Tuesday Art ATTACK- Aristarkh Lentulov “Saint Basils Cathedral”

At the turn of last century an avant-garde artist group, the Jack of Diamonds, had exploded onto the Russian scene. They mixed Russian folk art and traditional European art with new styles like Futurism, Cubism, and Primitivism. The Jack of Diamonds work corresponded with the political changes that were occurring in Russia. Mainly the change from being an Absolute Monarchy to a Democracy. This is a great painting by Aristarkh Lentulov, who was born in 1882. It was painted in 1913, of the Saint Basils Cathedral that sits in the Red Square, in Moscow. It is a mix of French Cubism and Russian Folk Art. Lentulov said the painting is supposed to convey “the fabulous and unrestricted fantasy of form and color." It has a commanding size of 67" x 64" and is a mix of oil and paper collage. The stars on the tower are made of cut paper. Lentulov was one of Russia's finest cubists. He passed away in 1943.