Nathalie Gontcharova

Happy Birthday Nathalie Gontcharova!! One of the rare Russian women painters, Gontcharova was born in 1881. She was an illustrator, costume and set designer, and avant-garde painter in the “Cubo-Futuristic style. Her great aunt was married to Alexander Pushkin, considered to be the greatest Russian Poet. She began by studying sculpture, but then moved to painting. She and her husband helped organize the Donkey’s Tail exhibit in 1912, a showing of Russian work meant to establish Russian art separate from European influence. She eventually became a French citizen and designed sets for various ballets. Gontcharova’s work leaned toward Futurism, as exemplified in the painting titled Cyclist below.

Futurism-Primarily an Italian style, Futurism attempts to transform the still surface of reality to movement.