N. A. Belokhvostova, E. D. Toloknova and S. V. Miturich.

Petr Miturich (1887–1956). Vystavka grafiki iz sobraniia Gosudarstvennoi Tret’iakovskoi galerei. Katalog (Petr Miturich [1887–1956]. Exhibition of graphic works from the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery. Catalog)

Moscow: Tret'iakovskaia galereia / Tri kvadrata, 2012. Pb. This Tretyakov Gallery exhibition catalogue reveals an inconspicuous genius of the Russian avant-garde. The simplest media, pencil and paper, opened up whole worlds for Miturich: in “Family Portrait” each countenance expresses a different character and mood; in “Graphic Motif” arching strokes seem to create the motion of a flock of birds; in “Kutum. Astrakhan’” the docked sailboats against the dark row of buildings suggest the vitality of a port as effectively as a Dutch seascape; “Velemir Khlebnikov on His Death Bed” portrays the tragedy of brilliant talent suddenly gone dark. And Miturich’s landscapes and portraits capture and convey a reality of mood with a bare minimum of strokes and lines. A graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, he took part in exhibitions of the World of Art group, sharing practically no affinity with the refined stylistic idiom of its famous founders. This catalogue reflects various phases of his creative career from 1914 onwards, touching on his association with the Futurists and especially the poet Velimir Khlebnikov, whose verbal themes he reinterpreted in a large cycle of spatial graphic constructions. Miturich had a perfect command of line, patch and stroke; under his pen the unfilled space of a sheet turned into an endless possibility. A notable part of his legacy is composed of dynamic drawings from the second half of the 1940s when he finally recovered from the personal and social hardships of the 1930s. Stylistically they were ahead of time and anticipate the art of the coming decades. The book contains an introductory article and a plate section supplied with extensive comments. Many of the drawings are published here for the first time. 112 pp., 8 ½ x 11 ins., 60 b-&-w illus., Rus. Item #1868
ISBN: 9785946071680

Price: $29.00