Ivan Vasilievich Kliun, or Klyun, born Klyunkov (Russian: Иван Васильевич Клюн; 1 September 1873, Bolshiye Gorky, Petushinsky District - 13 December 1943,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

) was a Russian

Avant-Garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...

painter, sculptor and art theorist, associated with the Suprematist movement.

Biography

His father was a carpenter. In 1881, seeking to improve their economic condition, the family moved to

Kyiv 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 ...

. In 1890, they moved again, to

Russian Poland Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It wa ...

. He received his initial artistic education at the in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

, in the 1890s, while working as an accountant. In 1898, he relocated to Moscow, where he frequented the studios of and Ilya Mashkov. His most important contact, however, came in 1907 when he met Kazimir Malevich and was introduced to the Russian Avant-Garde. This influenced him profoundly, although he joined the when it was created in 1910 and remained a member until 1916. He originally worked in the Symboloist style but, in 1913, due to the influence of Malevich, he began exhibiting with a group from St. Petersburg known as the "

Soyuz Molodyozhi Soyuz Molodyozhi (Union of the Youth, russian: Союз молодёжи) was an artistic group and an art magazine of Russian avant-garde organized in 1910. There were more than 30 members of the group and most of other Russian avant-garde par ...

" (Union of Youth). At this time, he became fond of

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 ...

, began producing sculpture (under the influence of

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 ...

and later exhibited with several other Avant-Garde groups. In 1915, he provided lithographs and a short chapter for the book, ''Тайные пороки академиков'' (The Secret Vices of Academicians) by the poet

Aleksei Kruchyonykh 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 ...

. The book was a harsh criticism of Symbolism and decadence in general. That same year he became a follower of Malevich's Suprematism and, the following year, joined his group known as Supremus. While there, he helped prepare a manifesto and a journal that was never published. He also collaborated with the

Verbovka Village Folk Centre Verbovka Village Folk Centre was an artisan cooperative in the village of Verbovka founded by Natalia Davidova in the Ukrainian province of Kiev. Natalia Davidova, one of the founders and the head of the Kiev Folk Center, was an Avant-garde art ...

; working with peasant artisans. From 1918 to 1921, he was a professor at Vkhutemas, the state art and technical school. From 1920, he was a member of Inkhuk (the Institute of Artistic Culture) and, after 1921, a Corresponding Member of GAHN (). Until the mid 1920s, his works were largely geometric forms. In the late 1920s, he developed an interest in modern Western European art, especially the French; copying works by Picasso and

Braque Georges Braque ( , ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century French painter, collagist, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his alliance with Fauvism from 1905, and the role he play ...

. He was especially attracted to the works of Amédée Ozenfant. In the early 1930s, he created numerous still-lifes in the Purist style. From the mid 1930s on he, and most Soviet artists, were compelled to paint works of Social Realism. In response, he created realistic still-lifes and landscapes and gave them away to friends and family

Selected paintings

File:«Портрет жены художника».jpg, Portrait of the Artist's Wife (1910) File:Ivan Vasilievich Kliun - The Clockmaker (Der Uhrmacher- L'horloger) - 2007.85 - Minneapolis Institute of Arts.jpg, The Clockmaker (1914) File:Супрематическая композиция.jpg, Suprematist Composition (1915) File:Composition (Kliun, 1917).png, Composition (1917) File:Клюн Натюрморт с цветами и кувшином.jpg, Still-life with Flowers and a Jug (1929)

External links

More works by Kliun
@ ArtNet
Biography and works
@ Artonline.ru {{DEFAULTSORT:Kliun, Ivan 1873 births 1943 deaths Abstract painters Russian avant-garde 19th-century painters from the Russian Empire Russian male painters 20th-century Russian painters Modern artists Vkhutemas faculty Suprematism (art movement) 19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire 20th-century Russian male artists

Biography

Selected paintings

Further reading

External links