''Cyclist'' is a 1913

Cubo-Futurist Cubo-Futurism () was an art movement, developed within Russian Futurism, that arose in the early 20th-century Russian Empire, defined by its amalgamation of the artistic elements found in Italian Futurism and French Analytical Cubism. Cubo-Futur ...

painting by the Russian artist

Natalia Goncharova Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova (, ; 3 July 188117 October 1962) was a Russian avant-garde artist, painter, costume designer, writer, illustrator, and set designer. Goncharova's lifelong partner was fellow Russian avant-garde artist Mikhail Lariono ...

. The painting is considered an "archetypal work" of

Futurism Futurism ( ) was an Art movement, artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such as the ...

by its current holder, the

State Russian Museum The State Russian Museum (), formerly known as the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (), on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest art museums in ...

Description

The titular cyclist is a male figure bent over his bicycle while pedaling through a town or city. The street beneath the cyclist is cobbled while behind him lies a row of shop windows. Goncharova was an early Russian developer of

Cubo-Futurism Cubo-Futurism () was an art movement, developed within Russian Futurism, that arose in the early 20th-century Russian Empire, defined by its amalgamation of the artistic elements found in Italian Futurism and French Analytical Cubism. Cubo-Futur ...

, combining characteristics of both

and

Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...

in ''Cyclist''. Cubist fragmentation, for example, is used to indicate the cyclist's speed. Movement is also portrayed in the work's Futurist elements, such as its repetition of forms and dislocation of contours. The dynamic effect of multiplied forms and repeated delineation is further amplified by Goncharova's use of broad brushstrokes. The presence of urban life, another concern of Futurism, is included in the work through the use of street signs in the background. However, the composition is distinct from classical Futurist works due to its higher level of visual balance. In particular, ''Cyclist'' contrasts with the more abstract and dematerialized representation of cycling found in

Umberto Boccioni Umberto Boccioni (; ; 19 October 1882 – 17 August 1916) was an influential Italian painter and sculptor. He helped shape the revolutionary aesthetic of the Futurism movement as one of its principal figures. Despite his short life, his approach ...

's 1913 painting ''

Dynamism of a Cyclist ''Dynamism of a Cyclist'' (''Dinamismo di un Ciclista'') is a 1913 oil painting by Italian Futurism, Futurist artist Umberto Boccioni (1882–1916) that demonstrates the Futurist fascination with speed, modern methods of transport, and the depicti ...

''.

Cyrillic letters The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Easte ...

from the shop signs are visually "shifted" onto the bicyclist in the painting. The art historian Tim Harte views the pointing finger on the leftmost storefront as part of a "visual clash" since it points in the opposite direction of the cyclist's motions.

Exhibition and reception

''Cyclist'' was shown with Goncharova's ''Airplane over a Train'' in the artist's 1913 solo show. In his 2009 book on the

Russian avant-garde The Russian avant-garde was a large, influential wave of avant-garde modern art that flourished in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, approximately from 1890 to 1930—although some have placed its beginning as early as 1850 and its e ...

, Harte considered ''Cyclist'' to be a "more mature" Cubo-Futurist painting compared to Goncharova's earlier works and wrote that the painting evidences Goncharova's intensified focus on "modern motion's distortion of space and image". In a 2019 review of Goncharova's work, the art critic

Laura Cumming Laura Cumming is a British journalist who is the art critic of ''The Observer'' newspaper, a position she has held since 1999. Before that she worked for ''The Guardian'', the ''New Statesman'' and the BBC. In addition to her career in journal ...

described ''Cyclist'' as "an exhilarating picture" demonstrative of the artist's "excitement with futurism". As of 2021, ''Cyclist'' is in the

and is located in the museum's Benois Wing.

References

{{Authority control 1913 paintings Paintings by Natalia Goncharova Bicycles in art Futurist paintings Collection of the Russian Museum

Description

Exhibition and reception

See also

References