Thesis: Beyond Futurism to Suprematism: Reassessing Futurist Dialogues between Russia and the West 1909-1915
Supervised by John Milner
The PhD dissertation will argue that Malevich’s arrival at Suprematism was not simply a natural product of the Russian avant-garde, and that the artist may have developed his Suprematist theories due, at least in great part, to the influence of F.T. Marinetti’s bold rhetoric and Umberto Boccioni’s written and visual application of Futurist principles. In an attempt to elucidate the true and exact origins of Suprematist theory, I have focused much of my research on understanding precisely who Malevich was in the years leading up to the 0.10 exhibition. I have spent a great deal of time specifically researching Marinetti’s 1914 visit to Russia in an effort to fully understand the impact of his presence on the Russian avant-garde and Malevich in particular.
One of my main goals in my research of the period surrounding Marinetti’s visit has been to analyze the availability of properly translated Italian manifestos to influential members of the Russian avant-garde. I have also examined the Italian and Russian press covering Marinetti’s visit in an attempt to pin down public opinion of Marinetti and his Futurist movement at the time. Although it is often claimed that Marinetti’s works were translated in the Russian press immediately after the 1909 launch of Futurism in Paris, the reality is that it was only upon his visit that the majority of Marinetti’s manifestos and many works of his poetry were finally translated in full. This is crucial to my research in that this moment represents Malevich’s first opportunity to read Italian Futurist works for himself.
In my opinion, this may be key to understanding Malevich’s development of Suprematism, given that Marinetti’s Russian tour coincided exactly with one of the most decisive moments in Malevich’s career. Marinetti’s visit came at a moment when Malevich was at a crossroads between what he was and what he would become. Marinetti’s tour caught Malevich’s attention at a pivotal time – when he was in the perfect position to observe and absorb Marinetti, his writings, and the path of Italian Futurism. Starting from this angle, an interesting view of Malevich’s process and the birth of the Suprematist movement begins to unfold.
Additional Interests
Education
- BA 2008 The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio
- MA 2010 The Courtauld Institute of Art