Erik Bulatov
Encyclopedia
Erik Bulatov is a Russian artist
born in Sverdlovsk
in 1933 and raised in Moscow
. His father was a communist party official who died in World War II
at Pskov
, and his mother fled Poland at age 15 in support of the Russian Revolution
. Bulatov's works are in the major public and private collections in Europe, Russia and United States. In 2008 Bulatov became an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts
.
and Vladimir Favorsky
two artists of the early-twentieth century Russian avant-garde
.
, Eduard Shteinberg, Oleg Vassiliev Oleg Vassiliev (painter), Vladimir Yankilevsky
, and Viktor Pivovarov
. Named by a Czech historian for the block on which they lived, the group often met at Kabakov's to discuss and show their work as they were not permitted to do so in "official" settings. This group was more-so an association of like-minded artists rather than a school with similar stylistic tendencies.
Through the Sretensky Boulevard Group, Bulatov became a prominent member of the loosely affiliated Moscow Conceptualists
. This group, related ideologically rather than stylistically, has defined the "Moscow School" of contemporary Russian art as it is known today.
Bulatov's subject matter is broad. Equally broad is his perception of the government's role in the classification and control of everything. Bulatov symbolizes the government through his use of language as a system of order and control, the foundation of written law and constraint which he then plasters on every tree and rock. It is in this sense that Bulatov's paintings may take on a more universal accuracy and a more populist appeal. His emphasis on only the public and external aspects of life--the street, the land, the State television broadcast--reinforces the notion that one's thoughts and feelings are (still) one's own. the psychological and emotional are beyond the confines of words, language and law."
Soviet Nonconformist Art
The term Soviet Nonconformist Art refers to art produced in the former Soviet Union from 1953-1986 outside of the rubric of Socialist Realism...
born in Sverdlovsk
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
in 1933 and raised in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. His father was a communist party official who died in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
at Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
, and his mother fled Poland at age 15 in support of the Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
. Bulatov's works are in the major public and private collections in Europe, Russia and United States. In 2008 Bulatov became an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
.
Education
Bulatov studied painting at the Surikov Art Institute in Moscow, graduating in 1958. He began working as a children’s book illustrator with friend and collaborator, Oleg Vassiliev for which he won numerous awards. Both artists were immensely influenced by Robert FalkRobert Falk
Robert Rafailovich Falk was a Russian painter.-Biography:Falk was born in Moscow in 1886. In 1903 to 1904 he studied art in the studios of Konstantin Yuon and Ilya Mashkov, in 1905 to 1909 he studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture with Konstantin Korovin and Valentin...
and Vladimir Favorsky
Vladimir Favorsky
Vladimir Andreyevich Favorsky was a Soviet graphic artist, woodcut illustrator, painter, muralist, and teacher. He was a People's Artist of the USSR from 1963 and a full member of Soviet Academy of Arts from 1962, as well as of the Four Arts society....
two artists of the early-twentieth century Russian avant-garde
Russian avant-garde
The Russian avant-garde is an umbrella term used to define the large, influential wave of modern art that flourished in Russia approximately 1890 to 1930 - although some place its beginning as early as 1850 and its end as late as 1960...
.
Sretensky Boulevard Group
In the 1960s Bulatov formed the Sretensky Boulevard Group with Ilya KabakovIlya Kabakov
Ilya Kabakov, Russian Илья́ Ио́сифович Кабако́в , is a Russian-American conceptual artist of Jewish descent, born in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. He worked for thirty years in Moscow, from the 1950s until the late 1980s. He now lives and works on Long Island...
, Eduard Shteinberg, Oleg Vassiliev Oleg Vassiliev (painter), Vladimir Yankilevsky
Vladimir Yankilevsky
Vladimir Borisovich Yankilevsky is a Russian artist known mostly for his participation in the Soviet Nonconformist Art movement of the 1960s through the 1980s...
, and Viktor Pivovarov
Viktor Pivovarov
Viktor Pivovarov , along with Ilya Kabakov and Erik Bulatov, was one of the leading artists of the Moscow Conceptualist artistic movement of the 1960s and 1970s...
. Named by a Czech historian for the block on which they lived, the group often met at Kabakov's to discuss and show their work as they were not permitted to do so in "official" settings. This group was more-so an association of like-minded artists rather than a school with similar stylistic tendencies.
Through the Sretensky Boulevard Group, Bulatov became a prominent member of the loosely affiliated Moscow Conceptualists
Moscow Conceptualists
The Moscow Conceptualist, or Russian Conceptualist, movement began with the Sots art of Komar and Melamid in the early 1970s, and continued as a trend in Russian art into the 1980s...
. This group, related ideologically rather than stylistically, has defined the "Moscow School" of contemporary Russian art as it is known today.
Style
"Bulatov's paintings are large, colorful, realistic images of landscapes, skies, urban settings, and people, many of which are painted over and partially obscured by wry words or phrases. Metaphorically rich and poetic blue skies are overlaid with Russian texts that translate: 'Glory to the U.S.S.R.' or 'Trademark'. Lush, green landscapes toil under the labels 'Not To Be Leaned On' or 'Caution.'Bulatov's subject matter is broad. Equally broad is his perception of the government's role in the classification and control of everything. Bulatov symbolizes the government through his use of language as a system of order and control, the foundation of written law and constraint which he then plasters on every tree and rock. It is in this sense that Bulatov's paintings may take on a more universal accuracy and a more populist appeal. His emphasis on only the public and external aspects of life--the street, the land, the State television broadcast--reinforces the notion that one's thoughts and feelings are (still) one's own. the psychological and emotional are beyond the confines of words, language and law."
External links
- Kolodzei Collection of Russian and Eastern European Art, Kolodzei Art FoundationKolodzei Art FoundationThe Kolodzei Art Foundation, Inc. promotes the contemporary art of Russia and the former Soviet Union. The Kolodzei Art Foundation often utilizes the artistic resources of the Kolodzei Collection of Russian and Eastern European Art, one of the world’s largest private collections, with over 7,000...
http://www.kolodzeiart.org/ericbulatov.html
- Art4.ru Contemporary Art Museum http://art4.ru/en/artists/detail.php?ID=1519
- The Norton & Nancy Dodge Collection of Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union (1956-1986), Zimmerli Art Museum http://www.zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu//collections/?id=11