Cubism

NATALIA GONCHAROVAS SUBTLE, DISTINGUISHED, HIGHLY MUSICAL AND LEARNED DESIGNS FOR THE THEATRE ELUCIDATE A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT FROM THE EMPHASIS ON THE BOMBASTIC, GLORY-OBSESSED CELEBRATIONS FOR DIAGHILEV'S SPECTACLES TO PERFORMANCES THAT STRESSED THE VIRTUES OF INDIVIDUALITY, FANTASY AND HISTORY. DIAGHILEV'S ABSOLUTE POWER WITHIN THE RUSSIAN WORLD OF THEATRE, SIMILAR TO THAT OF LOUIS XIV, RESIDED IN ITS REPRESENTATION AND CONTROL OF THAT REPRESENTATION, WHICH RESIDED NOT ONLY WITH DIAGHILEV BUT ALSO WITH HIS ARTISTS, WHO, LIKE THE KING'S HISTORIOGRAPHERS, CREATED THEATRICAL IMAGES ON WHICH THE OPINION OF POSTERITY DEPENDED.

FROM 1923 UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1964, ALEXANDER ARCHIPENKO LIVED IN THE UNITED STATES WHERE HE PRODUCED A LARGE BODY OF WORK. WHILE ARCHIPENKO SCHOLARS HAVE FOCUSED MAINLY ON HIS EARLY YEARS IN FRANCE AND HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO CUBISM, IT IS ONLY NOW THAT RESEARCHERS ARE EXAMINING THE ARTIST'S PRACTICE AND THE RECEPTION HE RECEIVED DURING THIS LATER PERIOD, AND HIS PLACE IN THE WIDER STRUCTURE OF AVANT-GARDE CULTURE.