Natalia Goncharova: Mystical Images of War

10 February – 4 June 2006
Arms Gallery

One of the so-called "Amazons of the avant-garde," Russian artist Natalia Goncharova (1881-1962) combined folk art traditions, traditional religious imagery, and modernist abstraction in her pioneering art work. Her early twentieth-century easel paintings and theatrical designs for the Ballets Russes promoted traditional Russian culture and a modern national pictorial style. This inspired the Neo-Primitivist movement spearheaded by Goncharova and her partner, Mikhail Larionov. Her album of prints, The Mystical Images of War (1914) represents one of the first visual responses to the outbreak of the first World War in epic, religious, and apocalyptic terms. Following avant-garde artistic traditions, these are simple, direct images that invite viewer participation and response. The album of fourteen lithographs and original cover, from the Mead's permanent collection of Russian art donated by Thomas A. Whitney (Class of 1937), will be displayed in its entirety, offering a rare opportunity to experience their iconic power.

Gallery Talk

Friday, 5 May, 1:00 p.m.
Arms Gallery

Scott Niichel '06 will speak about Goncharova, Neo-Primitivism and The Mystical Images of War.