Nathan Altman
Encyclopedia
Nathan Isaevich Altman was a Jewish, Russian
and Soviet avant-garde
artist, Cubist painter
, stage designer and book illustrator
who was born, grew up and began his art studies in Ukraine, Russian Empire.
, Russian Empire
(now independent Ukraine
) to a family of Russian Jewish merchants.
(now independent Ukraine
). In 1906 he had his first exhibition in Odessa.
In 1910 he went to Paris, where he stayed for one year. He studied at the Free Russian Academy in Paris, working in the studio of Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine
, and had contact with Marc Chagall
, Alexander Archipenko
, and David Shterenberg
. In 1910 he became a member of the group Soyuz Molodyozhi
(Union of Youth).
In 1912 Altman moved to Saint Petersburg
. His famous Portrait of Anna Akhmatova, conceived in Cubist
style, was painted in 1914. From 1915 to 1917 Nathan Altman was the teacher at Mikhail Bernstein's private art school. After 1916 he started to work as a stage designer.
In 1918 he was the member of the Board for Artistic Matters within the Department of Fine Arts of the People's Commissariat of Enlightenment together with Malevich, Baranoff-Rossine and Shevchenko. In the same year he had an exhibition with the group Jewish Society for the Furthering of the Arts in Moscow, together with Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine, El Lissitzky
and the others. In this same year he installed a temporary work of architectural sculpture in Palace Square
to commemorate the 1st anniversary of the October Revolution
. The canvas was subsequently cut up and used for soldiers' foot bindings.
In 1920 he became a member of the Institute for Artistic Culture (INKHUK), together with Kasimir Malevich, Vladimir Tatlin
and the others. In the same year, he participated in the exhibition From Impressionism to Cubism in the Museum of Painterly Culture in Petrograd.(now Saint Petersburg). In 1921 he moved to Moscow. From 1921 to 1922 he was director of the Museum of Painterly Culture in Petrograd.
From 1920 to 1928 he worked on stage designs for the Habimah Theatre and the Jewish State Theatre in Moscow. In 1923 a volume of his Jewish graphic art, Evrejskaja grafika Natana Al'tmana: Tekst Maksa Osborna [Max Osborn], was published in Berlin.
In 1925 he participated in Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes
(Art Deco
) in Paris together with Aleksandra Ekster
, Vadim Meller, Rudolf Frentz, Sonia Delaunay-Terk and David Shterenberg
. His first solo exhibition in Leningrad was in 1926.
Altman moved to Paris in 1928. In 1936 he returned to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg
). He worked mainly for the theatre, as a book illustrator and an author of essays about art.
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
and Soviet 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...
artist, Cubist painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, stage designer and book illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
who was born, grew up and began his art studies in Ukraine, Russian Empire.
Early life
He was born in VinnytsiaVinnytsia
Vinnytsia is a city located on the banks of the Southern Bug, in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast.-Names:...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(now independent Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) to a family of Russian Jewish merchants.
Career
From 1902 to 1907 he studied painting and sculpture at the Art College in OdessaOdessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
(now independent Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). In 1906 he had his first exhibition in Odessa.
In 1910 he went to Paris, where he stayed for one year. He studied at the Free Russian Academy in Paris, working in the studio of Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine
Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine
Vladimir Davidovich Baranoff-Rossine was a Russian-French painter, avant-garde artist , and inventor.-Biography:Vladimir Baranov-Rossine was born in Kherson, Russian Empire, to parents of Jewish ethnicity....
, and had contact with Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
, Alexander Archipenko
Alexander Archipenko
Alexander Porfyrovych Archipenko was a Ukrainian avant-garde artist, sculptor, and graphic artist.-Biography:...
, and David Shterenberg
David Shterenberg
David Petrovich Shterenberg was a Ukrainian-born Russian painter and graphic artist.Born to a Jewish family in Zhitomir, Ukraine, Shterenberg studied art in Odessa and then from 1906-1912 based himself in Paris where he studied with, amongst others, Kees van Dongen...
. In 1910 he became a member of the group Soyuz Molodyozhi
Soyuz Molodyozhi
Soyuz Molodyozhi was an artistic group and an art magazine of Russian avant-garde organized in 1910.There were more than 30 members of the group and most of other Russian avant-garde participated in their exhibitions....
(Union of Youth).
In 1912 Altman moved to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. His famous Portrait of Anna Akhmatova, conceived in Cubist
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
style, was painted in 1914. From 1915 to 1917 Nathan Altman was the teacher at Mikhail Bernstein's private art school. After 1916 he started to work as a stage designer.
In 1918 he was the member of the Board for Artistic Matters within the Department of Fine Arts of the People's Commissariat of Enlightenment together with Malevich, Baranoff-Rossine and Shevchenko. In the same year he had an exhibition with the group Jewish Society for the Furthering of the Arts in Moscow, together with Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine, El Lissitzky
El Lissitzky
, better known as El Lissitzky , was a Russian artist, designer, photographer, typographer, polemicist and architect. He was an important figure of the Russian avant garde, helping develop suprematism with his mentor, Kazimir Malevich, and designing numerous exhibition displays and propaganda works...
and the others. In this same year he installed a temporary work of architectural sculpture in Palace Square
Palace Square
Palace Square , connecting Nevsky Prospekt with Palace Bridge leading to Vasilievsky Island, is the central city square of St Petersburg and of the former Russian Empire...
to commemorate the 1st anniversary of the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. The canvas was subsequently cut up and used for soldiers' foot bindings.
In 1920 he became a member of the Institute for Artistic Culture (INKHUK), together with Kasimir Malevich, Vladimir Tatlin
Vladimir Tatlin
Vladimir Yevgrafovich Tatlin was a Russian and Soviet painter and architect. With Kazimir Malevich he was one of the two most important figures in the Russian avant-garde art movement of the 1920s, and he later became the most important artist in the Constructivist movement...
and the others. In the same year, he participated in the exhibition From Impressionism to Cubism in the Museum of Painterly Culture in Petrograd.(now Saint Petersburg). In 1921 he moved to Moscow. From 1921 to 1922 he was director of the Museum of Painterly Culture in Petrograd.
From 1920 to 1928 he worked on stage designs for the Habimah Theatre and the Jewish State Theatre in Moscow. In 1923 a volume of his Jewish graphic art, Evrejskaja grafika Natana Al'tmana: Tekst Maksa Osborna [Max Osborn], was published in Berlin.
In 1925 he participated in Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes
Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes
The International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts was a World's fair held in Paris, France, from April to October 1925. The term "Art Deco" was derived by shortening the words Arts Décoratifs, in the title of this exposition, but not until the late 1960s by British art critic...
(Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
) in Paris together with Aleksandra Ekster
Aleksandra Ekster
Aleksandra Aleksandrovna Ekster was a Russian-French painter and designer.-Biography:-Childhood:...
, Vadim Meller, Rudolf Frentz, Sonia Delaunay-Terk and David Shterenberg
David Shterenberg
David Petrovich Shterenberg was a Ukrainian-born Russian painter and graphic artist.Born to a Jewish family in Zhitomir, Ukraine, Shterenberg studied art in Odessa and then from 1906-1912 based himself in Paris where he studied with, amongst others, Kees van Dongen...
. His first solo exhibition in Leningrad was in 1926.
Altman moved to Paris in 1928. In 1936 he returned to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
). He worked mainly for the theatre, as a book illustrator and an author of essays about art.
Works
- Lady with a Dog . Portrait of Esther Schwartzmann. 1911. Oil on canvas mounted on cardboard. 67.5 x 47.5 cm. The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. - Jug and Tomatoes. 1912. Oil on canvas. 69.5 x 49.5 cm. The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. - Portrait of Anna Akhmatova. 1914. Oil on canvas. 123.5 x 103.2 cm. The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Portrait of a Young Jew (Self-Portrait). 1916. Plaster of Paris, copper, wood. The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. (Sculpture) - Still Life. Colored Bottles and Planes. 1918. Oil and plaster on canvas. 59.5 x 43.5 cm. The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. - Material Painting. Still Life with a White Jug. 1919. Oil and enamel on canvas. 84.5 x 62 cm. The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.
- Composition with Material Objects. 1920. Oil, enamel, glue, plaster and sawdust on canvas. 83 x 65.5 (oval). The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.
- Self-Portrait. 1926. Lead pencil on paper. 44.6 x 35.9 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
- Square in a Provincial Town. 1926. Italian and lead pencil on paper. 51.2 x 36.6 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
- Still Life. Mixed technique on paper. 62.5 x 47 cm. The Museum of Russian Art. Erevan, ArmeniaArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
.