Hubbry Logo
David BurliukDavid BurliukMain
Open search
David Burliuk
Community hub
David Burliuk
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
David Burliuk
David Burliuk
David Burliuk
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

David Davidovich Burliuk (Russian: Дави́д Дави́дович Бурлю́к; 21 July 1882 – 15 January 1967) was a Russian poet, artist and publicist of Ukrainian origin associated with the Futurist and Neo-Primitivist movements. Burliuk has been described as "the father of Russian Futurism."

Key Information

Biography

[edit]

Early life

[edit]

David Burliuk was born on 21 July 1882 in the village of Riabushky [ru] in the Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire. Burliuk's family was artistically inclined; two of his brothers were talented artists as well, Nikolai and Vladimir Burliuk. The Burliuk family partly descended from Ukrainian Cossacks on their father's side, who held premier positions in the Hetmanate. His mother, Ludmyla Mikhnevich, was of ethnic Belarusian descent.[1]

Education, career

[edit]

From 1898 to 1904, he studied at Kazan and Odessa art schools, as well as at the Royal Academy in Munich.[2] His exuberant, extroverted character was recognized by Anton Ažbe, his professor at the Munich Academy, who called Burliuk a "wonderful wild steppe horse".[3]

In 1907, he made contact with the Russian art world; he met and befriended Mikhail Larionov, and they are both credited as being major forces in bringing together the contemporary art world.[4] In 1908, an exhibition with the group Zveno ("The Link") in Kiev was organized by David Burliuk together with Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine, Alexander Bogomazov, his brother Wladimir Burliuk and Aleksandra Ekster. The exhibition was a flop, especially because they were all unknown painters.[4] The Burliuks and Larionov left for the aforementioned brothers' home in Chernianka, also known as Hylea; it was during this stay that their work became more Avant-Garde. That autumn, while visiting Ekster, they organized an exhibition which took place in the street; it was a success, and enough money was raised to go to Moscow.[4]

In 1909, Burliuk painted a portrait of his future wife, Marussia, on a background of flowers and rocks on the Crimean coast. Many times thereafter he would set the image of his wife to canvas. Without question, two dreams possessed his heart all his life: the face of his wife and the portrait of his Ukraine and then his adopted country, the United States.[citation needed]

The Futurist literary group Gileia was initiated in 1910 by David Burlyuk and his brothers at their aforementioned estate near Kherson, and were quickly joined by Vasily Kamensky and Velimir Khlebnikov, with Aleksey Kruchenykh and Vladimir Mayakovsky joining in 1911.[5] Soon afterwards, the group would morph into literary Cubo-Futurism, the predominant form of Futurism in Russia.

From the start to the end, Cubo-Futurism always had an air of scandal about it. The artists and poets scandalized the public by walking in public spaces wearing ridiculous clothes and painting their faces,[4] by writing plays incomprehensible to the public (the most notorious being Victory over the Sun, about a group of Futurists aiming to destroy reason), and by the fights between them and the audience at their poetry recitations.[6] In 1913–4, Mayakovsky, Kamensky, and Burliuk decided to go on poetry tours; fury almost always followed, even on an occasion when Mayakovsky read Pushkin. Alexander Rodchenko later claimed that that specific recital "was the first time I had seen such a frenzied, furious audience".[6] Even during the First World War their activities carried on: at the 1915 Christmas Party, hosted by Lilya and Osip Brik, the tree was hung from the roof, upside-down, and the guests arrived with vegetables in their buttonholes and in bizarre makeup.[6] Russian Futurism would only end after the Revolution of 1917.

Most of the Cubo-Futurists also resisted the Futurists in Italy. A brief alliance with their rivals, the Ego-Futurists, did not end very well. Burliuk's colleague Velimir Khlebnikov also developed Zaum, a poetry style.

From 1910, he was the member of the group Jack of Diamonds, and from 1910 to 1911 he attended the Art School in Odessa. After 1911, David concentrated on poetry and manifestoes, and at Christmas he made the acquaintance of Benedikt Livshits, a poet.[4] From 1911 to 1913, he studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (MUZHVZ), and that year participated in the group exhibition of the Blaue Reiter in Munich, which also included his brother Wladimir. He also contributed an article to the Blaue Reiter Almanac.

In December 1912, Burliuk was co-author and one of the many signatories of the manifesto A Slap in the Face of Public Taste with the other members of Hylaea, one of the major manifestoes of Russian Futurism, a movement of Russian poets and artists who adopted the principles of Filippo Marinetti's "Futurist Manifesto".

In 1913, he was expelled from the Art Academy, as well as Mayakovsky. In the same year, Burliuk founded the publishing venture of the futurist writer's group Hylaea. In 1914, he and his brother Wladimir illustrated Kamensky's Tango with Cows, and in 1915 Burliuk published the book The Support of the Muses in Spring, with illustrations by Aristarkh Lentulov, and by David and Wladimir Burliuk.

David Burliuk, Revolution, 1917
Promotional poster for Burliuk's Four-dimensional Radio-style

From 1915 to 1917, he resided in the Urals with frequent trips to Moscow and Petrograd (St. Petersburg).[7] In 1917, he participated in an exhibition with the group Jack of Diamonds in the artists' salon in Moscow, which included Aleksandra Ekster and Kazimir Malevich.

In 1916, his brother Wladimir was drafted into military service, and in 1917 was killed in World War I in Saloniki. The next year, following the downfall of anarchism (he had befriended anarchists during the time he lived in an abandoned house), Burliuk fled Russia and began his journey to the United States, a process that took him through Siberia, Japan, and Canada which was not complete until 1922.[7] He kept in contact with his fellow Futurists in Russia, and, despite not knowing a word of English, managed to befriend artist and patron Katherine Dreier, establishing himself among the artists of that country.[8] In 1922, he settled in the United States.[2]

In 1924 Burliuk published two Radio-style manifestos detailing a utopian art that would transcend space-time and aid in humanity's pursuit of knowledge and perfection.[9] A colossal sized painting from this period titled Advent of the Mechanical Man, 1925–26, was exhibited in the Brooklyn Museum's 1926 International Exhibition of Modern Art Assembled by Société Anonyme.

In New York, Burliuk developed activity in pro-Soviet oriented groups and, having written a poem for the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution, sought, in particular, to gain recognition as the "father of Russian futurism". He was a regular contributor to the Russian Voice newspaper. Burliuk published his collections, brochures, and magazines together with his wife Maria Nikiforovna, and through friends he distributed these publications mainly within the USSR.[10]

In 1925, Burliuk was a co-founder of the Association of Revolutionary Masters of Ukraine (ARMU) with the members Alexander Bogomazov, Vasiliy Yermilov, Vadym Meller, Alexander Khvostenko-Khvostov, and Palmov Victor. In 1927, he participated in an exhibition of the Latest Artistic Trends in the Russian Museum in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), together with Kazimir Malevich, Aleksandr Shevchenko, and Vladimir Tatlin. Burliuk was author of autobiographical sketches My Ancestors, Forty Years: 1890–1930.

Later years

[edit]

In the 1930s, Onya La Tour was an avid collector of modern art who acquired at least one hundred works by Burliuk.[11]

In 1940, Burliuk petitioned the Soviet government for a request to visit his homeland. In exchange, he offered a sizeable collection of archival material pertaining to his contemporary and friend Vladimir Mayakovsky, which Burliuk offered to donate to the Mayakovsky Museum in addition to over 100 original paintings. Burliuk's requests were denied. He was allowed to visit the Soviet Union only in 1956[2] and 1965.

In 1945, an exhibit was mounted at Irving Place Theater in New York City[12]

In 1962, he and his wife traveled to Australia where he held an exhibition at Moreton Galleries, Brisbane. It was his only Australian exhibition. During his stay there, Burliuk painted some sketches and works with Australian views. From 1937 to 1966, Burliuk and his wife, Marusia, published Color & Rhyme, a journal primarily concerned with charting Burliuk's activities.[7]

Burliuk lived in Hampton Bays on Long Island for approximately 20 years until he died at Southampton Hospital in Southampton, New York.[2][13] His house and studio still remain.

Legacy

[edit]

In Russian poetry, Burliuk is regarded as a trailblazer. In 1990, the Russian Academy of Futurist Poetry established the David Burliuk Prize (Otmetina) for experimental poetry awarded annually.[14]

Trivia

[edit]
  • Burliuk appears in Part III of the Vladimir Mayakovsky's landmark poem A Cloud in Trousers (A Cloud in Pants, 1915).
  • A painting (most likely fictional) by Burliuk appears in the novel Chapayev and Void by Viktor Pelevin. The painting is described as a black writing though a stencil of the word GOD.
[edit]
  • Benedict Livshits (1911)
    Benedict Livshits (1911)
  • My Cossack Ancestor (1912)
    My Cossack Ancestor (1912)
  • Vladimir Burliuk (1913)
    Vladimir Burliuk (1913)
  • 2-page spread from Dokhlaya Luna (1913)
    2-page spread from Dokhlaya Luna (1913)
  • Spring (1914)
    Spring (1914)
  • Dokhlaya Luna (1914)
    Dokhlaya Luna (1914)
  • Portrait of Vasily Kamensky (1917)
    Portrait of Vasily Kamensky (1917)

Publishing history

[edit]
  • 1912: co-author of the Russian Futurist manifesto A Slap in the Face of Public Taste.
  • 1915: The Support of the Muses in Spring

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

David Burliuk

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
David Davidovich Burliuk (21 July 1882 – 15 January 1967) was a Ukrainian-born painter, , , and instrumental in founding and advancing Neo-Primitivism. Born near to a family of Cossack descent, Burliuk displayed early talent in drawing and pursued formal training at art schools in , , , and , absorbing influences from , , and . A charismatic and eccentric figure known for his painted face, , and flamboyant attire, Burliuk organized avant-garde exhibitions like the 1907 Link show in Kiev, co-authored the provocative 1912 manifesto A Slap in the Face of Public Taste, and mentored emerging talents including , , and . His promotion of dynamic, technology-embracing art rejected academic conventions, fostering a movement that celebrated speed, modernity, and urban vitality. After the 1917 disrupted artistic circles, Burliuk emigrated via and —where he mounted the first exhibition of works—before establishing himself in the United States in 1922. There, he sustained a prolific career vibrant landscapes and portraits infused with primitive motifs and bold colors, while lecturing, publishing, and exhibiting extensively across New York, , and until his death. Burliuk's enduring legacy lies in his synthesis of folk traditions with modernist experimentation, positioning him as a bridge between Russian and global currents.

Early Life and Education

Family Background and Childhood

David Burliuk was born on July 21, 1882, in the rural khutor of Semyrotivshchina (also known as Semyrotivka), located near Riabushky in of the (present-day Lebedyn district, , ). He was the eldest of six children in a family of Zaporozhian Cossack descent on his father's side, with Belarusian heritage through his mother. His father, David Fyodorovich Burliuk, worked as an agronomist and estate manager, which necessitated frequent relocations across regions including , , and , where the children attended gymnasiums. His mother, Lyudmila Iosifovna (née Mihnevich), came from noble stock and possessed an innate artistic talent that influenced the household's cultural environment. Burliuk's siblings included brothers Vladimir and Nikolai, and sisters Lyudmila, Marianna, and Nadezhda; Vladimir and Lyudmila later pursued careers as artists, while Nikolai became a poet. Raised in a steppe homeland rich with Cossack folklore and natural vitality, Burliuk mythologized this rural setting as a primal source of artistic primitivism, drawing early inspiration from Scythian artifacts, stone babas, and local history. From a young age, he exhibited prodigious drawing skills, constantly sketching and earning recognition from a local art teacher who informed his mother of his "God-blessed talent," prompting schoolmates to dub him an artist. He began painting systematically around age 10, amid a family atmosphere that nurtured interests in poetry, music, and visual arts. A pivotal childhood incident occurred at age 11 on the Semyrotivka farmstead, where Burliuk lost his right eye in an accident involving a toy pistol—attributed in some accounts to his brother Nikolai—requiring over a year of home treatment before it was irreparably removed and replaced with a prosthetic. This disfigurement initially challenged his artistic aspirations but later contributed to his distinctive persona, symbolizing resilience amid personal adversity. The family's estate life, including a in Chornianka where his father served as major-domo, exposed him to a blend of agrarian simplicity and intellectual stimulation that foreshadowed his neo-primitivist leanings.

Formal Training and Early Influences

Burliuk exhibited an early predisposition toward artistic expression, initiating independent painting studies at age ten under familial encouragement in the rural Ukrainian steppe, where the local landscape and Cossack heritage instilled a lifelong affinity for vibrant natural motifs. His talent was formally acknowledged during high school by an art instructor who commended his "brilliant" abilities in and composition. Formal education commenced in 1898 at the Kazan School of Fine Arts, followed by studies at art schools in until 1904, where he engaged with realist traditions under instructor Kyriak Kostandi, who critiqued Burliuk's emerging experimental style as akin to "factory production" rather than conventional artistry. Between 1902 and 1903, he attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in , training under Willi Ditz and Anton Ažbe—the latter a mentor to , whose acquaintance Burliuk made during this period, exposing him to Symbolist and nascent abstract tendencies. Burliuk extended his training to Paris, studying at the École des Beaux-Arts with , whose atelier emphasized historical and academic techniques while accommodating diverse influences from . He also briefly attended institutions in . Subsequent enrollment from 1905 to 1909 at the Kharkiv Art Trade School Workshop of Decorative Painting, and then the Kharkiv Art School from 1910 to 1911, refined his skills in and amid regional artistic circles. These formative experiences, spanning Russian provincial academies and European centers, bridged traditional realism with modernist innovation; initial impressions from Ukrainian folk elements and Impressionist evolved through encounters with Fauvist color intensity and Kandinsky's theoretical explorations, laying groundwork for Burliuk's pivot without supplanting his empirical observation of .

Russian Period and Avant-Garde Involvement

Rise in Futurism and Key Collaborations

David Burliuk emerged as a pivotal figure in Russian Futurism during the early 1910s, co-founding the Hylaea group alongside his brother Vladimir Burliuk on their family estate in Chernyanka, Ukraine, around 1910. This collective, named after the ancient Greek term for Scythian territories, brought together poets and artists to challenge conventional aesthetics through Cubo-Futurist experiments blending Cubism, Futurism, and zaum (transrational language). Burliuk actively recruited talents, including Velimir Khlebnikov and Benedict Livshits by 1911, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations that integrated visual art with poetic innovation. A landmark event in Burliuk's rise was his co-authorship and signing of the manifesto A Slap in the Face of Public Taste on December 15, 1912, alongside , , and Alexei Kruchenykh. The document rejected Pushkin, Dostoevsky, and Symbolism as outdated, proclaiming Futurism's break from the past to embrace modernity's dynamism, and it served as the opening to the group's first almanac published in that year. Burliuk's role extended to mentoring , whom he discovered in 1912 and introduced to , sparking joint ventures like poetry readings and illustrated publications. Key collaborations intensified in 1913 with the production of Dead Moon (Dokhlaya Luna), a handmade book featuring Burliuk's illustrations alongside poems by Kruchenykh and others, exemplifying the group's fusion of visual and literary avant-garde. Burliuk also painted portraits of collaborators, such as his 1911 engraving of Livshits and 1913 depiction of Vladimir Burliuk, underscoring personal ties that propelled Futurism's performative and manifesto-driven activities. These efforts positioned Burliuk as a driving force, often self-styled as the "father of Russian Futurism," through exhibitions, street performances, and almanacs like A Trap for Judges that disseminated the movement's radical ethos.

Major Works, Manifestos, and Performances

Burliuk co-authored the Russian Futurist manifesto A Slap in the Face of Public Taste (Poshchechina obshchestvennomu vkusu), published in December , alongside , Viktor Khlebnikov, and Alexander Kruchenykh. The document rejected established literary traditions, including the works of and Symbolist poetry, advocating instead for a radical break with the past to create a new reflective of modern machine-age dynamism. This manifesto, printed as part of the almanac A Trap for Judges (Loviushka sudei), marked a foundational declaration of Russian Futurism's aggressive stance against bourgeois aesthetics. In painting, Burliuk produced key Cubo-Futurist works during this period, such as My Cossack Ancestor (1912), which fused Ukrainian folk motifs with fragmented forms and vibrant colors to evoke speed and primitivist energy. Other notable canvases include Portrait of Benedict Livshits (1911), an engraving depicting the poet in angular, dynamic lines, and Spring (1914), capturing seasonal renewal through bold brushstrokes and synthetic Cubist elements. Burliuk also contributed to Futurist publications, editing and illustrating Dokhlaya Luna (Pale Moon) in 1913, a collection featuring experimental poetry and visual experiments that embodied the movement's zaum (transrational language) principles. Burliuk organized and participated in provocative performances across from 1913 to 1914, traveling with Mayakovsky, David Kamensky, and others to approximately 17 cities for recitals, lectures, and theatrical demonstrations. These events often involved Burliuk painting his face in bright colors—a signature act symbolizing rejection of conventional appearance—and performing "victory over the sun"-style skits that mocked traditional art, drawing both crowds and controversy for their disruptive energy. Such spectacles reinforced Futurism's emphasis on spectacle and public provocation as integral to artistic innovation.

Interactions with Revolution and Exile Prelude

David Burliuk, a central figure in Russian Futurism, experienced the 1917 October Revolution amid ongoing civil unrest, which disrupted avant-garde circles but initially aligned with the movement's iconoclastic spirit. Futurists like Burliuk had long advocated destroying traditional aesthetics, a ethos that paralleled the Bolsheviks' assault on imperial institutions; however, Burliuk maintained an independent stance, focusing on performances and exhibitions rather than overt political endorsement. In 1917, he produced works such as Portrait of Vasily Kamensky, capturing fellow Futurist poet amid the turmoil, while navigating the power vacuum following the February Revolution. As Bolshevik consolidation brought repression and economic collapse, Burliuk's interactions shifted toward self-preservation. The execution of his brother Nikolai, a and collaborator, by Bolshevik authorities in 1920 underscored the regime's hostility toward independent artists. Earlier, in late or , Burliuk relocated eastward to , evading central Russia's chaos, where he conducted a Trans-Siberian tour from to 1920, staging lectures, poetry readings, and cabaret shows infused with dynamism. These activities, including organizing exhibitions in remote cities like and , temporarily sustained his influence amid and skirmishes, but highlighted the incompatibility of sustained experimentation with Bolshevik centralization. This Siberian interlude prefigured full exile, as mounting threats—ideological conformity demands and civil war devastation—eroded prospects for artistic autonomy. Burliuk's decision to press onward to in 1920 reflected pragmatic adaptation, prioritizing cultural propagation over revolutionary immersion, a choice driven by causal recognition that Bolshevik policies stifled the very innovation embodied. By contrast, peers like Mayakovsky briefly integrated into state , but Burliuk's trajectory evidenced early disillusionment with the revolution's authoritarian turn.

Emigration and Transitional Years

Flight from Bolshevik Russia

Amid the chaos of the Russian Civil War following the Bolshevik Revolution, David Burliuk, then aged 36, and his family were isolated in the Ural region, cut off from Moscow by advancing revolutionary front lines in 1918. Seeking safety from the escalating violence between Red and White forces, they fled eastward into Siberia, initiating a period of nomadic existence on Russia's periphery. This relocation was not primarily driven by direct persecution from Bolshevik authorities—despite initial avant-garde sympathies with revolutionary ideals—but by the broader instability that disrupted artistic life and personal security. In , Burliuk adopted a strategy of self-imposed , spending approximately two years traveling through remote areas while sustaining himself through lectures, performances, and sales of his works. He debated continuing his career under the emerging Soviet regime, which oscillated between supporting experimental art and imposing controls, ultimately viewing the periphery as untenable for sustained innovation. By 1919–1920, he reached , where he organized exhibitions, delivered poetry readings, and painted, adapting to local audiences amid the Far Eastern Republic's fragile autonomy from Bolshevik central authority. These activities provided temporary refuge but underscored the limitations of in war-torn . On September 29, 1920, Burliuk, accompanied by fellow Viktor Palmov, departed by ship for , effectively completing his physical and ideological separation from Bolshevik-controlled territories. This trans-Pacific voyage, facilitated by his portable art and reputation, transitioned him from revolutionary to international , where he could pursue unhindered experimentation without the civil war's threats or ideological constraints.

Sojourns in Siberia and Japan

Following the and ensuing civil war, David Burliuk and his wife Marussia fled in late 1917 or early 1918, traveling eastward to amid political instability and the collapse of anarchist affiliations he had briefly supported. There, from 1918 to 1920, Burliuk traversed vast distances, crossing multiple times by train and other means, often under harsh conditions including snow-buried villages, to promote art and poetry through lectures, performances, and sales of his works. In cities like , where he resided from 1919 to 1920, he organized concerts and exhibitions, adapting his avant-garde message to local audiences while sustaining himself financially through these activities. This Siberian period served as a transitional "farewell tour" of the , allowing Burliuk to disseminate modernist ideas before departing entirely, though documentation of specific venues remains sparse due to wartime disruptions. By October 1920, unable to proceed directly westward, Burliuk sailed from to , arriving amid that country's own ferment in Western-influenced art movements. He resided there until August 1922, a span of approximately 22 months, during which he painted landscapes inspired by Japanese scenery, produced theoretical writings, and held exhibitions in , , and that introduced European Futurism to receptive local artists. In , Burliuk's reputation as the "father of " preceded him, fostering collaborations with figures in the Mavo group and influencing the brief but intense Japanese Futurist wave of 1920–1922 through lectures on dynamism, machine aesthetics, and rejection of tradition. These efforts, while not yielding permanent institutional ties, marked a pivotal cultural exchange, as evidenced by contemporaneous Japanese press coverage and Burliuk's sales of over 200 paintings, before he departed for and ultimately New York in 1922.

American Career and Later Productivity

Settlement and Adaptation in the United States

David Burliuk arrived in the United States on September 22, 1922, accompanied by his wife Maria, after fleeing Bolshevik Russia via and . He initially settled in , establishing residence there from 1922 until 1941. In 1930, Burliuk obtained American citizenship, formalizing his commitment to his new homeland. To sustain himself amid the immigrant challenges of the era, Burliuk took employment as an art editor and proofreader for the Russian-language newspaper Russian Voice from 1923 to 1940. Concurrently, he founded and edited the magazine Color & Rhyme (Tsvet i Rifma), a platform for his , , and promotion of modernist , echoing his pre-emigration activities as publisher and theorist. These roles allowed him to engage with the community while bridging his heritage to American audiences. Burliuk's artistic adaptation reflected the vibrancy of urban America, incorporating motifs of New York streets, industrial progress, and modern technologies into his oeuvre. In the late , he developed a "Radio-style" characterized by dynamic depictions of contemporary conveniences and machinery, exemplified by works such as (1924). This evolution satisfied his longstanding fascination with speed, novelty, and societal transformation, now channeled through the lens of American dynamism rather than European or Russian contexts. By the 1930s, his style shifted toward realism, focusing on everyday scenes that blended expressionist vigor with social observation, positioning him within emerging currents like while retaining eclectic influences from and . This pragmatic adaptation enabled sustained productivity and gradual integration into the U.S. art scene, though initial recognition remained niche among émigré and modernist circles.

Evolving Artistic Output and Exhibitions

Upon settling in in 1922, Burliuk developed his "Radio Style" in the late , a technique blending abstraction with depictions of radio waves and energy forces through impastoed pigments mixed with soil or plaster to evoke modern technological transcendence of space and time, as outlined in his 1924 manifestos. This phase reflected his adaptation of to American industrial life and innovations like . In the 1930s, Burliuk transitioned to realism, producing urban scenes of New York streets and working-class subjects infused with a fantastical, fairytale-like mood, moving away from pure toward more accessible narrative forms. By the 1940s and 1950s, his output evolved further into naive realism drawing on Ukrainian folk motifs, featuring vibrant landscapes, scenes, and multi-perspective compositions reviving early elements, as seen in "Landscape with a wagon and a mill" (1940) and "A woman milks a cow" (1947). Examples include "In Hampton Bays" (1944), an capturing local coastal motifs, and "Landscape. State of " (1949), emphasizing rural simplicity. Later productivity emphasized nature and , with lush depictions like lilacs in a (1946), alongside political allegories and gnomish fairy-tale figures, though critics noted his eclectic dabbling across , , and diluted focus. In the , aging prompted smaller-scale wood miniatures blending realistic and approaches, sustaining his prolific output exceeding 7,000 paintings overall. Burliuk's American exhibitions began with group shows like the Brooklyn Museum in 1923 and a solo organized by Katherine Dreier in 1924, establishing his presence amid émigré circles. He participated in Whitney Museum annuals, including Contemporary American Painting (1946) and Watercolors and Drawings (1946), affirming institutional recognition. Further solos and groups at venues like the Roerich Museum (1930) and Phillips Collection highlighted his evolving oeuvre, with later retrospectives such as the Parrish Art Museum in underscoring regional ties. His ACA Galleries debut in 1941 marked a commercial milestone, followed by consistent New York gallery showings promoting his adaptive productivity.

Personal Life, Family, and Final Years

Burliuk was born on July 21, 1882, as the eldest of six children to David Fyodorovich Burliuk, an agronomist of Cossack descent, and Lyudmila Iosifovna Mikhnevich, a noblewoman with artistic inclinations; his siblings included brothers and Nikolai, both painters, and Lyudmila, also an artist, alongside Marianna and Nadezhda. As a child, he lost sight in one eye due to an accident at the family estate in Semyrotivka, near . In 1912, Burliuk married Marussia Viazemskaya, whom he described as the love of his life and who became his lifelong companion, artistic muse, and collaborator; she joined him during his travels and assisted in publishing endeavors, including the magazine Color and Rhyme from 1930 to 1966. The couple had two sons, referred to in Americanized fashion as Dave and Nicky, who accompanied the family to the in 1922 and later attended after graduating from a local high school. Burliuk painted portraits of his son in 1942 and his wife in 1965, reflecting enduring familial bonds amid his evolving style. Following emigration, the family settled in from 1922 to 1941 before relocating to Hampton Bays on , where they resided for the remaining 26 years in a home that served as both studio and residence until Burliuk's death. In his later decades, physical limitations led him to focus on smaller-scale works like miniatures on wood, while he continued extensive travels with Marussia, including in 1949–1950, a global tour in 1962 at age 80, and visits to in 1956 and 1965 during periods of relative openness under Khrushchev. Burliuk died on January 15, 1967, at Southampton Hospital on Long Island at age 85; per his wishes, he was cremated, and his ashes were scattered over the Atlantic Ocean. Marussia survived him, having shared in his nomadic yet devoted personal life across continents.

Artistic Style, Techniques, and Innovations

Core Influences and Style Evolution

David Burliuk's early artistic style drew from Fauvism and Cubism, evident in works like Cossack Mamai (1908), which fused mythic Ukrainian themes with geometric fragmentation, bold coloration, and expressive distortion. These influences emerged during his studies in European academies, including Munich and Moscow around 1910, where he encountered modernist experiments rejecting academic realism. Burliuk's excavations of ancient Scythian tombs in Crimea from 1907 to 1912 further shaped his embrace of primitivism, integrating folk motifs and archaic forms into his evolving vocabulary. By 1910, Burliuk co-founded the Gileia group, transitioning to by blending Cubist multiplicity of viewpoints with dynamism, as inspired by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti's emphasizing speed, technology, and rejection of the past. His paintings of this period featured energetic brushstrokes, vibrant non-naturalistic palettes, and fragmented compositions to evoke motion and modernity, as in Spring (1914). This marked a shift from static representation to abstract innovation, positioning him as a founder of . In the late 1920s, after emigrating to the , Burliuk developed his "Radio-style," characterized by impastoed textures, rhythmic patterns, and forms achieving Aristotelian entelechy—a complete, self-realized state—merging organic vitality with mechanical precision. Subsequent evolution incorporated Japanese motifs from his 1920–1922 sojourn and returned to figurative naive realism rooted in Ukrainian folk traditions, as seen in later portraits and landscapes prioritizing human subjects and over .

Distinctive Elements in Painting and Visual Art

Burliuk's early paintings synthesized influences from , , and , employing vibrant colors, energetic brushstrokes, and bold geometric forms to reject traditional artistic conventions and evoke dynamism. This amalgamation is evident in works like My Cossack Ancestor (1912), where fragmented figures and intense hues draw from primitive folk aesthetics alongside modernist fragmentation. His approach emphasized of form, blending Fauvist color intensity with Cubist angularity to capture movement and , as seen in portraits and landscapes from 1910–1914. In his phase, Burliuk innovated by fusing European techniques with Ukrainian vernacular motifs, such as stylized Cossack imagery and rural scenes rendered in exaggerated contours and saturated palettes, prioritizing expressive vigor over representational accuracy. Paintings like Spring (1914) demonstrate this through layered applications of and contrasting tones that suggest seasonal flux and human vitality, diverging from pure technological toward organic, folk-infused energy. These elements underscored his role in propagating , where visual disruption mirrored societal upheaval. Later, following emigration to the in , Burliuk evolved toward an eclectic "radio style," characterized by symbolic motifs, textured surfaces, and impressionistic landscapes that retained bold coloration but incorporated narrative depth and American subjects. Techniques included dynamic compositions with radiating lines and volumetric forms, often critiqued for stylistic inconsistency yet praised for vitality in depicting nature and portraits, as in his post-1930s output exceeding 7,000 works. This phase highlighted causal ties to personal , adapting avant-garde roots to celebratory humanism over abstraction.

Literary and Theoretical Contributions

Poetry and Writings

Burliuk's literary output began in earnest during the Russian Futurist movement, where he composed poetry emphasizing dynamic language, urban vitality, and rejection of traditional forms, often integrating visual elements from his artistic practice. From 1912 to 1914, he focused intensively on poetry while organizing avant-garde publications and exhibitions in , collaborating with figures like and Vasily Kamensky to promote principles through verse and public readings. Key early publications include the 1913 Trebnik troikh (Missal of the Three), a collection of verses and drawings co-authored with his brother Vladimir Burliuk and others, blending poetry with illustrative experimentation. In 1914, he self-published Kobile doie (Milk of Mares) in an edition of 400 copies, containing 43 mostly lyrical poems, hand-illustrated with abstract and figurative motifs by Burliuk or his brother, printed in Kherson despite a Moscow imprint. That same year, he contributed illustrations to Vasily Kamensky's Tango s korovami (Tango with Cows: Ferro-concrete Poems), a seminal Futurist work featuring typographic innovations, though the verses were Kamensky's. Post-revolution, amid travels and , Burliuk produced Lysaya khvost (Balding Tail) around 1918–1919, a handmade booklet of 28 poems with drawings on 25 pages, circulated in a claimed run of 2000 copies that archives suggest may have been overstated. In the United States after 1922, his writings shifted toward reflective and autobiographical themes; notable is the Tolstoi, Gorky, Poems, a New York edition featuring two original poems by Burliuk dedicated to the Russian literary giants and . He marked his 50th birthday in 1932 with 1/2 veka (Half a Century), a volume surveying his poetic career from to America. From 1931 onward, Burliuk and his wife Marussia issued Color and Rhyme (Tsvet i rima), an irregular periodical that served as a platform for his ongoing , essays, and commentary, with issues spanning decades and chronicling his transatlantic experiences; archives hold near-complete runs documenting over 60 numbers by the . His later writings, including articles and poems from 1928 to 1967, appear in drafts and published forms preserved in university collections, reflecting persistent influences amid American adaptation. Burliuk's verse, often self-published in small editions, prioritized experimental form over mass dissemination, earning posthumous recognition such as the David Burliuk Prize for experimental established by the Russian Academy of Poetry in 1990.

Role as Critic and Publisher

David Burliuk played a pivotal role in disseminating ideas through ventures and theoretical writings during the early . In 1910, he co-published the anthology Sadok sudei (A Trap for Judges), featuring experimental poetry by and others, which marked an early challenge to established literary norms. This was followed in 1912 by his co-authorship and publication of the manifesto A Slap in the Face of Public Taste, a provocative declaration rejecting Pushkin and Symbolism in favor of linguistic innovation and urban dynamism, signed by Burliuk alongside , David Burliuk, and Viktor Khlebnikov. Burliuk's publishing extended to almanacs like Dokhlaia luna (The Croaked Moon) in 1913, which included his own poetry, illustrations by his brother Vladimir, and contributions from Futurist peers, emphasizing zaum (transrational language) and visual experimentation. These self-financed editions, often printed in limited runs, served as platforms for the Hylaea group's radical aesthetics, bypassing mainstream presses resistant to avant-garde content. In 1914, he contributed to The First Journal of Russian Futurists, blending text and image to propagate the movement's principles. As a critic, Burliuk articulated theory through essays on form and perception, such as " (Surface – Plane)" and discussions of faktura (texture), advocating for materiality and primitivist influences in to counter academic traditions. By 1912, he proposed as a basis for artistic creation, linking knowledge production to innovative techniques like bold color application inspired by . His lectures and debates further positioned him as a promoter, organizing exhibitions and recitations to foster adoption across . In the United States after 1922, Burliuk sustained his publishing efforts with Color & Rhyme, a magazine blending poetry and visual art to sustain avant-garde discourse among émigré circles. These activities underscored his commitment to theoretical advocacy and dissemination, influencing modernism despite the movement's fragmentation post-Revolution.

Legacy, Reception, and Criticisms

Influence on Modernism and Futurism

David Burliuk is widely acknowledged as the father of Russian Futurism, a designation he adopted himself and which was endorsed by contemporaries including Wassily Kandinsky. In 1910, he founded the Hylaea (or Gileia) group with his brothers Nikolai and Vladimir near Kherson, which evolved by 1913 into a central hub for Futurist artists and poets such as Vladimir Mayakovsky and Velimir Khlebnikov. Burliuk's organizational efforts propelled the movement through key publications and events, including his co-authorship of the 1912 manifesto A Slap in the Face of Public Taste with Khlebnikov, Aleksei Kruchenykh, and Mayakovsky, which demanded a rupture from Symbolism and past artistic norms. He orchestrated Futurist operas, lectures, and exhibitions, fostering Cubo-Futurism's fusion of Cubist geometric fragmentation with emphasis on speed, machinery, and verbal innovation. Early recognition of Mayakovsky's talent led Burliuk to mentor him, integrating poetry and visual art in performances that challenged conventional aesthetics. Burliuk's contributions extended modernism's frontiers via essays like "The Savages of " in the 1912 Der Blaue Reiter almanac and participation in its exhibition, linking Russian experimentation to European abstraction. His advocacy for deconstructing realism and balance in favor of dynamic, colorful forms influenced the movement's rejection of , promoting a forward-looking cultural ethos that resonated beyond . Through relentless promotion, including abroad in Japan and , Burliuk disseminated principles, shaping modernism's emphasis on and human vitality.

Posthumous Recognition and Market Impact

Burliuk died on January 15, 1967, in , New York. In the same year, he received posthumous induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, acknowledging his foundational role in and broader modernist movements. exhibitions have since reinforced his recognition, including "Futurism and After: David Burliuk, 1882–1967" at The Ukrainian Museum in New York from October 2008 to March 2009, which presented over 100 works and marked the first major U.S. survey of his art in nearly 50 years. A comprehensive at Moscow's Museum of Russian in January 2019 displayed paintings, , and self-published books, repatriating attention to his early 20th-century innovations after a century's absence from the city's institutions. The David Burliuk Foundation, founded by his descendants, actively catalogs and promotes his oeuvre through authentication and archival efforts. Burliuk's market presence reflects sustained collector interest, with 3,132 works offered at public auction as of recent records, the majority being paintings from his prolific output. Over 400 paintings have sold between $50,000 and $1,500,000, driven by demand for his Futurist, Neo-Primitivist, and later landscape phases, though values vary by period, condition, and provenance. This range underscores a niche but appreciating secondary market, particularly for authenticated pieces tied to his Russian and Ukrainian origins or American exile period.

Critiques of Burliuk's Work and Persona

Contemporaries in the often criticized Burliuk's polystylism, viewing his eclectic blending of influences as vulgar and lacking coherence. , for instance, mockingly rejected Burliuk's request to participate in the 1915 "0.10" exhibition, highlighting disdain among purist factions for his stylistic versatility. Similarly, dismissed an early Burliuk exhibition, declaring that followers of Cézanne like him were "ruining paintings with their donkey's tails," reflecting broader realist opposition to his experimental departures. Burliuk's persona as a flamboyant promoter and self-styled "father of Futurism" drew accusations of clownishness and superficiality, prioritizing spectacle over depth. Critics noted his tendency to curate his own oeuvre poorly, resulting in uneven quality and an overemphasis on folkloric motifs like dancing , which some saw as a sentimental weakness tied to primitive rather than rigorous . Leftist artists further faulted his vivid Ukrainian themes for diluting the era's cosmopolitan ideals. In his later American period after emigrating in 1920, Burliuk faced rejection from critics who rebuffed his ambitions to establish "American Futurism," citing incompatibility with prevailing tastes. His prolific output, spanning , , , and , was sometimes derided as dilettantish dabbling without sustained mastery. Works evoking nostalgia for old were accused of pandering to , prioritizing commercial appeal over artistic integrity.

References

  1. https://www.forumgallery.com/artists/david-burliuk/biography
  2. https://www.museothyssen.org/en/collection/artists/burliuk-david
  3. https://www.moma.org/collection/artists/877
  4. https://davidburliuk.org/biography/
  5. https://www.tretyakovgallerymagazine.com/node/4657
  6. https://artistsofoldflorida.com/artist/burliuk-david-bradenton/
  7. https://www.whitney.org/artists/201
  8. https://en.uartlib.org/david-burliuk-biographical-sketch/
  9. https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CB%5CU%5CBurliukDavyd.htm
  10. https://www.kyivpost.com/post/19679
  11. https://www.rusartnet.com/biographies/russian-artists/20th-century/avant-garde/futurist/david-burliuk
  12. https://uaview.ui.org.ua/artist/Burliuk-David
  13. https://www.grosvenorgallery.com/usr/library/documents/main/davidburliuk15mar-7apr1966.pdf
  14. https://gallerix.org/pr/vystavka-david-burlyuk/
  15. https://www.caldwellgallery.com/artists/david-burliuk/biography
  16. https://www.beloosesky.com/artists/david-burliuk
  17. https://artblart.com/tag/david-burliuk/
  18. https://fwmoa.blog/2022/04/04/treasures-from-the-vault-david-burliuk/
  19. https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/tango_with_cows/tango_brochure.pdf
  20. https://391.org/manifestos/1912-slap-in-the-face-of-public-taste-burliuk-kruchenykh-mayakovsky-khlebnikov/
  21. https://monoskop.org/images/9/98/Lawton_Anna_Eagle_Herbert_eds_Russian_Futurism_through_its_Manifestoes_1912-1928.pdf
  22. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/9369
  23. https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/34239
  24. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/arts/design/26burl.html
  25. https://www.academia.edu/35963779/Trans_Siberian_Futurism_David_Burliuks_Eastern_Tour_in_Revolutionary_Russia
  26. https://korydor.in.ua/en/uncategorized-en/david-burliuk-portrait-of-an-avant-garde-artist.html
  27. https://www.rcgrossfoundation.org/attachment/en/55f2c2d34c921a5511911d71/Publication/62a4d22160cdf0325a09b42a
  28. https://library.syracuse.edu/digital/guides/print/burliuk_d_prt.htm
  29. https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%255CB%255CU%255CBurliukDavyd.htm
  30. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/01/25/david-burliuk-comes-back-to-moscow-a64297
  31. https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2013/important-russian-art-l13111/lot.23.html
  32. https://www.tretyakovgallerymagazine.com/node/5313
  33. https://antiquearena.com/articles/view/david-burliuk-the-american-period
  34. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/488169
  35. https://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/artists/david-burliuk
  36. https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5554185
  37. https://whitney.org/artists/201
  38. https://www.instagram.com/p/C9sP3v6RVlM/
  39. https://www.artsjournal.com/artopia/2009/01/david_burliuk_the_ukrainian_fa.html
  40. https://www.moma.org/artists/877
  41. https://www.artnet.com/artists/david-davidovich-burliuk/
  42. https://kgalleryarts.com/Collection/Oil-paintigs/David-Burliuk
  43. https://www.invaluable.com/blog/the-futurist-rebellion-of-david-burliuk/
  44. https://www.spellmangallery.com/artists/david-burliuk
  45. https://www.rusimp.su/en/exhibitions?id=15
  46. https://acagalleries.com/artists/david-burliuk/
  47. https://monoskop.org/David_Burliuk
  48. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/199088/missal-of-the-three-collection-of-verse-and-drawings-trebnik-troikh-sbornik-stikhov-i-risunkov
  49. https://www.rusimp.su/en/collection/object/217
  50. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/11018
  51. https://shapero.com/products/david-burliuk-poems-96650
  52. https://www.bookvica.com/advSearchResults.php?category_id=238&action=search&authorField=D%2BD%2BBurliuk&recordsLength=25&view=list&orderBy=
  53. https://ls.vanabbemuseum.nl/B/burliuk/pages/1931CR.htm
  54. https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/david-burliuk-papers-6857
  55. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/11055
  56. https://asterismbooks.com/product/slap-in-the-face-four-russian-futurist-manifestos
  57. https://monoskop.org/images/8/86/Bowlt_John_E_ed_-_Russian_Art_of_the_Avant-Garde_Theory_and_Criticism_1902-1934.pdf
  58. https://www.artforum.com/features/painting-colored-space-212396/
  59. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/css/20/4/article-p25_4.pdf
  60. https://www.italianfuturism.org/futurism-and-after-david-burliuk-1882-1967/
  61. https://davidburliuk.org/
  62. https://www.artprice.com/artist/4326/david-burliuk
  63. https://www.invaluable.com/artist/burlyuk-david-wu2v79mf4c/sold-at-auction-prices/
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.