Ilya Grigorevich Chashnik (1902,
Lucyn,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
, currently
Ludza
Ludza (; , , , , ''Ludza'') is a town in the Latgale region of eastern Latvia. Ludza is the oldest town in Latvia and this is commemorated by a key in its coat of arms. Ludza is the administrative centre of Ludza Municipality that is located near ...
,
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
– 1929,
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
) was a
suprematist artist, a pupil of
and a founding member of the
UNOVIS
UNOVIS (, also known as MOLPOSNOVIS and POSNOVIS) was a short-lived but influential group of artists, founded and led by Russian painter Kazimir Malevich at the Vitebsk Art School in 1919.
Initially formed by students and known as MOLPOSNOVIS, ...
school.
Biography

Chashnik was born to a Jewish family in 1902,
Lucyn,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
, currently
Ludza
Ludza (; , , , , ''Ludza'') is a town in the Latgale region of eastern Latvia. Ludza is the oldest town in Latvia and this is commemorated by a key in its coat of arms. Ludza is the administrative centre of Ludza Municipality that is located near ...
,
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
. He started studying in Yehuda Pen's art school at
Vitebsk
Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...
when he was just eleven years old.
He became a student of Marc Chagall.
By 1918, he moved to Moscow to work in an art workshop directed by Kazimir Malevich.
He returned after Malevich accepted a senior teaching position at ''Vitebsk School of Drawing and Painting.
''
Chashnik was notably able in a variety of media. Aleksandra Semenovna Shatskikh describes him as "famous for his inexhaustible inventiveness and ability to apply Suprematist principles to virtually all forms of art, including easel painting."
He painted, was proficient in metalwork, and designed ceramics produced at the
Imperial Porcelain Factory (then known as the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory).
[ Chasnik, along with Nikolai Suetin, was recruited by the factory during his time as a UNOVIS member.
He died in 1929 in ]Leningrad
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, at the age of 27.
The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
held an exhibition dedicated to his works in 1981.
Works
File:Ilya g chashnik painting1.jpg, Suprematist composition
File:Ilya Chashnik Suprematist Composition 1920c..jpg, ''Suprematist Composition'', 1920, M.T. Abraham Foundation
References
External links
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Literature
*''Чашник Илья Григорьевич (1902-1929), ленинградский художник, ученик К. Малевича. Первая монография о мастере.'' (publ. 2002),
1902 births
1929 deaths
Russian abstract painters
People from Ludza
{{Russia-painter-stub