HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY RUSSIAN ART

The course is part of the core art-historical disciplines within the degree programme in Economics and Management of Arts and Cultural Activities. It explores the fundamental role of women artists in the Russian and Central Asian avant-garde, analysing their work as an exemplary case of cultural mediation. Through the study of key figures, the programme investigates how the language of modernity hybridised with Eastern traditions (Uzbekistan, the Caucasus, and Central Asia). The course adopts an interdisciplinary approach, combining art history with the semiotics of culture.
To enhance students’ understanding of the subject, guest lectures by other scholars may be organised.
Lectures may also be supplemented by visits to exhibitions.
Materials presented during classes will be made available on the University’s Moodle e-learning platform, together with additional resources for further study.

1. Knowledge
The course will focus on the role of Russian and Soviet women artists, enabling students to examine in depth the lives and artistic practices of some of the most significant figures, including the so-called “Amazons”: Goncharova, Rozanova, Stepanova, Popova, among others, while also introducing other experiences such as that of Elena Guro and the Organika group, as well as the phenomenon of the “Avant-Garde Orientalis” in Central Asia and its key protagonists. The course aims to: analyse women’s contributions to avant-garde movements (Cubo-Futurism, the Organic School, Constructivism, etc.); develop an understanding of the concept of the “Avant-Garde Orientalis”; reconstruct trajectories of cultural resistance and memory preservation (with particular reference to the Savitsky Museum case); and apply the theoretical framework developed by Yury Lotman.

2. Communication skills
Students will learn to formulate in a clear and relevant way the topics covered in class.

3. Critical skills
Students will be able to critically evaluate the evolution of cultural and artistic trends in Russia and Central Asia in the first twenty years of the twentieth century.

Basic knowledge of the main stages of the development of Russian art is advisable but not compulsory.

The Amazons of the Avant-Garde and the East: Light, Form, and Vision

The course explores the revolutionary role of women artists in the Russian and Soviet avant-garde and their distinctive engagement with the East as a cultural alternative to the West. Through a trajectory that interweaves painting, colour theory, and design, it examines how major figures such as Natalya Goncharova, Olga Rozanova, and Lyubov Popova, among others, redefined the languages of Cubo-Futurism, Rayonism, and Suprematism. The course also considers the work of Elena Guro and the emergence of the Organika group.
A central section is devoted to the “Avant-Garde Orientalis,” investigating how travel to and relocation in Central Asia (particularly Uzbekistan) shaped the production of lesser-known yet pivotal artists such as Zinaida Kovalevskaya, Nadezhda Kashina, and Alexandra Korovay. In these contexts, encounters with the light of Samarkand and with Eastern decorative motifs generated a unique synthesis between Russian abstraction and local artistic traditions.
1. The Amazons of the Avant-Garde: key figures who contributed to the foundation of major Russian avant-garde movements (Cubo-Futurism, Rayonism, Suprematism)
- Natalya Goncharova: a pioneering figure, whose engagement with popular art (notably lubki) and transition from primitivism to Rayonism will be analysed.
- Olga Rozanova: an artist central to the theorisation of colour, whose contribution to Suprematism and concept of “transrational painting” will be examined.
- Lyubov Popova: the “architect” of the canvas, whose trajectory from Cubism to textile and stage design exemplifies Constructivist principles.
2. The Avant-Garde Orientalis (The East as a New Source)
- Many Russian artists sought in the East an alternative to the cultural hegemony of Western Europe.
- Women artists in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan: numerous women artists relocated to Tashkent and Samarkand, merging Russian abstract language with motifs derived from carpets and Islamic architectural decoration.
3. Design, Textiles, and Revolution
Women artists played a decisive role in bringing the avant-garde beyond the museum into everyday life.
- Varvara Stepanova: the design of sportswear and geometric patterns for the textile industry.
- Sonia Delaunay (born in Ukraine): although active in Paris, her use of colour is deeply rooted in Eastern European folk traditions.
- Soviet Porcelain: women artists who revolutionised ceramics through the integration of revolutionary subjects with avant-garde styles.
4. Memory and Disappearance (Theory and Methodology)
The course engages with the semiotics of culture developed by Yury Lotman:
- The “memory” of women artists: how and why many of these figures were marginalized or forgotten during the Stalinist period?
- Critical recovery: the rediscovery of these artists in the historiography of the 1970s and 1980s.

Lecture notes
Images projected in class will be available on the e-learning Moodle platform
PDF essays on the e-learning Moodle platform (mandatory bibliography)

Reference texts for further readings and in-depth analysis
John E. Bowlt, Nicoletta Misler, Evgenija Petrova (a cura di), L'avanguardia russa, la Siberia e l'Oriente, Milano, Skira, 2013.
John E. Bowlt and Matthew Drutt (ed.), Amazons of the Avant-garde: Alexandra Exter, Natalia Goncharova, Liubov Popova, Olga Rozanova, Varvara Stepanova and Nadezhda Udaltsova, New York, Guggenheim Museum, 2000.
Silvia Burini and Giuseppe Barbieri, Uzbekistan: Avant-Garde in the Desert, Milano, Electa, 2024.
Silvia Burini, Jurij Lotman, Il girotondo delle muse. Semiotica delle arti, Milano, Bompiani, 2022.

The learning outcomes will be assessed by a written exam of two hours.
The exam consists of four open questions. One incomplete answer will result in a fail grade.
The use of books, notes, and electronic media is not allowed during the test.

written

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

Regarding the grading scale for the written exam (method by which grades will be assigned), regardless of whether the student is attending or non-attending:
A. Scores in the range of 18-22 will be assigned in the presence of:
- sufficient knowledge and applied comprehension with reference to the program;
- limited ability to gather and/or interpret data, forming independent judgments;
- sufficient communication skills, especially in relation to the use of specific historical-artistic language.
B. Scores in the range of 23-26 will be assigned in the presence of:
- fair knowledge and applied comprehension with reference to the program;
- fair ability to gather and/or interpret data, forming independent judgments;
- fair communication skills, especially in relation to the use of specific historical-artistic language.
C. Scores in the range of 27-30 will be assigned in the presence of:
- good or excellent knowledge and applied comprehension with reference to the program;
- good or excellent ability to gather and/or interpret data, forming independent judgments;
- fully appropriate communication skills, especially in relation to the use of specific historical-artistic language.
D. Honors will be awarded in the presence of excellent knowledge and applied comprehension with reference to the program, judgment skills, and communication abilities.

Lessons open to the discussions and commentaries of the slides and texts presented in class.
The materials presented in class will be available on the e-learning Moodle platform together with additional sources. Talks with selected guests. In-depth lessons will also be planned.
It is possible that the lectures will be integrated with exhibition visits.

Ca’ Foscari applies Italian law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) for support and accommodation services available to students with disabilities or with specific learning difficulties. If you have a motor, visual, hearing or other disability (Law 17/1999) or a specific learning disorder (Law 170/2010) and you require support (classroom assistance, technological aids for carrying out exams or exams individualized, accessible format material, note retrieval, specialist tutoring to support the study, interpreters or other) contact the Disability and DSA office disable@unive.it.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development