00:05Welcome to our art book series, where we look at the artists that pushed the boundaries of
00:10visual expression. Today, we will look at the life of Mikhail Larionov, a pioneer of the Russian
00:18avant-garde. Mikhail Larionov was one of the most daring members of the Russian avant-garde.
00:25Painter, theorist, and provocateur, he defied traditions and expanded the possibilities of
00:32art in the early 20th century. Let's check into his life.
00:44He was born on June 3, 1881 in Tiraspol, at the home of his maternal grandfather Petrovsky.
00:51His father, Fyodor Larionov, was a military pharmacist. His mother, Alexandra Larionova,
00:58came from a cultivated provincial milieu that would leave a lasting imprint on his sensibility.
01:03From 1891 to 1895, he moved to Moscow with his family and attended the Voskresensky Secondary
01:10School. The contrast between provincial Tiraspol and metropolitan Moscow began to shape his dual
01:16sensitivity to both urban and vernacular culture. He enrolled at the Moscow School of Painting,
01:22Sculpture and Architecture in 1898. He studied under Konstantin Korovin and Valentin Serev,
01:29absorbing both painterly freedom and structural discipline.
01:33He worked as an assistant to Mikhail Vrubel on the decorative design of the Metropole Hotel in
01:38Moscow in 1899 in early encounter with monumental and decorative thinking. He met Natalia Goncharova in
01:451900. Their lifelong artistic partnership began, grounded in dialogue, mutual influence,
01:52and shared experimentation. In 1903, he worked in Tiraspol with Goncharova, strengthening his
01:59connection to direct observation and rural motifs. He met Sergei Diagolev in Moscow, opening a path
02:07toward international artistic networks. He lived and worked in Tiraspol in 1904 and participated in
02:13the 26th exhibition of the Moscow School. In this time, early Impressionist tendencies became visible.
02:20In 1905, he participated the 27th exhibition of the Moscow School and exhibited Impressionist Works,
02:28Barn Corner, Rose Bush C. He also joined the third exhibition of the Union of Russian Artists,
02:34Moscow. He participated in major exhibitions in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paris, Ceylon d'Automne,
02:42and Berlin in 1906. He traveled to Paris with Diagolev's first direct encounter with French
02:48modernism. This year marked the transition from Impressionism toward a more independent pictorial
02:53language. From 1906 to 1907, he continued exhibiting with the Union of Russian Artists and began to
03:02distance himself from its aesthetic orientation. In 1907, he participated in exhibitions in Moscow,
03:09St. Petersburg, and the Venice Biennale. This time, he began to move toward primitivism and urban
03:15popular imagery. From 1908, he exhibited widely, Golden Fleece Salon, Kiev, St. Petersburg. He increased
03:24interest in folk forms, decorative simplification, and bold color as well. In 1909, he participated in
03:32the second Golden Fleece Salon and sixth exhibition of the Union of Russian Artists. He gradual ruptured
03:38with academic and symbolist traditions becomes visible. From 1909 to 1910, he participated in the
03:46first Zdebsky Salon, Odessa, Kiev, St. Petersburg, Riga, and exhibited early primitivist works, Provincial
03:54Dandy, A Walk in a Provincial Town. He graduated and received the rank of second-class artist. 1910 to 1911,
04:03he organized the Jack of Diamonds exhibition, a major moment in Russian avant-garde formation.
04:11Laryanov exhibited the Soldier Series and participated in the second Zdebsky Salon.
04:16This year, he began to emerge as a leading figure of the Moscow avant-garde.
04:20He participated in the Union of Youth exhibition in 1911.
04:25On December 8, he had the one-day solo exhibition, Society for Free Aesthetics,
04:31Moscow, and developed theoretical and polemical positions opposing Western epigonism.
04:37In 1912, he participated in Der Blaue Writer Exhibition, Munich, and organized the Donkey's
04:44Tale exhibition Definitive Break with Jack of Diamonds. This time, he produced futurist books,
04:51lithographs, and graphic experiments and first Reionist works appeared late in the year.
04:55However, military training interrupted his artistic activity. Laryanov formulated and publicly presents
05:03Reionism in 1913. He also organized the Target and Icon and Lubbock exhibitions.
05:10He participated in major futurist debates and manifestos. He discovered and promoted Niko
05:16Perismani as well. This was the period of the peak of his avant-garde activity in Russia.
05:21In 1914, he traveled to Paris with Gontrova and returned to Russia after outbreak of war.
05:28This was the end of his Russian avant-garde period. He discharged from military service and returned
05:34to Europe with Diaghilev in 1915. From 1916 to 1917, he worked across Europe for ballet's Russes and
05:43developed stage design as a major field of activity. From 1918 to 1919, he settled permanently in Paris and
05:51exhibited with Gontrova. He moved to Rujac-Calot in 1919. This was the period that he transited from
05:59avant-garde painter to émigré artist and designer. From 1920 to 1924, he illustrated literary works and
06:07designed for Prokofiev and Stravinsky. He also participated in exhibitions in Paris, Moscow,
06:14New York and was active in Russian émigré circles. From 1925 to 1929, he continued theatre work and painting.
06:23In 1929, he had the new designs for Stravinsky's The Tale of the Fox. However, the death of Diaghilev marked
06:31a
06:31turning point. He had the solo exhibition at Galerie de l'époque, Paris, which was the important moment of
06:38recognition in 1931. In 1936, he participated in Cubism and Abstract Art, MoMA, New York, and received
06:47international recognition. In 1938, he acquired French citizenship with Gontrova. From 1941 to 1946,
06:57he worked under wartime conditions, continues exhibiting. From 1948 to 1949, he renewed interest in early
07:05abstraction and rayonism. In 1953, Guggenheim Museum acquired glass panel, rayonist technique.
07:13In 1955, he married Natalia Goncharova. From 1956 to 1957, his retrospectives in France reinforced his
07:23historical importance. From 1960 to 1961, he participated in major retrospectives. He was
07:31celebrated as pioneer of abstraction. In 1962, Natalia Goncharova died. In 1963, he had major
07:40retrospective, Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris. Finally, he passed away in Fontenay-Ux-Roses and
07:48was buried at Ivory Cemetery in 1964. Thank you for joining us as we turn these pages. In our next
07:56art
07:56journey, we'll look at the innovators who transformed the language of art.
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