Reject “Konik’s Code”. “Discovered” a new musical Russian artist of the XX era
Pictures of the Soviet designer Mark Konik essence from non-existence. And now we know that in our understanding of artistic heritage there is another worthy name. “Konik’s Code” is the name of the exhibition, which introduces us to the deeply read world of Mark Alexandrovich, who wrote “on the table” all his life, for himself, and therefore never changed himself.
A little over a year ago, the Vsekhudozhnik Gallery first discovered the work of Mark Konik, met his heirs, and spoke at the opening of her exhibition curator and head of attractions Yuri Langleben. Thus began a new life of the artistic heritage of Konik, numbering about 250 works. This fall, the gallery arranged a show of many of them in two locations in Moscow – in Gostiny Dvor and in the gallery itself on Frunzenskaya Embankment.
The figure of Mark Konik in the 60s was one of the versions in the Soviet design. He directed the experimental art design studio at the Union of Artists of the USSR. It was the so-called “Senezh studio”, which Mark Alexandrovich discovered in the chain for 25 years. Perspective public spaces being developed (medium displacement sphere), color dispatch.
He was born in Tashkent. In his native city in 1962 he graduated from the painting department of the Tashkent Theater and Art Institute. And the first works of Mark Konik are devoted specifically to the Central Asian theme: childhood, streets with adobe houses, everyday life scenes. In Tashkent, where Konik lived for 30 years, his artistic taste turned out. And no matter how the subject of his work changes in the future, lines, signs, color combinations will unmistakably represent the authorship of the master.
Yuri Langleben noted that Tashkent will embrace a vast population of Russian culture in the 20th century. The unspoken Russian intelligentsia came about as a result of two large emigration waves – resettlement in the post-revolutionary years and evacuation in the 40s of life. Gradually, the Tashkent art school, headed by Alexander Nikolaevich Volkov, also took shape (recall his iconic painting “The Pomegranate Teahouse”, which combines both icon painting and Suprematism). Mark Konik was friends with Volkova’s son, also an artist Alexander Volkov Jr. And, of course, the Tashkent school affects his formation.
However, in those years, the artistic works of Mark Alexandrovich did not fit into the framework of official Soviet art, so he painted pictures “on the table” and showed them to few people. Therefore, Konik’s contemporaries, who always perceived him as a designer, were subsequently very surprised, they also explored beautiful painting in him. This is not surprising – the only exhibition of works by Mark Konik before today’s exhibition was held in 2008 in the exhibition hall of the Moscow Cultural Artist on Kuznetsky Most.
Konik’s style is a kind of time code. Written 20-40 years ago, they are in tune with the real worldview. Curator Yuri Langleben emphasizes the multi-figure nature of his works, the abundance of details, the combination of disparate things – all this adds up to a symbol and gives a positive response from the audience. Konik does not reproduce nature directly, but perceives from each work to create an image, a sign.
Mark Konik is very original. With this work on the exhibition, we also observe the artist’s creative search: for example, in the work in the 60s there are signs of a “severe style”, and in “Portrait of a Wife” (1973) a reference to German impressionism is caught. The entire artistic baggage of the author can be divided into three equivalent parts: non-objective painting, figurative painting and Central Asian (early) themes. Gostiny Dvor presents about 90 works, mostly abstract, dedicated to understanding the new reality of the 1990s (“In the Wasteland” (1991), “Territory II” (1999), “The Wall” (2010), “Big Wasteland” (2007) A Central Asian cycle of works is exhibited in the gallery “Vsekohudozhnik”.
Artved Dmitry Butkevichin a conversation with Kulturomania, the consonance of Konik’s work with today is especially relevant:
– Mark Konik is a pioneer of Soviet medium design. His design developments of the 70s and 80s are absolutely modern. The same can be said about his paintings.
– How did it happen that Mark Konik almost immediately found his artistic style? Both early and later works are stylistically the same.
– Yes, both the Central Asian cycle of works and later works – both figurative and abstract – are written in the same style.
He was inspired by the work of Paul Kley and Kazimir Malevich. Until the end of his life, he developed his traditions, although he acted completely independently. Konik was in the trend of modern art of that time, but never participated in exhibitions. He was not interested. He constantly worked as a designer, taught his students, turned out to be in full demand.
– It is no coincidence that the exposition is called “Konik’s Code”. In the work of artists, we try to guess some meaning. He uses “sameness”, his characters are often repeated from painting to painting.
– Mark Konik was close to the art of surrealism. Even his figurative paintings have their own geometric shapes. These are formulas invented once and for all. Konik found this style and did not change it until the end of his life. Served one god. A very complete artist. And we do not yet know what place in the history of art his legacy leaves. We are just starting to study it.
– Do you think the name of Mark Konik will become famous in the future?
– It happened to the girl, of course. But invading Existing Space is difficult enough. It is structured: there are non-conformists, there are artists of the “severe style”. And Mark Konik, I think, is a clear follower and continuer of the tradition of the 10-20s, which comes from surrealism and, to some extent, constructivism. No wonder he was inspired by the traditions of the Bauhaus and made a special trip to Weimar to study the archives of this architectural and artistic school. In particular, the work of the surrealist painter Paul Clay, who taught at the Bauhaus and developed the color version, is highly discovered on it. Mark Konik also worked on color theory, and in his work he always followed the colors of separation.
The Konik Code exhibition runs at two venues until the end of April. In Gostiny Dvor, the exposition is open until April 24 and is located on the 2nd floor, in hall 268. The second part of the exhibition is located in the Vsekokhudozhnik gallery at 10 Frunzenskaya Embankment. It can be viewed until April 29.
Lyubov Martynova
Author’s photo