Born 1889, Ivanovskoe village, near Moscow - Died 1924, Moscow
Painter, graphic artist, theatre and textile designer
Design Biography 
Note: for this page the State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki, have graciously shared many of their images with me. The Museum official website is found at: www.greekstatemuseum.com. I have but cleaned the images up a bit.
This page is dedicated to work done in the Mass and Agit Art category. Additional work by this artist may be found at the Jack of Diamonds movement.
Design
Cover for Book "Magical Tales" by Diez. 1920.
Watercolor on paper, 35.5x29.2 cm.
The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Donated by G.Costaki.
Project of Theatrical Military Parade for Congress of Third Inernazionale. 1921. With Alexander Vesnin.
Indian Ink and pen on paper,
The State Tratyakov Gallery, Moscow. Gift of Costakis.
Photograph of maquette for "Capitalist Fortress". Project of Theatrical Military Parade for Congress of Third Inernazionale. 1921. With Alexander Vesnin.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Photograph of maquette for "City of the Future". Project of Theatrical Military Parade for Congress of Third Inernazionale. 1921. With Alexander Vesnin.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design for the cover of the booklet "Rossiyskaya Pochtovo-Telegrafnaya Statistika" (Russian Postal Telegraph Statistics), 1921.
Indian ink and gouache on paper, 34.6x26.4 cm.
State ‘Tsaritsyno’ Museum of History, Architecture, Art, and Landscape, Moscow.
Cover Design for the Book "Bomba" by Nikolai Aseev. 1921.
Watercolor, gouache and ink on paper, 12.1x16.6 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design Biography Top of Page
Book Cover for "Vosstanie Mizantropov" (The Uprising of the Misanthropes). 1922.
Collage and ink on paper.
Cover for Book "Eifelea. 30 od" by P.Aksenov. 1922.
Collage from newspaper cuttings and colored papers, paper, 28x21.7 cm.
The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Donated by G.Costaki.
Cover For the Journal "Artisty Kino" (Cinema Actors), #2. 1922-1923.
Gouache and ink on cardboard, 23.4x15.8 cm.
George Costakis Collection, Athens.
Agit Poster: "Fight illiteracy. Learning is light and ignorance is darkness".
Design For Slogan "Your word, comrade tractor" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil", by Sergei Tretiakov. 1922-1923.
Gouache on paper.
Design For Slogan "The Master of the World Shall Be Labor" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil", by Sergei Tretiakov. 1922-1923.
Gouache on paper.
Design For Slogan "Rule, for the Fear of the Enemies" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil", by Sergei Tretiakov. 1922-1923.
Gouach on paper.
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Design For Slogan "Long Live the Dictatorship of the Proletariat" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil", by Sergei Tretiakov. 1922-1923.
Collection Merrill C. Berman.
Design For Slogan Slogan "The Young to Replace the Elders, Long Live COMSOMOL" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Watercolor, gouache and ink on paper, 30x21.5 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design For Slogan Slogan "The Machine Has Conquered the Water, Air, Deeps. Mechanization of Agriculture Will Conquer the Land" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Gouache on paper, 30x21.5 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design For Slogan Slogan "Long Live Soyuz (Union) of the Workers and Farmers" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Watercolor, gouache and ink on paper, 22.7x17.9 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design For Slogan Slogan "Strengthen the Fusion of Leaders and Masses" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Watercolor, gouache and ink on paper, 22x18 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
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Design For Slogan Slogan "Soldiers Into the Trenches. Workers to the Machines" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Watercolor, gouache and ink on paper, 22.9x18 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design For Slogan Slogan "Long Live the Dictatorship of the Proletariat" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Collage and ink on paper, 22.6x18 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design For Slogan Slogan "Do Not Turn Off the Will for Victory" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Collage and ink on paper, 23x17.7 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design For Slogan Slogan "He Who Doesn't Work Shall Not Eat" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Collage and ink on paper, 22.5x17.9 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design For Slogan Slogan "Education Is the Sword of the Revolution" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Collage and ink on paper, 24.2x18.3 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
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Design For Slogan Slogan "Safeguard the Leaders" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Collage and ink on paper, 22.2x17.5 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design For Slogan Slogan "Peace and Fraternity Between the Peoples" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Collage and ink on paper, 22.3x18.3 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design For Slogan Slogan "All to the Meeting" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Collage and ink on paper, 23x17.7 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design For Slogan Slogan "Keep the Revolutionary Pace" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Watercolor, gouache and ink on paper, 22.8x17.9 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design For Slogan Slogan "Knock the Crowns Off the Last Kings" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Watercolor, gouache and ink on paper, 25.7x20.8 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
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Design For Slogan Slogan "Episode 7. Shearing of Sheep" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Collage and ink on paper, 25.7x20.8 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design For Slogan Slogan "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" for the Play "Earth in Turmoil". 1923.
Collage and ink on paper, 22.5x18 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Costume Design for Production "Zemlya Dybom" ("Earth Upturned") by S.Tretyakov. Theatre V.Meierhold. 1923-1924.
Watercolor, Indian ink, pencil on paper, 34.5x25.5 cm.
Private collection, Germany.
Costume Design for Production "Zemlya Dybom" ("Earth Upturned") by S.Tretyakov. Theatre V.Meierhold. 1923-1924.
Watercolor, Indian ink, pencil on paper, 25.5x17.4 cm.
Private collection, Germany.
Set Design for Production "Zemlya Dybom" ("Earth Upturned") by S.Tretyakov. Theatre V.Meierhold. 1923-1924.
Plywood, photocollage, gouache, paper collage, 49xx82.7 cm.
Art Company Ltd, collection of G.Costaki, Germany.
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Textile Design. 1923.
Design for cover of the first issue of the magazine “K novym beregam muzykalnogo iskusstva” (Towards New Shores of Musical Art). 1923.
Gouache on paper, 18.7x25 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Cover for "Voprosy Stenographii" (Questions of Stenography). 1924.
Design for Tailpiece for Musical Publication.
Lithography, 21x7.6 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design for Tailpiece for Musical Publication.
Lithography, 19.9x8.9 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design for Tailpiece for Musical Publication.
Lithography, 19.8x7.7 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
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Design for Tailpiece for Musical Publication.
Lithography, 19.3x8.3 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design for Tailpiece for Musical Publication.
Lithography, 20.7x7.2 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design for Tailpiece for Musical Publication.
Lithography, 25.4x9 cm.
Collection of Costakis. Image courtesy of State Museum of Contemporary Art - Costakis Collection, Thessaloniki.
Design Biography Top of Page
Biography:
Lubov Sergeevna Popova was born April 24th 1889 in Ivanovskoe village, in a family of a merchant, a rising businessman in third generation. Like many others of their class, this family has actively surrounded itself with education, culture, art and music. The Popov family produced several musicians, artists and academicians.
In early childhood Lubov Popova had private tutors, until the family moved to Yalta in 1902, where she attended the Gymnasium. In 1906 they moved to Moscow, where she was to live her entire short life. Popova has attended a two-year course with Alferov, which covered the program of the Filological Faculty at the Moscow University.
Portrait by A.Rodchenko, 1924
Little is known of the artist early art education, in her school years. However, in the following decade and a half her art goes through creative evolution that could be enough for a few generations! This is characteristic for the Russian Avant-garde artists of the time, but in this artist is particularly evident.
In 1907 Lubov enroled into S.Zhukovsky private studio, and then into the school of K.Yuon and I.Dudin, where teaching was set at a high level. Here the artist met her lifelong friend Ludmila Prudkovskaya, younger sister of Nadezhda Udaltzova.
In 1909 Popova has visited Kiev, where she was exposed to old Russian art and Vrubel's paintings. Both made a deep impression on the young artist.
In 1910 Popova traveled with her family to Italy, where she enjoys the 14th-15th century painting. Then she visited Pskov and Novgorod, and in 1911 Rostov Veliky, YAroslavl, Pereslavl-Zalessky and Kiev again. The artist at this time was still very much taken with the old Russian art, the icon painting, the architecture.
Upon return, she worked in V.Tatlin's studio "Tower" with V.Bart and K.Zdanevich, and also in Tatlin's workshop with N.Udaltzova, V.Khodasevich, A.Morgunov and A.Vesnin. She was drawing intensively, hundreds of drawings in three main categories: models, still life and trees. The artist works tirelessly on these in as many variations as possible, learning the construction, the form of her object, searching for its clean basic rules.
The women from left: N.Udaltzova,
her sister, Lubov Popova. 1915.
In 1912 Popova has set out for an extended visit to Paris to study French Cubism, where she was joined by her friends N.Udaltzova, S.Karetnikova and V.Pestel. Popova and Udaltzova remained for a while in paris, enrolling into the academy "La Pallette" taught by Jean Metzinger, Henri Le Fauconnier and Andre Dunoyer de Segonzac. These several months of intense study laid the basis for the artist's later search and development of her highly recognizable, idividual style.
The works from 1913-1915 reflect deep study of the same forms in a new way of understanding. Here we see models, still life, landscapes in an evolving individual form of Cubism together with expressive search for the perfect color ballance. The form, the construction of objects is the important thing, while the actual physical meaning is only important for the association, the mental connection with the familiar.
In 1914 Popova together with V.Mukhina and I.Burmeister goes abroad again, extensively visiting Paris and the cities of Italy.
Altough she has participated in several exhibitions since 1910, among them with the group of the Jack (Knave) of Diamonds, in the years 1915-1916 her works were the most exhibited.
She worked in the sphere of Cubo-Futurism, alongside other renowned artists, who like her all had their own interpretation of this approach. Slowly the objects and figures in her work flatten out from three-dimensional beginning until they become the Constructivism of her "Pictorial Architectonics" of late 1910s. However, the artist was searching for a way to create an alternative spacial illusion in the painting itself, bringng it into relief by use of cast, various powders and collages of different media.
The "Portrait of Philisopher", the two "Traveler" paintings may be considered the peak of Popova's Cubo-Futurism work, realizing in harmony and wholeness of form and color, endlessly intriguing the viewer. Many sketches and preparatory works precede these creations, trying out the various methods, culminating in this masterful use of the ones that worked best.
The first Pictorial Architectonic is dated 1915. From 1916 this new stage in the artist's creative evolution unrolls fully, with only a few "last" figurative landscapes, a genre which was not seen for several years. In these the very sights of nature which inspired the painting echo strongly through the Constructivism of form and color, whereas in the Pictorial Architectonics they remain as memory.
About the path to non-objective art Popova writes: "After Cubism (problem of form) folows Futurism (problem of movement and color); after the principal of detaching parts of an object follows the need for the very abstraction of the object; that is the path to non-objective art. The visual problem is replaced by the problem of color and line construction (Post-Cubism) and color (Suprematism)".
It may be stated that the artist has seen herself in the Post-Cubism stage, not the Suprematism. Popova has never been in the circle of Malevich's followers. She had a close association and shared a studio with Tatlin, who was opposed to Malevich. The artist has followed the path to non-objective art in her own way, not that of Malevich's school. However, she was closer to his solution than to that of Kandinsky's Expressionism of Larionov's Rayonism.
This said, it must be noted that Popova belonged to a group of artists many of whom turned to follow the great master and his new findings, and that the new discoveries could not fail to touch each artist of the time in some way.
Among the Pictorial Architectonics were over 40 paintings, all of which were painted in 1916-1918. In their composition of form remains the basic construction, the "architectonics" of reality.
After the revolution Popova with other artists joined the mass effort to reconstruct the new life with art. In 1917 Popova created a series of designs for embroidery for N.Davydova project "Verbovka". Then in 1918 together with A.Vesnin designed decoration of the MOSSSOVET building for May 1st festivities. She decorated cafe "Pittoresque".
In March 1918 Popova has married Boris fon Eding, an art historian. Then her son was born and she did almost no work in 1919. In the summer of 1919 the family went to Rostov-na-Donu, where her husband contracted tifus and died. Popova herself contracted the disease after him, and barely survived. She has returned to Moscow in November, with a grave cardiac disease and little strength for work. Her work of the period may be characterized by a sort of struggle between the color forms. They interact, collide, cut through one another. She turned to design work.
Portrait by A.Rodchenko, 1924
In 1918 Popova became member of IZO Narkompros and of the Union of Moscow Artists. Was a member of Jack of Diamonds group and of "Supremus" group.
In 1918-1923 she taught Color in VKhUTEMAS in Moscow. In 1920-1923 the artist was a member of the Institute of Art Culture under Kandisky, where she worked in the monumental art section. She taught in the Meierkhold theatrical workshops.
In 1921 the artist recovered and began working fully again. She created Spacial-Power Constructions, the last of her painting work, while she passed more and more to the realm of design and applied art and less painting. In these works appear hints of the industrial construction: heavy beams, wheels, tight ropes. This is also the way she designed for production "The Magnanimous Cuckold" in V.S.Meierkhold theatre. Her "Prozodezhda" (professional clothes) for actors is fully industrialized and intended for everyday wear, not scene performance.
Lubov Popova and Varvara Stepanova.
That year she and her colleagues at the Institute of Art Culture have decided to no longer return to painting, but devote their creative energy fully to the realm of industrial art. Their goal was bringing the art down to the people, integrate it into their very everyday life.
in the years 1921-1924 Popova continued to work closely with V.Stepanova in the Constructivism style creating fabric and fashionable clothes designs, she illustrated books and participated in mass educational poster and journal creation, designed for theatre. Everywhere her art is unique, expressive, new and full of life.
In 1924 Lubov Popova and her small son have suddely contacted scarlet fever and died. She was 35 years old.
Her artistic life was short, only a couple of decades. But her talent and passionate nature left such a powerful impact, that hers is one of the leading names and the most recognizable manners in the whole Russian Avant-garde movement.