David Burliuk | |
|---|---|
 Burliuk in 1914 | |
| Native name | Давид Давидович Бурлюк |
| Born | (1882-07-21)21 July 1882 |
| Died | 15 January 1967(1967-01-15) (aged 84) |
| Language | Russian |
| Education | Odessa Art School,Kazan Art School |
| Literary movement | Cubo-Futurism |
David Davidovich Burliuk (Russian:Дави́д Дави́дович Бурлю́к; 21 July 1882 – 15 January 1967) was a Russian poet, artist and publicist of Ukrainian origin associated with theFuturist andNeo-Primitivist movements. Burliuk has been described as "the father ofRussian Futurism."
David Burliuk was born on 21 July 1882 in the village ofRiabushky [ru] in theKharkov Governorate of theRussian Empire. Burliuk's family was artistically inclined; two of his brothers were talented artists as well,Nikolai andVladimir Burliuk. The Burliuk family partly descended from UkrainianCossacks on their father's side, who held premier positions in theHetmanate. His mother, Ludmyla Mikhnevich, was of ethnic Belarusian descent.[1]
From 1898 to 1904, he studied atKazan andOdessa art schools, as well as at the Royal Academy inMunich.[2] His exuberant, extroverted character was recognized byAnton Ažbe, his professor at the Munich Academy, who called Burliuk a "wonderful wild steppe horse".[3]
In 1907, he made contact with the Russian art world; he met and befriendedMikhail Larionov, and they are both credited as being major forces in bringing together the contemporary art world.[4] In 1908, an exhibition with the groupZveno ("The Link") inKiev was organized by David Burliuk together withWladimir Baranoff-Rossine,Alexander Bogomazov, his brotherWladimir Burliuk andAleksandra Ekster. The exhibition was a flop, especially because they were all unknown painters.[4] 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.[4]
In 1909, Burliuk painted a portrait of his future wife, Marussia, on a background of flowers and rocks on theCrimean 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.[citation needed]
The Futurist literary groupGileia was initiated in 1910 by David Burlyuk and his brothers at their aforementioned estate nearKherson, and were quickly joined byVasily Kamensky andVelimir Khlebnikov, withAleksey Kruchenykh andVladimir Mayakovsky joining in 1911.[5] Soon afterwards, the group would morph into literaryCubo-Futurism, 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,[4] by writing plays incomprehensible to the public (the most notorious beingVictory 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.[6] 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 later claimed that that specific recital "was the first time I had seen such a frenzied, furious audience".[6] Even during the First World War their activities carried on: at the 1915 Christmas Party, hosted byLilya andOsip Brik, the tree was hung from the roof, upside-down, and the guests arrived with vegetables in their buttonholes and in bizarre makeup.[6] 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, theEgo-Futurists, did not end very well. Burliuk's colleagueVelimir Khlebnikov also developedZaum, a poetry style.
From 1910, he was the member of the groupJack of Diamonds, and from 1910 to 1911 he attended the Art School inOdessa. After 1911, David concentrated on poetry and manifestoes, and at Christmas he made the acquaintance ofBenedikt Livshits, a poet.[4] From 1911 to 1913, he studied at theMoscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (MUZHVZ), and that year participated in the group exhibition of theBlaue Reiter inMunich, 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 manifestoA Slap in the Face of Public Taste with the other members of Hylaea, one of the major manifestoes ofRussian Futurism, a movement of Russian poets and artists who adopted the principles ofFilippo Marinetti's "Futurist Manifesto".
In 1913, he was expelled from the Art Academy, as well as Mayakovsky. In the same year, Burliuk founded the publishing venture of thefuturist writer's groupHylaea. In 1914, he and his brother Wladimir illustrated Kamensky'sTango with Cows, and in 1915 Burliuk published the bookThe Support of the Muses in Spring, with illustrations byAristarkh Lentulov, and by David and Wladimir Burliuk.
From 1915 to 1917, he resided in theUrals with frequent trips to Moscow and Petrograd (St. Petersburg).[7] In 1917, he participated in an exhibition with the groupJack of Diamonds in the artists' salon in Moscow, which includedAleksandra Ekster andKazimir Malevich.
In 1916, his brother Wladimir was drafted into military service, and in 1917 was killed inWorld War I inSaloniki. 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.[7] He kept in contact with his fellow Futurists in Russia, and, despite not knowing a word of English, managed to befriend artist and patronKatherine Dreier, establishing himself among the artists of that country.[8] In 1922, he settled in the United States.[2]
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.[9] A colossal sized painting from this period titledAdvent of the Mechanical Man, 1925–26, was exhibited in theBrooklyn Museum's 1926International Exhibition of Modern Art Assembled bySociété Anonyme.
In New York, Burliuk developed activity in pro-Soviet oriented groups and, having written a poem for the 10th anniversary of theOctober Revolution, sought, in particular, to gain recognition as the "father of Russian futurism". He was a regular contributor to theRussian 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.[10]
In 1925, Burliuk was a co-founder of the Association of Revolutionary Masters of Ukraine (ARMU) with the membersAlexander Bogomazov,Vasiliy Yermilov,Vadym Meller,Alexander Khvostenko-Khvostov, andPalmov Victor. In 1927, he participated in an exhibition of the Latest Artistic Trends in the Russian Museum in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), together withKazimir Malevich,Aleksandr Shevchenko, andVladimir Tatlin. Burliuk was author of autobiographical sketchesMy Ancestors, Forty Years: 1890–1930.
In the 1930s,Onya La Tour was an avid collector of modern art who acquired at least one hundred works by Burliuk.[11]
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 friendVladimir Mayakovsky, 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[2] and 1965.
In 1945, an exhibit was mounted atIrving Place Theater in New York City[12]
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, publishedColor & Rhyme, a journal primarily concerned with charting Burliuk's activities.[7]
Burliuk lived in Hampton Bays on Long Island for approximately 20 years until he died atSouthampton Hospital inSouthampton, New York.[2][13] His house and studio still remain.
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.[14]
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