Study for a portrait || Italian still life
Popova Liubov (1889-1924)
1914-1915 | 59.5 x 41.6 cm
Museum of Modern Art | Costakis Collection
MMA.CC16
Greek State purchase by the heirs of the Costakis family
ARTWORK DETAILS
Type: Painting
Subject: Portrait, Russian Avantgarde, Cubo-Futurism
ARTWORK DESCRIPTION
The artwork "Study for a Portrait" by Liubov Popova, which is part of the Kostakis Collection at the MOMus - Museum of Modern Art, is one of the preserved versions of the "Portrait." It serves as a characteristic example of the mature phase of the artist's Cubo-Futurist period, during which she achieved frontality without entirely eliminating the sense of depth. The Cubist analysis of form into planes, along with the simultaneous presence of wavy lines in the hair, accomplishes frontality and brings the composition closer to the viewer. Additionally, triangular and diagonal structural relationships prevail over orthogonal ones. The words "CUB[O]" "FUTURISMO" on the painting surface likely constitute a statement by the artist regarding the aesthetic and functional rules of Cubo-Futurism. During the restoration of the painting in 2005 at the former State Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki, another artwork was discovered on the back of the paper: a highly comprehensive study for the work "Italian Still Life," which is located at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
CREATOR
Liubov Sergeyevna Popova was born in 1889 in Ivanovskoe, a village very close to Moscow. From a very young age she showed an interest in painting and started painting lessons. She studied literature and attended painting classes in the workshops of Stanislav Zhukovsky, Konstantin Yuon and Ivan Duon. Wanting to broaden her artistic education in the period 1909-1911, she travelled to Kiev, Italy and inland Russia, where she came into contact with the Russian visual tradition and Renaissance art. The influences of these travels are directly reflected in her works as she begins to develop a less naturalistic approach. In the winter of 1912-1913 she visited Paris, came into contact with Cubism, enrolled at the Academie de la Palette and began the Cubofuturist period in her works. From 1914 she participates in the exhibitions of the "Jack of Diamonds" group and has a systematic exhibition activity and a pioneering presence in the movements of Cub Futurism, Suprematism [member of Kazimir Malevich's "Supremus" group] and Constructivism. In 1918 she joined the staff of the Free State Artistic Workshops (SBOMAS) and in 1920 she became a professor and taught the Theory of Colour at the Higher State Artistic and Technical Workshops (VHUTEMAS). A member of INHUK from 1920, she undertook to write a textbook on the teaching of art. In the period 1916-1921 she creates a series of works which she calls "Painting Architectures" and "Spatial-Dynamic Constructions". At the same time, she was involved in the theatre, creating sets and costumes for Cromelinck's "The Magnanimous Cuckold" and Tretyakov's "Earth in Turmoil", and worked on the design of fabrics and clothing for the First State Textile Factory in Moscow. Furthermore, she was involved in graphic design and the integration of art into production and designed posters, magazine covers, books, textiles and porcelain. She died in 1924 in Moscow.