FTN-blog

Popova was born on April 24, 1889, on the fringes of Moscow, to a well-off Russian family. In 1907, she began studying painting under the tutelage of Polish-Russian Impressionist Stanislav Zhukovsky. The following year, she continued her artistic education with painters Konstantin Yuon and Ivan Dudin. During her travels across Europe, she visited Kiev in the fall of 1909, followed by trips to Italy in 1910 and 1914. She also explored Pskov, Veliky Novgorod, and Yaroslavl within Russia. It was during these excursions that Popova became familiar with the craft of 15th- and 16th-century Italian masters, as well as that of Symbolist painter Mikhail Vrubel and traditional icon painters from Russia.

Upon her return to Moscow in 1912, she joined Vladimir Tatlin’s co-operative studio, known as the Tower. It was here that she first encountered the paintings of Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and other French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists in Sergei Shchukin’s private collection. Popova’s work during this period predominantly consisted of still lifes, landscapes, and nudes characterized by bold outlines, simplified forms, and vibrant hues reminiscent of the style of Paul Cézanne. She shared this artistic vision with close colleagues Natalia Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov.

The apex of Popova’s artistic development occurred during her trip to Paris in the fall of 1912, where she studied at the renowned Académie de la Palette. In the words of her dear friend and fellow traveler Nadezdha Udal’tsova, “Our intention had been to study under Matisse, but his school was already closed…someone then told us about La Palette, the studio of Le Fauconnier. We went there and immediately knew that it was where we belonged.”

In her debut in 1914, Popova joined the leading Russian avant-garde group Jack of Diamonds, showcasing the influence of both Cubism and Futurism in two paintings. The following year, she participated in two notable exhibitions in Petrograd: Tramway V: The First Futurist Exhibition of Paintings and The Last Futurist Exhibition of Paintings: 0.10. These exhibitions also featured Kazimir Malevich’s Suprematist paintings and Tatlin’s Counter-Reliefs. It was during this exhibition that Popova presented her initial abstract Painterly Architectonics, featuring triangular and rectangular forms, along with superimposed lines, creating a plethora of dynamic and multidimensional designs.

Throughout the early 1920s, Popova closely collaborated with the Institute of Artistic Culture (INKhUK) and the Higher State Art-Technical Studios (VKhUTEMAS) – a research-based organization led by Vasily Kandinsky. She taught color and design classes at VKhUTEMAS. During this time, Popova, along with other members of INKhUK, advocated for the abandonment of easel painting, stating, “Our new goal is the organization of the material environment, specifically contemporary industrial production, and all active artistic creativity must support this.”

In her last series of easel paintings, “Spatial-force Constructions,” Popova showcased a collection of densely intersecting painted lines on plywood, covered in wood dust, emphasizing the materiality of the surface. She described her work as “an array of initial experiments leading to tangible material constructions,” aligning herself closely with the Constructivist language and practical art forms of the new Soviet state.

www.ftn-books.com has a slide series on Popova now available.

At the core of Claudia Sola’s body of work lies the recurring appearance of archetype narrative, and her focus on the interplay between us and the world. Drawing inspiration from personal experiences, her creative output spans various mediums, including painting, drawing, video, installation, photography, and sculpture.

Sola’s imagination leads her to delve into diverse subjects, ranging from historical events to natural phenomena, from stories found on the internet to ones discovered in archives and libraries worldwide. This often results in pieces that carry a strong political message or explore deeply personal themes, both of which reflect our existence as egocentric beings caught within the web of society.

Internationally recognized, Claudia Sola has held both solo and group exhibitions, earning awards and nominations for her distinct and thought-provoking creations. Her work has been acquired by prestigious European art collections, both public and private, such as the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Musée Français de la Photographie in Paris.

www.ftn-books.com has the West publication by Sola now vailable.

An overarching theme in Ulay’s body of work is the vulnerability of the human body, specifically the fragility of human flesh. The initial rooms of the exhibition showcase dozens of polaroids, almost all self-portraits, in which the artist pushes the boundaries of his physical form through cross-dressing or self-mutilation. In the 1973 Dunes series, we see him frolicking through the dunes in garter belts and heavy makeup, playing with a feather boa and eagerly chased by a dog. In the same space hangs Diamond Plane (1973), where he pins a diamond brooch in the shape of an airplane directly onto – or rather, into – his skin. A drop of blood runs down his chest.

In his later works, Ulay addresses the limits of the body in a more subtle manner than in his initial polaroids and the bombastic performances with Abramovic. For example, Berlin Afterimages (1994-1995) is a mysterious photo series of color negatives, born out of a fascination with the “afterimages” that a bright light leaves on the retina. The series depicts the city of Berlin which, after the fall of the Wall, was hastily restored with materials that were not part of the original neoclassical architecture – the contrasts of the color negative highlight the damages and restorations as afterimages of the city’s history. The work included here has the subtitle “Eagles Shall Hunt Dogs,” a nod to Ulay’s homeland’s contentious relationship with eagle symbolism. In the image, a German shepherd can be seen, the same breed that the artist chased in Dunes. While in his earlier works, Ulay used his own skin as an aesthetic border between inside and outside, here he employs the image of the city as a metaphorical body that can be inhabited, damaged, and admired.

www.ftn-books.com has several Ulay publications available.

Pavel Büchler, a resident of Manchester, United Kingdom since 1952, is known for his contemplative artistic approach, centered on the concept of ‘nothingness’. In his diverse body of work, including installations, videos, sculptures, and works on paper, Büchler displays sharp wit and conceptual rigor, challenging the viewer’s mind. Utilizing a minimalistic yet sophisticated approach, he reimagines discarded objects like broken pencils, ashtrays, and paint chips, as well as obsolete technology such as slide projectors and tape recorders, employing them in visual metaphors. His thought-provoking pieces offer novel perspectives on the world around us, encompassing themes of nature, culture, art, and everyday life.

Native to Goa, Subodh Kerkar relinquished his medical profession in 1990 to explore the world of art. His craft involves creating installations, sculptures, multimedia pieces, live performances, paintings, and drawings, delving into societal, political, and spiritual subjects. As the pioneer leader of the Museum of Goa, he also serves as the esteemed Mario Miranda Chair for Arts at Goa University.

www.ftnbooks.com has 2 Kerkar publications now available.

Wolvers attained his studies at the Academy of Arts in Enschede and the Royal Academy of Art and Design in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. His creations came to life in ultra-fine porcelain, where he continuously pushes the material to its limits. This results in thin, white porcelain surfaces which he delicately treats as if they were a sheet of paper, skillfully adding lines and vibrant planes. The impeccable drawing is an integral element in the overall form of the objects. These masterpieces beckon us to bask in their perfection, not only through our vision but also through our touch.

Recognized with the prestigious INAX-Design prize in Japan, which is awarded annually to the most creative and unique ceramics-designer across the globe.

Wolvers’ works have been acquired by numerous notable private and public collections worldwide, including the City Museum in Kanazawa, Japan, the Taipei County Yingko Ceramics Museum in Taiwan, the Museum of Art & Design in New York, USA, the Musée de Sèvres in France, the Musée Ariana in Genève, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam.

www.ftn-books.com has a few Wolvers publications available.

During the start of his artistic journey, Charles Biederman delved into the mastery of Cézanne, Post-Impressionism, and Cubism before fully embracing total abstraction. His time in New York (1934–40) and his initial expedition to Paris in 1936 had a profound impact on his art, bringing him into contact with the works of numerous European modernists, such as Arp, Brancusi, Léger, Miró, Mondrian, Pevsner, and Vantongerloo. His focus was particularly drawn to Constructivism, with its usage of industrial materials, and De Stijl, with its unfaltering geometry and primary color schemes – both movements that produced nonobjective, geometric images. By 1937, Biederman’s art evolved into a more sculptural form, and subsequent pieces, like New York, Number 18 of 1938, took the form of shallow, painted reliefs. These wall-hung panels – often featuring wood and plastic elements – could be viewed from different angles, with natural light and shadows adding to their visual impact. In this particular piece, the central portion of the rectangular box has a recessed center, forming multiple right angles; translucent plastic sheets placed within the hollow bring a burst of yellow to the otherwise white design.

These wall panels served as a bridge between Biederman’s early experimental paintings and his mature reliefs from the late 1940s onwards, which featured a grid of small, vibrant, and individual pieces seemingly floating against a backboard. Although such radically abstract works were not well-received in New York at the time, leading the artist to relocate to Minnesota (where he currently resides), a renewed interest in them emerged in the 1960s, during the height of the Op Art trend.

www.ftn-books.com has now an original Biedermann print for sale.

Michael Kidner, a pioneer in the realm of Optical Art, dedicated much of his career to cultivating works of a constructive nature. His practice, both rational and playful, seamlessly blends visual responses to the principles of mathematics, science, and chaos theories, while also delving into the enigmatic and unpredictable nature of the human condition.

In 2007, American art historian and critic Irving Sandler hailed Kidner as “arguably the first Op Artist in Britain”, following his pioneering investigations into the optical effects of light, color, and systemic structure throughout the 1960s. Inspired by the challenge of capturing the essence of pure imagery, Kidner embarked on a phenomenological approach to explore the ever-shifting effects of light and color within the confines of the canvas, with the artist remarking, “One cannot truly understand a painting unless they feel it.”

Born in Northamptonshire, UK, Kidner’s academic pursuits led him to study History and Anthropology at Cambridge University, UK, and Landscape Architecture in Ohio, USA, before serving in the Canadian Army during WWII. After the war, Kidner returned to his home country of the United Kingdom, where he embarked on a prosperous career as an artist. His work was first displayed in 1965 at The Responsive Eye exhibition in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, a show that subsequently toured the United States. In 1967, he held a solo show at Betty Parsons Gallery in New York. Throughout the 1960s, Kidner was associated with the Systems group of artists and was featured in an Arts Council touring exhibition of Systems art in 1972-73, originating at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London. A variation of this exhibition was later displayed at Tate Britain in 2016. In 1984, a retrospective at the Serpentine Gallery in London introduced a new generation of British artists to Kidner’s work, and in 2004, he was elected as a Royal Academician.

www.ftn-books.com has a Kidner print available.

Max Herrmann Mahlmann, a German Constructivist painter, was born on April 4, 1912 in Hamburg and passed away in 2000. Mahlmann received his education from 1934 to 1938 under the tutelage of Richard Müller at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden, and began his career as a stage painter and commercial artist. However, he was also a soldier during the Second World War, deployed in the Russian campaign. After the war, Mahlmann was heavily influenced by the work of Wassili Kandinsky and Josef Albers, which led him to shift his focus towards non-objective painting. He delved into geometric-constructivist compositions, showcasing his talents in this style.

www.ftn-books.com has a screen print by Mahlmann now for sale.