the bright sun
Legends say that after this conversation the young people broke up. Unlike ordinary girls, Natalia did not shed tears and complain to her friends. When Larionov came to reconcile, he saw a whole wall with drawings, scraps of paintings, strokes of paint. The room of the future artist resembled a huge canvas.
Goncharova decided to become an artist and transferred to the course of painting. She began to write a lot and without stopping, worked with color. At first her works were in the style of impressionism and only after she began to experiment more boldly with color and form, and the paintings became more avant-garde.
Yellow and green forest
Goncharova can safely be called the first avant-garde among Russian female artists. Such boldness was not ready to be accepted in conservative Russia. Immediately after the first exhibition, the artist and several of her paintings were arrested, calling the paintings “pornographic”. Naked women had been painted before, but the ladies did not allow themselves such liberties. The next day the lawyer managed to free Goncharova. Appealed to the fact that the exhibition was held in a closed format.
And yet there was still time before the main exhibition, and it was held only in 1913. Before that, bright and scandalous actions had time to take place. Larionov managed to put the image on the busts of naked ladies, sending sitters defile in this form in the city. Goncharova risked turning her face into a canvas, which was able to surprise even the most daring representatives of bohemia.
Self-portrait with yellow lilies
Such a powerful and brave promotion worked. When there was an exhibition of Goncharova in the “Art Salon”, to see it was desired by many. All whispered about the biography of the mysterious artist. Some considered her a follower of Monet and Van Gogh, others convinced that she studied at Gauguin and Cezanne. There were versions and that Natalia used to write paintings in monasteries or participated in excavations in Madagascar. The truth was prosaic, and by 1913 the artist had not even left her homeland.
Behind the back whispered, trying to find out who she is and in what style works. Goncharova was free and did not shackle herself in the framework of only one genre or direction.
Breakfast
She tried herself in impressionism, cubism, primitivism, rayonism, and returned to religious motifs. The exhibition presented works for thirteen years of creativity to the public, and this is more than seven and a half hundred paintings. It turns out that the artist created a painting every week. After this exhibition, the attitude to the avant-garde and the work of the bold lady changed. The Tretyakov Gallery was replenished with the paintings "Still Life with a Bouquet and a Bottle of Paint" and "Rowan. Panino near Vyazma".
Rowan. Panino near Vyazma
For Marina Tsvetaeva, Pushkin was always a role model, a genius and an idol. When she heard rumors about a certain "Natalia Goncharova", she simply could not remain indifferent. And then there was the news that she was a relative of the classic writer's wife. Tsvetaeva wanted to meet and dreamed of writing about two unique women.
Two Goncharovas at once. Two Natalias. Tsvetaeva will show one of them as an absolute symbol of beauty, but empty. The second as a spiritual and profound creator. So different, even opposite.
Goncharova was the star of the ballroom, but simply a beauty. Her great-granddaughter was alien to social events, but she herself dictated fashion. Without wanting it, she made Russian ladies fall in love with capri pants, trousers, shirt dresses. The artist was one of the first to wear them, challenging society.
The multifaceted, ambitious artist even managed to create sketches for the Russian Fashion House of Nadezhda Lamanova. In the capital of France, she worked with Mirbor, Chanel herself. Her sketches appeared on the pages of several magazines, including Vogue.
Spanish women
Diaghilev called Goncharova several times to work, but she did not agree. Later he realized his mistake and invited her with Larionov. They went together, although they did not think that they would never return to the homeland.
Natalia is working on costumes and scenery for “The Golden Cockerel”. Her works will make a sensation. They are sincere, bright, so lively, with a subtle soulful note and pure Russian spirit, a tribute to tradition. No one could have foreseen such success of “Cockerel”, and the sets by Goncharova set a new bar. Remizov, Sudeikin and Larionov will continue the work of Natalia. Even in the theatrical works of Picasso, many see Goncharovsky motifs.
Sketch of the scenery for the play "The Golden Cockerel"
Gradually, the fictional biography became reality. Together with Larionov and Diaghilev, the artist went on a European tour. She was the main star and Diaghilev's adviser regarding costumes and scenery until the last day.
Costume design for the opera-ballet "The Golden Cockerel" by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov
The artist's most vivid emotions and experiences were given by Spain, which became a source of energy for a decade. What is her Spanish series of paintings worth, impressive with their sincere emotions.
Spring. White Spanish women
Larionov and Goncharova made a new nest in Paris. Even today there is such a cafe “Palette” in the house where the couple liked to dine. A great rarity among creative people, but from the moment Natalia met her soulmate and the chosen one, she never parted with him again.
Larionov was able to share pride, worry and rejoice for the success of his beloved more than for his own. They had something much more than just love. Maybe it is a special kinship of souls, the craving for art or the search for recognition.
When Larionov began a relationship with Alexandra Tomilina, which lasted thirty years, he still maintained relations with Goncharova. Natalia was not in debt and she had a years-long affair with Orest Rosenfeld. Free people, free relationships. Except that the special connection between Larionov and Goncharova to break their lovers did not succeed.
Portrait of Larionov and his platoon commander
They were friends, partners, lovers, colleagues, like-minded people. After many years hand in hand, it wasn't until the mid-1950s that the couple legalized their relationship. What did they need a legal marriage for after all these years? Time passed very quickly, and so in the event of the passing of one of them paintings would remain in the family. The couple had no children, and therefore only the spouse could claim the inheritance. Creative people dreamed of transferring their paintings to the homeland, but while Goncharova was alive, the plans could not be realized.
Lilac
It is difficult to say which of them had a stronger influence on each other's creativity and success. It is simply impossible to consider them separately and separate them, because the talents of these two extraordinary people developed in close connection.
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