David Davidovich Burliuk (Давид Давидович Бурлюк; 21 July 1882 – 15 January 1967) was a Russian-language poet, artist and publicist associated with the
Futurist
Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty or interest is futurology or the attempt to systematically explore predictions and possibilities abo ...
and
Neo-Primitivist
Primitivism is a mode of aesthetic idealization that either emulates or aspires to recreate a "primitive" experience. It is also defined as a philosophical doctrine that considers "primitive" peoples as nobler than civilized peoples and was an o ...
movements. Burliuk has been described as "the father of
Russian Futurism."
Biography
Early life
David Burliuk was born on 21 July 1882 in the village of Riabushky (near
Lebedyn
Lebedyn ( uk, Лебеди́н, ) is a city in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine. Lebedyn is located in Sumy Raion. Before July 2020, Lebedyn served as the administrative center of Lebedyn Raion; it was administratively incorporated as a city of oblast si ...
, Ukraine) in the
Kharkov Governorate
The Kharkov Governorate ( pre-reform Russian: , tr. ''Khárkovskaya gubérniya'', IPA: �xarʲkəfskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə ) was a governorate of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. Fr ...
of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
. Burliuk's family was artistically inclined; two of his brothers were talented artists as well,
Nikolai and
Volodimir Burliuk. The Burliuk family partly descended from Ukrainian
Cossacks
The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...
on their father's side, who held premier positions in the
Hetmanate. His mother, Ludmyla Mikhnevich, was of ethnic Belarusian descent.
[Pg. 77, ''Nabokov and his fiction: new perspectives'' by Julian W. Connolly]
Education, career
From 1898 to 1904, he studied at
Kazan
Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzan is the capital city, capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and t ...
and
Odesa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrati ...
art schools, as well as at the Royal Academy in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...
.
[ ] His exuberant, extroverted character was recognized by Anton Azhbe, his professor at the Munich Academy, who called Burliuk a "wonderful wild steppe horse".
In 1907, he made contact with the Russian art world; he met and befriended
Mikhail Larionov
Mikhail Fyodorovich Larionov (Russian: Михаи́л Фёдорович Ларио́нов; June 3, 1881 – May 10, 1964) was a Russian avant-garde painter who worked with radical exhibitors and pioneered the first approach to abstract Rus ...
, and they are both credited as being major forces in bringing together the contemporary art world.
In 1908, an exhibition with the group
''Zveno'' ("The Link") in
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Ky ...
was organized by David Burliuk together with
Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine Wladimir is a masculine given name. It is an alternative spelling of the name Vladimir.
Notable people with the name include:
* Wladimir Brunet de Presle (1809–1875), French historian
* Wladimir de Schoenefeld (1816–1875), German-French botani ...
,
Alexander Bogomazov, his brother
Volodymyr (Wladimir) Burliuk and
Aleksandra Ekster
Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "pr ...
. The exhibition was a flop, especially because they were all unknown painters.
The Burliuks and Larionov left for the aforementioned brothers' home in Chernianka, also known as Hylea; it was during this stay that their work became more Avant-Garde. That autumn, while visiting Ekster, they organized an exhibition which took place in the street; it was a success, and enough money was raised to go to Moscow.
In 1909, Burliuk painted a portrait of his future wife, Marussia, on a background of flowers and rocks on the
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...
n coast. Many times thereafter he would set the image of his wife to canvas. Without question, two dreams possessed his heart all his life: the face of his wife and the portrait of his Ukraine and then his adopted country, the United States.
The Futurist literary group Hylaea (
ileya was initiated in 1910 by David Burlyuk and his brothers at their aforementioned estate near
Kherson
Kherson (, ) is a port city of Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located on the Black Sea and on the Dnieper River, Kherson is the home of a major ship-building industry and is a regional economic centre. I ...
, and were quickly joined by
Vasily Kamensky
Vasily Vasilyevich Kamensky (russian: Васи́лий Васи́льевич Каме́нский; – November 11, 1961) was a Russian Futurist poet, playwright, and artist as well as one of the first Russian aviators.
Biography
Kamensky w ...
and
Velimir Khlebnikov, with
Aleksey Kruchenykh
Aleksei Yeliseyevich Kruchyonykh (russian: Алексе́й Елисе́евич Кручёных; 9 February 1886 – 17 June 1968) was a Russian poet, artist, and theorist, perhaps one of the most radical poets of Russian Futurism, a mov ...
and
Vladimir Mayakovsky
Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (, ; rus, Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский, , vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ məjɪˈkofskʲɪj, Ru-Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky.ogg, links=y; – 14 Apr ...
joining in 1911
[Victor Terras, ''Handbook of Russian Literature'' (Yale University Press, 1990), s.v. "Hylaea", p. 197.]). Soon afterwards, the group would morph into literary
Cubo-Futurism
Cubo-Futurism (also called Russian Futurism or Kubo-Futurizm) was an art movement that arose in early 20th century Russian Empire, defined by its amalgamation of the artistic elements found in Italian Futurism and French Analytical Cubism. Cubo ...
, the predominant form of Futurism in Russia.
From the start to the end, Cubo-Futurism always had an air of scandal about it. The artists and poets scandalized the public by walking in public spaces wearing ridiculous clothes and painting their faces,
by writing plays incomprehensible to the public (the most notorious being ''
Victory over the Sun'', about a group of Futurists aiming to destroy reason), and by the fights between them and the audience at their poetry recitations.
In 1913–4, Mayakovsky, Kamensky, and Burliuk decided to go on poetry tours; fury almost always followed, even on an occasion when Mayakovsky read Pushkin.
Alexander Rodchenko
Aleksander Mikhailovich Rodchenko (russian: link=no, Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Ро́дченко; – 3 December 1956) was a Russian and Soviet artist, sculptor, photographer, and graphic designer. He was one of the founders ...
later claimed that that specific recital "was the first time I had seen such a frenzied, furious audience".
Even during the First World War their activities carried on: at the 1915 Christmas Party, hosted by
Lilya and
Osip Brik, the tree was hung from the roof, upside-down, and the guests arrived with vegetables in their buttonholes and in bizarre makeup.
Russian Futurism would only end after the Revolution of 1917.
Most of the Cubo-Futurists also resisted the Futurists in Italy. A brief alliance with their rivals, the
Ego-Futurists, did not end very well. Burliuk's colleague
Velimir Khlebnikov also developed
Zaum, a poetry style.
From 1910, he was the member of the group ''
Jack of Diamonds'', and from 1910 to 1911 he attended the Art School in
Odessa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
. After 1911, David concentrated on poetry and manifestoes, and at Christmas he made the acquaintance of
Benedikt Livshits, a poet.
From 1911 to 1913, he studied at the
(MUZHVZ), and that year participated in the group exhibition of the
Blaue Reiter
''Der Blaue Reiter'' (The Blue Rider) is a designation by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc for their exhibition and publication activities, in which both artists acted as sole editors in the almanac of the same name, first published in mid-May ...
in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...
, which also included his brother Wladimir. He also contributed an article to the Blaue Reiter Almanac.
In December 1912, Burliuk was co-author and one of the many signatories of the manifesto
A Slap in the Face of Public Taste' with the other members of Hylaea, one of the major manifestoes of
Russian Futurism, a movement of Russian poets and artists who adopted the principles of
Filippo Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti (; 22 December 1876 – 2 December 1944) was an Italian poet, editor, art theorist, and founder of the Futurist movement. He was associated with the utopian and Symbolist artistic and literary community Abbaye de ...
's "
Futurist Manifesto
The ''Manifesto of Futurism'' (Italian: ''Manifesto del Futurismo'') is a manifesto written by the Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti and published in 1909. Marinetti expresses an artistic philosophy called Futurism that was a rejection of th ...
".
In 1913, he was expelled from the Art Academy, as well as Mayakovsky. In the same year, Burliuk founded the publishing venture of the
futurist
Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty or interest is futurology or the attempt to systematically explore predictions and possibilities abo ...
writer's group ''Hylaea''. In 1914, he and his brother Wladimir illustrated Kamensky's ''
Tango with Cows
''Tango With Cows: Ferro-Concrete Poems'' (Russian; ''Танго С Коровами: Железобетонные Поэмы'') is an artists' book by the Russian Futurist poet Vasily Kamensky, with additional illustrations by the brothers David ...
'', and in 1915 Burliuk published the book ''The Support of the Muses in Spring'', with illustrations by
Aristarkh Lentulov
Aristarkh Vasilyevich Lentulov (russian: Аристарх Васильевич Лентулов; 15 April 1943) was a major Russian avant-garde artist of Cubist orientation who also worked on set designs for the theatre.
Biography
Aristark ...
, and by David and Wladimir Burliuk.
From 1915 to 1917, he resided in the
Urals with frequent trips to Moscow and Petrograd (
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
).
[Stephanie Barron and Maurice Tuchman, ''The Avant-Garde in Russia, 1910–1939: New Perspectives.'' Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1980; pg. 128.] In 1917, he participated in an exhibition with the group ''
Jack of Diamonds'' in the artists' salon in Moscow, which included
Aleksandra Ekster
Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "pr ...
and
Kazimir Malevich
Kazimir Severinovich Malevich ; german: Kasimir Malewitsch; pl, Kazimierz Malewicz; russian: Казими́р Севери́нович Мале́вич ; uk, Казимир Северинович Малевич, translit=Kazymyr Severynovych ...
.
In 1916, his brother
Wladimir Burliuk
Wladimir Davydovych Burliuk (russian: Владимир Давидович Бурлюк; – 1917) was a Russian avant-garde artist ( Neo-Primitivist and Cubo-Futurist) and book illustrator. He died at the age of 32 in 1917 in World War I.
Biog ...
was drafted into military service, and in 1917 was killed in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
in
Saloniki. The next year, following the downfall of anarchism (he had befriended anarchists during the time he lived in an abandoned house), Burliuk fled Russia and began his journey to the United States, a process that took him through Siberia, Japan, and Canada which was not complete until 1922.
He kept in contact with his fellow Futurists in Russia, and, despite not knowing a word of English, managed to befriend artist and patron
Katherine Dreier
Katherine Sophie Dreier (September 10, 1877 – March 29, 1952) was an American artist, lecturer, patron of the arts, and social reformer. Dreier developed an interest in art at a young age and was afforded the opportunity of studying art in the ...
, establishing himself among the artists of that country. In 1922, he settled in the United States.
In 1924 Burliuk published two Radio-style manifestos detailing a utopian art that would transcend space-time and aid in humanity's pursuit of knowledge and perfection. A collasal sized painting from this period titled ''Advent of the Mechanical Man,'' 1925–26, was exhibited in the
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Cro ...
's 1926
International Exhibition of Modern Art Assembled by
Société Anonyme
The abbreviation S.A. or SA designates a type of limited company in certain countries, most of which have a Romance language as their official language and employ civil law. Originally, shareholders could be literally anonymous and collect div ...
.
In New York, Burliuk developed activity in pro-Soviet oriented groups and, having written a poem for the 10th anniversary of the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mom ...
, sought, in particular, to gain recognition as the "father of Russian futurism". He was a regular contributor to the ''Russian Voice'' newspaper. Burliuk published his collections, brochures, and magazines together with his wife Maria Nikiforovna, and through friends he distributed these publications mainly within the USSR.
In 1925, Burliuk was a co-founder of the Association of Revolutionary Masters of Ukraine (ARMU) with the members
Alexander Bogomazov,
Vasiliy Yermilov,
Vadym Meller
Vadym Meller or Vadim Meller, (russian: Вадим Георгиевич Меллер; uk, Вадим Георгійович Меллер, 1884–1962) was a Ukrainian Soviet painter, avant-garde Cubist, Constructivist and Expressionist artist, ...
,
Alexander Khvostenko-Khvostov
Alexander (Oleksandr) Khvostenko-Khvostov ( uk, Олександр Веніамінович Хвостенко-Хвостов; April 4, 1895 – February 16, 1967) was a Russian/Ukraine, Ukrainian/Soviet Union, Soviet avant-garde artist (Constructi ...
, and
Palmov Victor. In 1927, he participated in an exhibition of the Latest Artistic Trends in the Russian Museum in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), together with
Kazimir Malevich
Kazimir Severinovich Malevich ; german: Kasimir Malewitsch; pl, Kazimierz Malewicz; russian: Казими́р Севери́нович Мале́вич ; uk, Казимир Северинович Малевич, translit=Kazymyr Severynovych ...
,
Aleksandr Shevchenko
Aleksandr Vasilievich Shevchenko ( uk, Олександр Васильович Шевченко; 24 May 1882, Kharkiv – 28 August 1948, Moscow) was a Ukrainian modernist painter and sculptor.
Biography
From 1890 to 1898, he took private dr ...
, and
Vladimir Tatlin
Vladimir Yevgrafovich Tatlin ( – 31 May 1953) was a Russian and Soviet painter, architect and stage-designer. Tatlin achieved fame as the architect who designed The Monument to the Third International, more commonly known as Tatlin's Tower, wh ...
. Burliuk was author of autobiographical sketches ''My Ancestors, Forty Years: 1890–1930''.
Later years
In the 1930s,
Onya La Tour was an avid collector of modern art who acquired at least one hundred works by Burliuk.
[The 1940 catalog ''Onya La Tour presents a rotating exhibition of modern art'' is available at Indiana University (look for the blue item on ''Result Page 3''), and includes a list of 100 works by David Burliuk: The catalog is also online here: ]
In 1940, Burliuk petitioned the Soviet government for a request to visit his homeland. In exchange, he offered a sizeable collection of archival material pertaining to his contemporary and friend
Vladimir Mayakovsky
Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (, ; rus, Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский, , vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ məjɪˈkofskʲɪj, Ru-Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky.ogg, links=y; – 14 Apr ...
, which Burliuk offered to donate to the Mayakovsky Museum in addition to over 100 original paintings. Burliuk's requests were denied. He was allowed to visit the Soviet Union only in 1956
and 1965.
In 1945, an exhibit was mounted at
Irving Place Theater
The Irving Place Theatre was located at the southwest corner of Irving Place and East 15th Street in the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1888, it served as a German language theatre, a Yiddish theatre, a burlesqu ...
in New York City
In 1962, he and his wife traveled to Australia where he held an exhibition at Moreton Galleries, Brisbane. It was his only Australian exhibition. During his stay there, Burliuk painted some sketches and works with Australian views. From 1937 to 1966, Burliuk and his wife, Marusia, published ''Color & Rhyme,'' a journal primarily concerned with charting Burliuk's activities.
Burliuk lived in Hampton Bays on Long Island for approximately 20 years until he died at
Southampton Hospital in
Southampton, New York
Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stret ...
.
His house and studio still remain.
Legacy
In Russian poetry, Burliuk is regarded as a trailblazer. In 1990, the Russian Academy of Futurist Poetry established the David Burliuk Prize (Otmetina) for experimental poetry awarded annually.
David Burliuk Prize Homepage
/ref>
Trivia
*Burliuk appears in Part III of the Vladimir Mayakovsky's landmark poem '' A Cloud in Trousers'' (A Cloud in Pants, 1915).
*A painting (most likely fictional) by Burliuk appears in the novel ''Chapayev and Void
''Chapayev and Pustota'' (russian: links=no, italics=yes, Чапаев и Пустота), known in the US as ''Buddha's Little Finger'' and in the UK as ''Clay Machine Gun'', is a novel by Victor Pelevin first published in 1996. It follows the dr ...
'' by Viktor Pelevin
Victor Olegovich Pelevin ( rus, Виктор Олегович Пелевин, p=ˈvʲiktər ɐˈlʲɛɡəvʲɪtɕ pʲɪˈlʲevʲɪn; born 22 November 1962) is a Russian fiction writer. His novels include ''Omon Ra'' (1992), '' The Life of Insec ...
. The painting is described as a black writing though a stencil of the word GOD.
Gallery
File:Benedict Livshits by David Burlyuk engraving 1911.jpg, '' Benedict Livshits'' (1911)
File:David Burliuk Cossack Mamay.jpg, ''My Cossack Ancestor'' (1912)
File:V.Burlyk by D.Burlyuk (1913, from Trebnik troikh).jpg, ''Vladimir Burliuk'' (1913)
File:Dokhlaia Luna (1913) 112.jpg, 2-page spread from ''Dokhlaya Luna'' (1913)
File:D d burliuk prikhod vesny i leta 1914.jpg, ''Spring'' (1914)
File:David Burliuk Dokhlaya Luna 1914.jpg, ''Dokhlaya Luna'' (1914)
File:V. Kamenskiy by D. Burluk (1917).jpg, ''Portrait of Vasily Kamensky
Vasily Vasilyevich Kamensky (russian: Васи́лий Васи́льевич Каме́нский; – November 11, 1961) was a Russian Futurist poet, playwright, and artist as well as one of the first Russian aviators.
Biography
Kamensky w ...
'' (1917)
Publishing history
*1912: co-author of the Russian Futurist manifesto ''A Slap in the Face of Public Taste''.
*1915: ''The Support of the Muses in Spring''
References
External links
Exhibition ''Futurism and After: David Burliuk, 1882–1967'' The Ukrainian Museum in New York, USA. October 31, 2008 - April 26, 2009
David Burliuk. Russian Art in America. New York, 1928.
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070930031538/http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/2001/290124.shtml REVISITING THE PAST: David Burliuk, father of Ukrainian Futurism in Americabr>Figureworks.com/20th Century work
at www.figureworks.com
Includes English translations of four poems, 109–112
English translations of 5 poems, 1910–1916
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burliuk, David
1882 births
1967 deaths
People from Sumy Oblast
People from Kharkov Governorate
Russian Futurist painters
Ukrainian Futurist painters
Futurist writers
Russian avant-garde
20th-century Russian poets
20th-century Russian painters
Russian male painters
20th-century Ukrainian painters
20th-century Ukrainian male artists
20th-century Russian male artists
Neo-primitivism
Ukrainian avant-garde
Ukrainian Futurism
Russian male poets
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States
Ukrainian male painters
Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alumni
Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters