Chapter 5
Chapter 5 shows how avant-garde behavior is linked to sectarian debates as well as interpersonal confrontation. These characteristics, however, are rarely used as a form of confrontation between Vladimir Tatlin and Kasimir Malevich.
The Conflict
In essence, the conflict was never properly resolved, which caused division among artists and, as a result, post-revolutionary uproar. On the other hand, the debate shaped the architecture of 0-10, the last futurist exhibition of photographs that influenced Tatlin and Malevich's debut.
A Common Goal
Regardless of the individual differences, the two artists were connected by a similar goal. Both were interested in realism, free of illusionistic tools, and dependent on non-objective forms not soiled by the previous artifice. When 0-10 was integrated into Russian art, there were supremacist paintings by Malevich while Tatlin concentrated on counter-relief. They both started creating abstract art and moved away from the cubism images that were widely used in Russian art.
A New Beginning
This period marked a new beginning, where Malevich, in his manifesto, transformed himself into the zero of form and freed himself from the rubbish slough of academic art (Bruce & Greenberg 78).
Shifting Associations
The shifting association among the Russian Avant-garde members prior to the war is complex. As a result, Malevich and Tatlin were not on good terms since they focused on organizational work in Petrograd and Moscow. In the rest of his life, Malevich stayed in a two-room house and died in 1935. Tatlin was extremely devastated when he learned about the death of Malevich.
Influence on Berlin Dadaists
Furthermore, in the 1920s, Berlin was the hub of advanced artists who left Russia and resettled in Paris. During the same period, Konstantin Umanskij published a book and devoted an article to Tatlin. Through Umanskij, Berlin Dadaists came to learn about "the machine art of Tatlin" and embraced it as a concept for innovative purposes. Without adequate recognition of Tatlin's work, Berlin Dadaists integrated it into their institution of disgust and anger at the First International Dada Fair.
Works Cited
Altshuler, Bruce, and Mark Greenberg. The avant-garde in the exhibition: New art in the 20thcentury. New York: Abrams, 1994.
