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Russian-French painter and designer, one of the leading figures in the development of modernism in Russia in the period before the First World War. He was born at Tiraspol, near Odessa, the son of a doctor, and studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, 1898–1908; he was suspended three times during his course because of disagreements with the staff. His fellow student Natalia *Goncharova became his lifelong companion and artistic associate (they eventually married in 1955). Larionov's early work was influenced by *Impressionism, but from 1908, together with Goncharova, he developed a style known as *Neo-primitivism, in which he blended *Fauvist colour with elements drawn from Russian folk art. Together they were involved in a series of avant-garde groups and exhibitions, notably the *Knave of Diamonds group, founded in 1910, the *‘Donkey's Tail’ exhibition in 1912, and the *‘Target’ exhibition in 1913, at which Larionov launched *Rayonism, a near-abstract movement that was a counterpart to Italian *Futurism.

Text source: A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art (Oxford University Press)


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