One among strangers, one among strangers. Many emigrants from Russia suffered such a fate, especially after the 1917 revolution. The sculptor Alexander Arkhipenko, despite the fact that he left Russia at the age of 21, will be considered Russian for a long time, thanks to the special Russian mentality. He will live the last 40 years of his life in America, but he will not be able to combine creativity with commodity-money relations.
Childhood
The future avant-garde was born in Kiev in 1887 in the Russian Empire. The family instilled a love of art for the boy. Father Porfiry Antonovich Arkhipenko was a professor of mechanics at Kiev University. Maternal grandfather painted icons. It was grandfather who told his grandson for a long time about art and painting. Little Sasha liked to consider the work of his grandfather. Father, passionate about technical progress, developed Sasha's interest in various mechanisms.
Once Porfiry Antonovich brought home two identical flower vases, bought on occasion. The boy put the vases next to him, and suddenly magic happened: he saw a third vase, which was formed by the void between the two vases. This discovery impressed Alexander Arkhipenko so much that it will form the basis of his work. He will be the pioneer of the art of emptiness, which will fascinate many art lovers.
Rebel
Not long tormented between the choice of painting or mathematics, in 1902 he entered the Kiev Art College. Alexander Arkhipenko was closely within the framework of the classical and conservative education, which was presented at the educational institution. He did not hide his creative impulses, which gravitated towards novelty. The avant-garde, which became something common in Europe, was perceived by Kiev teachers of the old school as something absurd.
In addition, there were rules and regulations at the school, requiring students to go to confession and communion in the church. Then they had to hand over the certificates signed by the university archpriest on the passage of the sacrament of repentance and communion. Alexander lacked creative freedom. And he, as is characteristic of ardent youth, openly opposed archaic orders. Due to harsh remarks addressed to the teaching staff in 1905, Alexander Arkhipenko was expelled from the school after three years of training.
The first exhibition and the first spectator - a policeman
It has been a year since the young man was in free flight, after being expelled from school. Once a landowner from outside of Kiev ordered Alexander Arkhipenko a sculpture. The 19-year-old artist was not limited by the requirements of the customer, and therefore his imagination created a work called The Thinker. In his grotesque manner, Arkhipenko sculpted a seated male figure, lost in thought. The sculpture was made of terracotta, for greater artistic expression, covered in red paint.
The young artist exhibited his work in a rural store, which was located near the estate of the landowner. On the doors of an impromptu exhibition hall flaunted an announcement by the author that workers and peasants can look at the sculpture for less money. An unusual event for a quiet village life became interested in a local policeman. Surprised by the inscriptions on the store door, he saw a sculpture, the red color of which brought him to symbolic associations. But for the young man, everything worked out well.
Goodbye native penates
For a long time in Kiev, the young artist did not stop, but went to Moscow to continue his education. There, studying in a private art studio, he met the same young seeking artists Vladimir Baranov-Rossin, Nathan Altman, Sonya Delone-Turk. But the capital could not satisfy the creative thirst of Alexander Arkhipenko. The classics were uninteresting for him. The real smithy of avant-garde art was far away in Europe.
In 1908, young people decide to go to Paris. There they settled in the art colony La Ruche ("The Hive"). Paris impressed the young man, here, it seemed, he found what he was looking for: freedom of expression of creative potential, like-minded people, a grateful audience. But he could only study with overseas teachers for two weeks, and then he began to study art on his own, visiting museums and studying the work of artists.
Recognition of talent
The outstanding talent of Alexander Arkhipenko was noticed and appreciated by lovers of modern art. His ability to combine seemingly incompatible things and materials at the same time led to bewilderment and admiration. In his works, the sculptor masterfully combined wood, metal, wire, glass, etc. In Paris, Arkhipenko will develop his inimitably recognizable style: the sculptures will necessarily have voids that give an additional image. In 1910, he rented a workshop at Montparnasse, and in 1912 he would open his own art school.
The works of the Russian artist will be interested in unquestioned authority in creative circles Guillaume Apollinaire. His assessment is the highest sentence. Apollinaire was delighted with the work of Arkhipenko, and was merciless to critics of his work. At this time, the sculptor creates a number of works: “Adam and Eve”, “Woman”, “Sitting Black Torso”. In these works, the artist’s craving for archaism is felt. Later, he is fond of experiments in the application of various materials and develops the concept of three-dimensional cubism. The creative search resulted in the works “Medrano-1”, “Medrano-2”, “The Head” and “Carousel and Pierrot”.
Creative take-off
The interest of the public and professionals in the work of Alexander Arkhipenko was fueled by the constant participation of the artist in various exhibitions. Every year, his works were exhibited in the Salon of Independents and the Autumn Salon in Paris. The sculptures were presented at the Golden Section exhibitions in Paris, at the Armory Show in New York. His works were exhibited in Rome, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Brussels, Amsterdam. At this time, catalogs with the works of Alexander Arkhipenko are being issued. The photos were provided with comments by G. Apollinaire himself.
From 1914 to 1918, the sculptor lived in Nice, where he developed a new type of work - sculpture-painting: a combination of three-dimensional sculpture with a flat pictorial background. This period includes the work of "The Spaniard", "Still Life with a Vase." In 1921, he married Angelica Schmitz, who was also a sculptor. He moves to his wife’s homeland in Berlin, where the public was familiar with his work. There he opens a school with money raised in an unexpected way at the Venice Biennale.
God against
In 1920, work was needed for the Venice Biennale, and a set was announced. There was a problem with filling the Russian pavilion, who will do it, in Russia at that time a civil war was in full swing. The recognized authority in art management and ballet Sergey Diaghilev took up this work. Emigrants from Russia were exhibited in the salon. The artists themselves did not fully understand which country they represented. At this exhibition were the works of Alexander Porfirevich Arkhipenko, which made an ambiguous impression on critics.
Some Italian newspapers openly ridiculed the work of the sculptor. And the Catholic Patriarch of Venice, Pietro La Fontaine, issued a directive prohibiting believers from visiting the devil's forge. The result was exactly the opposite: the people tumbled down to an exhibition of works by Arkhipenko. Thus, the sculptor was able to earn the money that was enough for the opening of a school in Berlin and the final departure to the United States in 1923.
