![Mikhail Matyushin by Guro 1900](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Mikhail_Matyushin_by_Guro_1900.jpg)
Michael Vasilyevich Matyushin (russian: Михаил Васильевич Матюшин; 1861 in
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...
– 14 October 1934 in
Leningrad
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 ...
) was a Russian painter and composer, leading member of the
Russian avant-garde
The Russian avant-garde was a large, influential wave of avant-garde modern art that flourished in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, approximately from 1890 to 1930—although some have placed its beginning as early as 1850 and its e ...
. In 1910–1913 Matyushin and his wife
Elena Guro
Elena Genrikhovna Guro ( rus, Еле́на Ге́нриховна Гуро́, p=jɪˈlʲɛnə ˈɡʲɛnrʲɪxəvnə ɡʊˈro, a=Yelyena Gyenrihovna Guro.ru.vorb.oga; in marriage Matyushina ( rus, Матю́шина, p=mɐˈtʲuʂɪnə, a=Yelyena G ...
(1877–1913) were key members of the
Union of the Youth, an association of
Russian Futurists
Russian Futurism is the broad term for a movement of Russian poets and artists who adopted the principles of Filippo Marinetti's "Manifesto of Futurism," which espoused the rejection of the past, and a celebration of speed, machinery, violence, ...
. Matyushin, a professional musician and amateur painter, studied
physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
of human senses and developed his own concept of the
fourth dimension connecting visual and musical arts, a theory that he put to practice in the classrooms of Leningrad Workshop of
Vkhutein and
INHUK (1918–1934) and summarized in his 1932 ''Reference of Colour'' (Cправочник по цвету). Matyushin conducted experiments at his Visiology Center (Zorved) to demonstrate that expanding visual sensitivity from retinian optical centers would enable the discovery of "new organic substance and rhythm in the apprehension of space." He tried to teach himself and his students to see with both eyes, each independently, and to widen the field of their vision. He describes some of his work and ideas in a long essay titled "An Artist's Experience of the New Space."
Biography
Early career
Matyushin was the illegitimate son of a landlord and a
serf
Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
woman. According to his own memoirs, at an early age he studied reading, writing and playing
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
himself; at the age of eight he was admitted to the music classes of Nizhny Novgorod Concervatory and in 1875 to
Moscow Conservatory. Matyushin was also inclined to painting, but could not afford college training at the time. After graduation in 1881 Matyushin joined the Court Orchestra in
Saint 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 ...
and played with it professionally until 1913. He received formal training in graphic arts with an independent school in Saint Petersburg in the 1890s.
Cubo-Futurism
![Yelena Guro](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Yelena_Guro._Portrait_of_Mikhail_Matyushin%2C_1910.jpg)
Matyushin met his second wife, writer and painter
Elena Guro
Elena Genrikhovna Guro ( rus, Еле́на Ге́нриховна Гуро́, p=jɪˈlʲɛnə ˈɡʲɛnrʲɪxəvnə ɡʊˈro, a=Yelyena Gyenrihovna Guro.ru.vorb.oga; in marriage Matyushina ( rus, Матю́шина, p=mɐˈtʲuʂɪnə, a=Yelyena G ...
, at Ian Tsonglinski art school where both trained in 1903–1905.
[Grodberg, p. 239] Guro, sixteen years his younger, dramatically changed Matyushin's view of art and society and the two became a seed for the Russian
Cubo-Futurist
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- ...
movement evolving parallel to Italian
Futurism
Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such ...
. Matyushin was the oldest person among the futurists, and
Alexander Blok sarcastically wrote that Matyushin "futuristically seeks to look younger". In 1910 Matyushin and Guro sponsored and co-authored ''Trap for Judges'' (''Садок судей''), the first
almanac by Russian Futurists. The couple did not have children, but in 1912 Guro, suffering from
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...
,
[ invented "my unforgettable son",][Grodberg, p. 240] a literary mystification that persisted past her death and became a subject of her book ''Autumnal Dream'' (''Осенний сон'', 1912) set to music by Matyshin in 1921.[ She died in April 1913.][Grodberg, p. 238]
''Victory Over The Sun''
In the same 1913, the year that became '' annus mirabilis'' of Russian avant-garde
The Russian avant-garde was a large, influential wave of avant-garde modern art that flourished in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, approximately from 1890 to 1930—although some have placed its beginning as early as 1850 and its e ...
, Union of the Youth produced two experimental theatre shows, '' Vladimir Mayakovsky: A Tragedy'' by Vladimir Mayakovsky and '' Victory Over The Sun'', an opera by Velimir Khlebnikov
Viktor Vladimirovich Khlebnikov, better known by the pen name Velimir Khlebnikov ( rus, Велими́р Хле́бников, p=vʲɪlʲɪˈmʲir ˈxlʲɛbnʲɪkəf; – 28 June 1922) was a Russian poet and playwright, a central part of th ...
, Aleksei Kruchenykh (libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...
), Matyushin (music) and Kazimir Malevich
Kazimir Severinovich Malevich ; german: Kasimir Malewitsch; pl, Kazimierz Malewicz; russian: Казими́р Севери́нович Мале́вич ; uk, Казимир Северинович Малевич, translit=Kazymyr Severynovych ...
(stage design). According to Matyushin, the " Sun of cheap appearances"[ of this opera was none other than everyday sense of reality that is not infallible anymore; even the ]Galilean
Generically, a Galilean (; he, גלילי; grc, Γαλιλαίων; la, Galilaeos) is an inhabitant of Galilee, a region of Israel surrounding the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret). The New Testament notes that the Apostle Peter's accent gave him a ...
basics of cosmogony
Cosmogony is any model concerning the origin of the cosmos or the universe.
Overview
Scientific theories
In astronomy, cosmogony refers to the study of the origin of particular astrophysical objects or systems, and is most commonly used i ...
can be changed by humans who one day will become capable of physically capturing the Sun.[Clark, p. 39] The opera has since become notable for starring the first appearance of Malevich's ''Black Square''.
INHUK was closed and merged to State Institute of Visual Arts (GIII) in December 1925;
Art theories
In 1918 avant-garde artists took over the former Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thre ...
, renamed to ''Free Workshops'' (SVOMAS
Svomas or SVOMAS (russian: Свомас or СВОМАС), an abbreviation for ''Svobodnye gosudarstvennye khudozhestvennye masterskiye'' (russian: Свободные Государственные художественные мастерские) ...
) where Matyushin led his own art class on ''Colour''. In 1921 the state relaunched the academy and reinstalled neoclassical revivalists at its helm; despite public protests, Matyushin, Malevich 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, whi ...
lost their chairs. Matyushin and Malevich retreated into the walls of Leningrad's Institute of Artistic Culture (INHUK) where Matyushin and his disciples continued experiments on colour and perception.[Clark, p. 148]
Matyushin, along with Malevich and Pavel Filonov
Pavel Nikolayevich Filonov ( rus, Па́вел Никола́евич Фило́нов, p=ˈpavʲɪl nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ fʲɪˈlonəf, a=Pavyel Nikolayevich Filonov.ru.vorb.oga; January 8, 1883 – December 3, 1941) was a Russian avant-gar ...
, was a ''perceptual millenarianist'',[Clark, pp. 50-51] confident that the boundaries of individual human perception
Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system ...
are yet unexplored and can be significantly extended in an almost mystic way. The movement began to fade at around 1915 and gave way to constructivist ideology
An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied pri ...
[Constructivists asserted that new consciousness can be attained not through individual breakthroughs, but through rebuilding of living environment - Clark, p.51.] in the early 1920s, but Matyushin, Malevich and Filonov remained faithful to millenarianism through 1920s.[Clark, p. 51]
Another problem handled by Matyushin was the human inability to see all 360 degrees.[Clark, p. 44] In 1923 Matyushin wrote that the solution lies in the artist's personal development to the point where he attains "a physiological change in the previous methode of perception"[ and introduced the concept of a rear plane, a layer of rearward information previously "outside the human sphere due to inadequacies of experience".][ Matyushin formed a new study group, ''Zorved'' (''Зорвед'', literally ''see and know'') and claimed that it discovered evidence of perception of events and object located ''behind'' the person, and that humans possess visual centers capable of resolving this rearward "vision".][
]
Legacy
The wooden house of Matyushin and Guro in Saint 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 ...
() now houses the ''Museum of Avant-Garde in Saint Petersburg'', a division of the State Museum of History of Saint Petersburg. The house, originally built in the 1840s or 1850s, became the property of the Literary Foundation (''Литературный фонд'') in 1904 and operated as an artists' hotel.[ Matyushin and Guro moved into flat 12 in 1912. The place also provided shelter for Malevich, Filonov, Mayakovsky and other notable artists of the Russian avant-garde and ]socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...
.[
Olga Konstantinovna, the third wife and widow of Matyushin, lived there until her death in 1975; during the ]Siege of Leningrad
The siege of Leningrad (russian: links=no, translit=Blokada Leningrada, Блокада Ленинграда; german: links=no, Leningrader Blockade; ) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet city of L ...
her room was taken over by Vsevolod Vishnevsky and a special order preserved the building from being pulled down for firewood
Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellets or chips. Firewood can ...
.[ After 1979, when the last residents had moved out or died, Matyushin's house became a public museum.][ However, the present building is a contemporary replica: the original house was taken apart and rebuilt from new wood in 1987; after a fire in 1990 and many later setbacks it was rebuilt again and reopened in 2006.][
]
Gallery
File:Mikhail Matyushin. A Dream.jpg, ''Son'', c. 1910
File:Mikhail Matyushin - Painterly-Musical Construction.jpg, ''Painterly-Musical Composition'', 1918
File:Abstract Composition with Crystalline Forms by Mikhail Matyushin, circa 1920.jpg, ''Absctract Composition with Crystalline Forms'', 1920
File:Movement in Space (Matyushin, before 1923).jpg, ''Movement in Space'' (c. 1923)
File:1913 Malevich Portrait von Mikhail Matjuschin anagoria.JPG, Kazimir Malevich
Kazimir Severinovich Malevich ; german: Kasimir Malewitsch; pl, Kazimierz Malewicz; russian: Казими́р Севери́нович Мале́вич ; uk, Казимир Северинович Малевич, translit=Kazymyr Severynovych ...
, ''Portrait of Mikhail Matyushin'', c. 1913
File:Matyushin, Malevich, Kruchenikh.jpg, Matyushin, Alexei Kruchonykh, and Malevich at the First All-Russian Conference of the Bards of the Future, 1912. Photo by Karl Bulla
Carl Oswald Bulla or Karl Karlovich Bulla (russian: Карл Карлович Булла; 26 February 1855
in Encycl ...
.
References
Sources
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* Grodberg, Kristi A., ''Elena Guro'' in: pp. 238–242
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External links
Mikhail Matyushin's House Museum, St Petersburg
Mikhail Matyushin on the website of the Museum of Organic Culture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matyushin, Mikhail
1861 births
1934 deaths
19th-century painters from the Russian Empire
Russian male painters
20th-century Russian painters
Painters from Saint Petersburg
Russian composers
Russian male composers
Russian Futurist painters
Russian Futurist composers
20th-century Russian male musicians
19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire
20th-century Russian male artists