Clear Contours
"This is an understudied phenomenon. The generation of artists active in the 1970s produced progressive works on a global scale, despite the isolation from global artistic processes at the time," says Alina Pinskaya. "It is clear that there was no separate movement like minimalism in Russian art, as there was in American art. However, there were artists who felt the spirit of the time."
The title "Clear Contours" refers to the term "Hard Edge Painting," one of the key trends in American art of the 1960s and 1970s. It is believed that American minimalists were to some extent influenced by the ideas of Constructivism and the avant-garde. The exhibition "Clear Contours" presents the works of direct "descendants" of Russian avant-garde, who preserved and developed the language of modernism, the main artistic language of the 20th century.
The exhibition features works by Vladimir Andreenkov, Nonna Goryunova, Rimma Zanevskaya, Yuri Zlotnikov, Francisco Infante, Lev Nusberg, Mikhail Chernyshov, Igor Shelkovsky, and Alexander Yulikov. The co-curator of the exhibition is Irina Gorlova, the head of the department of contemporary trends at the State Tretyakov Gallery.
Леонид Бажанов
Четкие контуры
Выставка «Чёткие контуры», проводимая в новом пространстве галереи
Алины Пинской в Москве, должна вызвать особый интерес. Мировое художественное сообщество, пробиваясь сквозь блокаду коронавируса, избегая дискретности трендов современного искусства, проясняя фундаментальные концепции творчества новейшего времени, в последние годы уделяет значительное внимание традициям геометрической абстракции.
Несомненно, обострение внимания в определённой степени обусловлено столетиями Баухауса (1919) и ВХУТЕМАС'а, ГАХНа (1920), но отнюдь не сводится к юбилейному ажиотажу. Актуализацию роли абстракции, пред-ставляемой геометрией, для художественного мышления в XX веке трудно переоценить. В том, что авангард этого интеллектуального и художественного поворота прежде всего формировался в России, не приходится сомневаться. Однако, многие десятилетия идеологического прессинга исключили нас из естественного процесса эволюции и развития визуальной культуры. Отечественный опыт, накопленный супрематизмом и конструктивизмом в начале XX века, был отброшен или претерпел невероятные трансформации, в то время как западное искусство, пережив кризисы и катаклизмы 30-40-х годов, с новым интересом обратилось к концепциям и практикам геометрической абстракции. С середины XX века направления в этой области множатся, сопрягаются, расходятся, предстают под разными именами, маркируются различными терминами: hard edge, постживопис-ная абстракция, холодная абстракция, конкретное искусство, логическая абстракция, field painting, минимализм, нео-гео, мета-гео и т.п. Творческие реализации в русле этих тенденций ассоциируются с локальными художественными школами (California Hard-edge, Вашингтонская школа цве-та), обретают своих критиков, теоретиков, исследователей, кураторов (К.Гринберг, Ж Лангснер, Л Эллоуэй и др.), историки до сегодняшних дней проявляют пристальное внимание к этому явлению в искусстве.
В России, подарившей миру Казимира Малевича, Василия Кандинского, Любовь Попову, Александра Родченко и многих других потряса-ющих художников, судьба гениальных прозрений в области геометри-ческой абстракции сложилась иначе. Не имея адекватного культурного контекста, отдельные российские художники после длительного перерыва, каждый своим путем, опираясь на собственную интуицию, пользуясь обрывками информации, дистанцируясь от ангажированного официозного искусства или от других поисков выхода из процесса стагнации, деградации отечественной культуры - обретали опору в пространстве языка и идей геометрической абстракции.
Настоящая выставка, разумеется, представляет не всех апологетов геометрической абстракции, но, несомненно, её экспоненты и сами произведения заслуживают, на мой взгляд, большого интереса и глубокого уважения. Начиная с рубежа 1950-60-х годов, в трудно представимых сегодня условиях отсутствия информации, нормальной художественной инфраструктуры и адекватного художественного сообщества, наши ху-дожники, опираясь на собственный интеллект, интуицию и судьбоносные жизненные эпизоды, выстраивали траектории своих творческих биогра-фий. Определённые точки соприкосновения, пересечения с почти параллельными явлениями в мировом современном искусстве поражают. «Обь-ективность» самой концепции геометрической абстракции как бы входит в резонанс с объективностью процессов эволюции искусства в целом.
Творчество экспонентов выставки и немногочисленных их соотечествен-ников сделало невероятное - соединило исторически разомкнутую ткань отечественного художественного процесса и предприняло героическую попытку вернуть отечественное искусство в контекст мирового.
Хочется надеяться, что настоящая выставка не только доставит ин-теллектуальное и эстетическое удовольствие убеждённым почитателям этого чрезвычайно важного направления в искусстве и - шире - в художественной культуре, а также новому зрителю, но и вызовет серьёзный научный интерес и рефлексию сообщества арт-критиков к целостному явлению в нашем художественном мире.
Ещё несколько слов в заключение. В заголовке этого небольшого текста сделана попытка обыграть возможные варианты перевода на русский английского термина, выбранного для названия настоящей выставки - hard edge. Более-менее принято переводить этот термин как живопись жёсткого контура. Но, как часто это бывает, многие искусствоведческие дефиниции и термины при переводе теряют объёмность, возможную многозначность, a иногда и вносят определённую путаницу. Так и в нашем случае, пользуясь этим термином, скорее стоит иметь в виду «грани», а не «контур». Но мне показалось интересным ещё более расширить возможность толкования данного словосочетания и коснуться не только формальной составляющей концепта, но и экзистенциального бэкграунда.
Doubling - Diagonal, 1978
Oil on Canvas
125 х 162 cm
Canvas, oil
90 x 70 cm
Silver Space No. 2, 1987.
Canvas, wood, aluminum paint
160 х 100 cm
Oil on Canvas
130 х 80 cm
City, 2020
Wood, paint
172 x 70 x 67 cm
Wood, paint
92 х 137,5 х 9 cm
Canvas, tempera
90 x 90 cm
Canvas, oil
140 x 105 cm
Canvas, oil
59.5 x 140 cm
Metal, paint
Height: 185 cm, Base Diameter: 69 cm
Canvas, oil
Paper, mixed media
86 x 88 cm
Paper, tempera, collage
29.5 x 37 cm
From the series "Signals," 1958
Paper, gouache, tempera
81.3 x 57.7 cm
Cardboard, tempera
50 x 35 cm
Doubling - Diagonal, 1978
Oil on Canvas
125 х 162 cm
Mikhail Chernishov is a Russian and American artist who is considered one of the most important figures in the Soviet art scene of the second half of the 20th century by many art critics. He worked simultaneously in the fields of pop art and geometric abstraction and was one of the pioneers of performance art in the USSR.
Chernishov's style and main areas of interest began to take shape in the late 1950s, independently of other artists, groups, and schools. He consciously started pursuing art at the age of 15 after seeing the works of abstract expressionists at the American National Exhibition in Sokolniki in 1959.
In the 1960s, he befriended artists Mikhail Roginsky and Vladimir Yakovlev. In 1962, Chernishov held his first apartment exhibition titled "Red Truck" at Mikhail Roginsky's residence in the Mnevniki district of Moscow. Two years later, Roginsky and Chernishov organized a joint exhibition at the "Disk" cinema in Moscow.
In the early 1960s, Chernishov studied at the Zagorsk Art and Industrial Toy Technicum and later enrolled in the Department of Art History at the Historical Faculty of Moscow State University. However, he lost interest during the study of Byzantine art and was expelled. In 1974, he participated in the "Second Autumn Review of Paintings" in Izmailovsky Park in Moscow, known as the Izmailovo Exhibition. In 1975, he organized a happening titled "30th Anniversary of the United Nations" in Moscow, and in 1976, he collaborated with Boris Bich on the happening "Doubling I" in Vorontsov Park (Moscow). Two years later, in 1978, Mikhail Chernishov, Boris Bich, Konstantin Zvezdochotov, Vitaly Dlugy, and A. Vlamov held the happening "Doubling II."
In 1978, a retrospective of his works from 1961 to 1978 was held at the Gorky House of Graphic Arts. In 1980, Chernishov emigrated from the USSR. In 1987, he wrote a memoir titled "Moscow 1961–67" about the early years of his artistic career. He currently lives and works in New York.
Mikhail Chernishov's works are held in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow), the Russian Museum (St. Petersburg), the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow), the Zimmerli Art Museum (New Jersey, USA), and other museums.
Vladimir Andreenkov
Three Blue Verticals, 1981
Canvas, oil
90 x 70 cm
Vladimir Andreenkov is a Soviet and Russian painter, sculptor, and non-conformist graphic artist, known as one of the pioneers of geometric abstraction in our country. He was born on August 23, 1930, in the city of Chausy in eastern Belarus. In 1944, he entered the Moscow Secondary Art School. In 1958, he graduated from the Surikov Institute. At that time, he participated in two significant exhibitions for his generation: the 4th Moscow Youth Exhibition on Kuznetsky Bridge, 11, and the All-Union Art Exhibition "40 Years of VLKSM" at the Moscow Manege, where he exhibited the "Female Portrait." After defending his diploma, he earned a living as an illustrator in various publishing houses.
Starting from 1962, he was a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR, and from 1968, he worked at the Moscow Graphics Art Combine, where he exhibited prints, including linocuts and lithographs. From 1970, he began exhibiting abroad, primarily in Switzerland. In 1987, together with Y. Zlotnikov, D. Prigov, B. Orlov, and P. Malinovsky, he participated in the creation of the "First Creative Association." Relative success came to the artist during the years of the fall of the Iron Curtain and the dissolution of the USSR. After 1989, Andreenkov became in demand, and he was invited to participate in numerous exhibitions in Russia and abroad.
Viewers and critics note the musicality of the artist's works, which is reflected in the combinations of contrasting, often very vivid, spectrally pure colors, the clarity of proportions, the sharpness of the boundaries between color planes, and the expressive linear rhythm. The titles of his works often directly refer to musical themes, with numerous "Concertos," "Variations," "Fugues" (Red, Blue, Green), "Trios" (Alto, Cello, Violin), "Rhythms," and so on.
In 2001 and 2015, retrospective exhibitions of the artist were held at the Exhibition Hall of the Union of Artists on Kuznetsky Bridge. Andreenkov's works are part of the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin, museums in Tula, Belgorod, Oryol, Kemerovo, Vladivostok, Mogilev, Padua, and others.
Alexander Yulikov
Silver Space No. 7, 1989
Silver Space No. 2, 1987.
Canvas, wood, aluminum paint
160 х 100 cm
Alexander Yulikov is a Russian painter and graphic artist known for his work in book illustration and geometric abstraction. Since the 1970s, he gained recognition in Moscow as the "only Russian minimalist."
Alexander Yulikov
Four-Color Composition, 1974
Oil on Canvas
130 х 80 cm
Alexander Yulikov is a Russian painter and graphic artist known for his work in book illustration and as a master of geometric abstraction. Since the 1970s, he gained recognition in Moscow as the "sole Russian minimalist."
Igor Chelkovski
City, 2020
Wood, paint
172 x 70 x 67 cm
Igor Shelkovsky is a nonconformist artist, sculptor, and the publisher of the famous magazine "A—Я" (1979-1986) about contemporary unofficial art, literature, and philosophy.
In 1976, the artist emigrated to Paris, and in 1985, he was deprived of Soviet citizenship "for actions incompatible with Soviet citizenship."
Shelkovsky's works combine plastic expressiveness and imagery. His artistic style was formed in the 1970s, characterized by experiments with color, form, and materials within his artistic manner.
Shelkovsky is known for his sculptural "objects" that scale up to enormous sizes. One of the consistent themes in his work is graphic silhouettes of people, enlarged in volume, which organically fit into the urban landscape. Shelkovsky creates reliefs with schematic depictions of forests or urban spaces, balancing between painting and sculpture.
In 2020, the artist received the First Moscow Art Award in the category of "Visual Arts and Architecture."
Shelkovsky's works are held in the collections of the Pompidou Center, the Russian Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Ludwig Foundation Museum in Vienna, the Zimmerli Museum, and other museums around the world.
Igor Chelkovski
Reliefs, 2019
Wood, paint
92 х 137,5 х 9 cm
Igor Shelkovsky is a nonconformist artist, sculptor, and the publisher of the famous magazine "A—Я" (1979-1986) about contemporary unofficial art, literature, and philosophy.
In 1976, the artist emigrated to Paris, and in 1985, he was deprived of Soviet citizenship "for actions incompatible with Soviet citizenship."
Shelkovsky's works combine plastic expressiveness and imagery. His artistic style was formed in the 1970s, characterized by experiments with color, form, and materials within his artistic manner.
Shelkovsky is known for his sculptural "objects" that scale up to enormous sizes. One of the consistent themes in his work is graphic silhouettes of people, enlarged in volume, which organically fit into the urban landscape. Shelkovsky creates reliefs with schematic depictions of forests or urban spaces, balancing between painting and sculpture.
In 2020, the artist received the First Moscow Art Award in the category of "Visual Arts and Architecture."
Shelkovsky's works are held in the collections of the Pompidou Center, the Russian Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Ludwig Foundation Museum in Vienna, the Zimmerli Museum, and other museums around the world.
Rimma Zanevskaya
Composition, 1969
Canvas, tempera
90 x 90 cm
Rimma Zanevskaya (Sapgir)
1930 – 2021
She was a Soviet and Russian artist known for her works characterized by clear contours and minimalistic color, with alternating geometric planes that endowed them with rhythm and dynamic expressiveness. In the early 1960s, she was part of the "Movement" group of kinetic artists along with Francisco Infante.
In 1944–1945, Zanevskaya studied at the art school of the "Mosfilm" film studio. In 1961, after meeting Lev Nusberg, she started seriously pursuing art. She was the first wife of the poet Genrikh Sapgir. In the mid-1970s, Zanevskaya participated in major unofficial art exhibitions, including the Bulldozer Exhibition (1974), the Izmailovsky Exhibition (1974), and an exhibition of works by Moscow artists held in the "House of Culture" pavilion at VDNKh (1975). In her later years, she also engaged in icon painting. She lived in Moscow.
Rimma Zanevskaya's works are part of the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and can be found in other state and private collections.
Vladimir Andreenkov
Construction, 2007
Canvas, oil
140 x 105 cm
Vladimir Andreenkov was a Soviet and Russian painter, sculptor, and non-conformist graphic artist, and one of the pioneers of geometric abstraction in our country. He was born on August 23, 1930, in the city of Chausy in eastern Belarus. In 1944, he entered the Moscow Secondary Art School. In 1958, he graduated from the Surikov Institute. He participated in two significant exhibitions for his generation: the 4th Moscow Youth Exhibition on Kuznetsky Most, 11, and the All-Union Art Exhibition "40 Years of the Komsomol" at the Moscow Manege, where he exhibited a "Female Portrait" during the same period as his graduation. After defending his diploma, he earned a living as an illustrator for various publishing houses. He became a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR in 1962 and joined the staff of the Moscow Art Graphics Combine (MOSKh) in 1968, where he presented prints, including linocuts and lithographs. He began exhibiting abroad in 1970, primarily in Switzerland. In 1987, together with Yuri Zlotnikov, Dmitry Prigov, Boris Orlov, and Pavel Malinovsky, he participated in the creation of the "First Creative Union." Relative success came to the artist during the years of the Iron Curtain's fall and the dissolution of the USSR. After 1989, Andreenkov became in demand, and he was invited to participate in numerous exhibitions in Russia and abroad. Audiences and critics note the musicality of the artist's works, characterized by combinations of contrasting, often very resonant, spectrally pure colors, clarity of proportions, and sharpness of boundaries between color planes, as well as an expressive linear rhythm. The titles of his works often directly reference musical themes, including numerous "Consonances," "Concertos," "Variations," "Fugues" (Red, Blue, Green), "Trio" (Viola, Cello, Violin), "Rhythms," and so on. In 2001 and 2015, retrospective exhibitions of the artist's works were held at the Exhibition Hall of the Union of Artists on Kuznetsky Most. Andreenkov's works are found in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, museums in Tula, Belgorod, Oryol, Kemerovo, Vladivostok, Mogilev, Padua, and others.
Igor Chelkovski
Red Tower, 2003
Metal, paint
Height: 185 cm, Base Diameter: 69 cm
Igor Chelkovski is a nonconformist artist, sculptor, and the publisher of the famous magazine "A—Я" (1979-1986) about contemporary unofficial art, literature, and philosophy.
In 1976, the artist emigrated to Paris, and in 1985, he was deprived of Soviet citizenship "for actions incompatible with Soviet citizenship."
Shelkovsky's works combine plastic expressiveness and imagery. His artistic style was formed in the 1970s, characterized by experiments with color, form, and materials within his artistic manner.
Chelkovski is known for his sculptural "objects" that scale up to enormous sizes. One of the consistent themes in his work is graphic silhouettes of people, enlarged in volume, which organically fit into the urban landscape. Shelkovsky creates reliefs with schematic depictions of forests or urban spaces, balancing between painting and sculpture.
In 2020, the artist received the First Moscow Art Award in the category of "Visual Arts and Architecture."
Chelkovski's works are held in the collections of the Pompidou Center, the Russian Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Ludwig Foundation Museum in Vienna, the Zimmerli Museum, and other museums around the world.
Igor Chelkovski
From the "Flags" series, 2009-2011
Canvas, oil
Igor Chelkovski is a nonconformist artist, sculptor, and the publisher of the famous magazine "A—Я" (1979-1986) about contemporary unofficial art, literature, and philosophy.
In 1976, the artist emigrated to Paris, and in 1985, he was deprived of Soviet citizenship "for actions incompatible with Soviet citizenship."
Shelkovsky's works combine plastic expressiveness and imagery. His artistic style was formed in the 1970s, characterized by experiments with color, form, and materials within his artistic manner.
Chelkovski is known for his sculptural "objects" that scale up to enormous sizes. One of the consistent themes in his work is graphic silhouettes of people, enlarged in volume, which organically fit into the urban landscape. Shelkovsky creates reliefs with schematic depictions of forests or urban spaces, balancing between painting and sculpture.
In 2020, the artist received the First Moscow Art Award in the category of "Visual Arts and Architecture."
Chelkovski's works are held in the collections of the Pompidou Center, the Russian Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Ludwig Foundation Museum in Vienna, the Zimmerli Museum, and other museums around the world.
Michael Chernishov
Doubling - Cross, 1984
Paper, mixed media
86 x 88 cm
Mikhail Chernishov is a Russian and American artist who is considered one of the most important figures in the Soviet art scene of the second half of the 20th century by many art critics. He worked simultaneously in the fields of pop art and geometric abstraction and was one of the pioneers of performance art in the USSR.
Chernishov's style and main areas of interest began to take shape in the late 1950s, independently of other artists, groups, and schools. He consciously started pursuing art at the age of 15 after seeing the works of abstract expressionists at the American National Exhibition in Sokolniki in 1959.
In the 1960s, he befriended artists Mikhail Roginsky and Vladimir Yakovlev. In 1962, Chernishov held his first apartment exhibition titled "Red Truck" at Mikhail Roginsky's residence in the Mnevniki district of Moscow. Two years later, Roginsky and Chernishov organized a joint exhibition at the "Disk" cinema in Moscow.
In the early 1960s, Chernishov studied at the Zagorsk Art and Industrial Toy Technicum and later enrolled in the Department of Art History at the Historical Faculty of Moscow State University. However, he lost interest during the study of Byzantine art and was expelled. In 1974, he participated in the "Second Autumn Review of Paintings" in Izmailovsky Park in Moscow, known as the Izmailovo Exhibition. In 1975, he organized a happening titled "30th Anniversary of the United Nations" in Moscow, and in 1976, he collaborated with Boris Bich on the happening "Doubling I" in Vorontsov Park (Moscow). Two years later, in 1978, Mikhail Chernishov, Boris Bich, Konstantin Zvezdochotov, Vitaly Dlugy, and A. Vlamov held the happening "Doubling II."
In 1978, a retrospective of his works from 1961 to 1978 was held at the Gorky House of Graphic Arts. In 1980, Chernishov emigrated from the USSR. In 1987, he wrote a memoir titled "Moscow 1961–67" about the early years of his artistic career. He currently lives and works in New York.
Mikhail Chernishov's works are held in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow), the Russian Museum (St. Petersburg), the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow), the Zimmerli Art Museum (New Jersey, USA), and other museums.
From the series "Fragments of Distorted Space," 1987 - 1992
Paper, tempera, collage
29.5 x 37 cm
Nonna Goryunova is a Russian artist known for her graphic compositions and installations. Her works are held in the collections of the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (ГМИИ), the State Tretyakov Gallery (ГТГ), the State Russian Museum (ГРМ), and other museums.
Composition, 1968
Cardboard, tempera
50 x 35 cm
Rimma Zanevskaya (Sapgir)
1930 – 2021
She was a Soviet and Russian artist known for the clarity of contours and the simplicity of color in her works. The interplay of geometric planes in her art endowed them with rhythm and dynamic expression. In the early 1960s, she was a member of the group of kinetic artists called "Movement," along with Francisco Infante.
Between 1944 and 1945, Zanevskaya studied at the art school affiliated with the Mosfilm movie studio. In 1961, after meeting Lev Nusberg, she began to seriously pursue art. She was the first wife of the poet Genrikh Sapgir. In the mid-1970s, Zanevskaya participated in major unofficial art exhibitions, including the Bulldozer Exhibition (1974) and the Izmailovo Exhibition (1974). In her later years, she also engaged in icon painting. She lived in Moscow.
Rimma Zanevskaya's works can be found in the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and in various other state and private collections.
From the series "Signals," 1958
Paper, gouache, tempera
81.3 x 57.7 cm
One of the leading representatives of abstract art in Russia in the second half of the 20th century. From 1943 to 1950, he studied at the Moscow Secondary Art School; from 1943 to 1950, he attended the sculpture studio at the Museum-Workshop of A. S. Golubkina under A. I. Grigoriev, while also studying at the art studio of the Bauman District Pioneer House in Moscow under M. A. Slavnov and V. V. Pochitalov. From 1951 to 1959, he worked as an artist-designer at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition. In 1954-1956, he interned as a set designer at the Bolshoi Theatre. He participated in group apartment exhibitions from 1956. He collaborated with the "Molodaya Gvardiya" publishing house and the magazines "Vokrug Sveta," "Sovetskaya Zhenshchina," and "Rabotnitsa." From 1960 to 1980, he led an art studio at the Pioneer House in the Frunzensky District of Moscow. He was a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR (since 1974) and the "Artist and Modernity" association (since 1987, one of the founders). He was awarded the Silver Medal of the Russian Academy of Arts in 1998. He is a corresponding member of PAX (2012). He authored memoirs and articles on art. The works of Yuri Zlotnikov can be found in the collections of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia, and other collections in Russia and France.