What is Rayonism?

To begin with,lets make it clear that Rayonism has nothing to do with the rayon cloth,as one is first tempted to think.

To begin with,lets make it clear that Rayonism has nothing to do with the rayon cloth,as one is first tempted to think. In fact,it is an art form that evolved in Russia in the early twentieth century.

While the Futurists glorified speed,machines and war,the Rayonists moved towards pure abstraction. The term Ray was derived from the pointed rays of colour that characterised this style. The two practitioners of the style were Mikhail Larionov and Natalia Goncharova. They were partners who met after studying art in the Moscow Academy of Art. Together,they laid down the tenets of Rayonism that was a radical move away from both their styles. The Donkeys Tale was one of their defining exhibitions in 1912,alongside DerBlaue Reiter,another group of radical painters.

In essence,Rayonism did away with objects altogether while concentrating only on the light that is reflected off them. The painting that emerged under the Rayonists brush had purity to it since it did away with all form. What one beholds instead is its colour,its saturation,the relation of the coloured masses,their depth and textures. In a sense,this art form was seen as a synthesis of Cubism,it embodied the dynamism of futurism and the colour of Orphism. Rayonists not only painted,they also designed theatre sets and produced book illustrations.

The style,however,did not last for long,as both Goncharova and Larionov virtually abandoned easel painting after they left Russia in 1915 and they had no significant followers. Although this movement was shortlived,historians argue that it was an important step towards abstraction. It signified a movement from realismwhich had quite a stronghold in Russiatowards an art that was based on pure feeling and true freedom.

Demystify art,e-mail georgina.maddox@gmail.com

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What is Rayonism?

To begin with,lets make it clear that Rayonism has nothing to do with the rayon cloth,as one is first tempted to think.

To begin with,lets make it clear that Rayonism has nothing to do with the rayon cloth,as one is first tempted to think.