Bubnova, Varvara Dmitrievna

Born May 16, 1886 in a noble family in St. Petersburg . Father, Dmitry Kapitonovich, a bank clerk, had the rank of college adviser. Mother Anna Nikolaevna, nee Wulf, had a beautiful voice and was a musically gifted person. In childhood and adolescence, she often visited the estate of her maternal grandfather N.I. Wolfe in the village of Bernovo, Staritsky Uyezd , and A.F. Pushkin once visited his friends in this estate.

Varvara Bubnova studied at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts , from 1907-1914 with N. N. Dubovsky at the Imperial Academy of Arts , she graduated with the title of artist for the painting “Late Autumn” (according to other sources, “Bernovsky Park Alley”). Impressed by his acquaintance in 1910 with the collections of new French painting by S. Schukin and I. Morozov and a trip to Italy in 1911, Bubnov in 1912 joined the Union of Artists “ Youth Union ”. This was one of the most radical creative associations of the time with which P. Filonov , M. Larionov , N. Goncharova , K. Malevich , V. Tatlin and others were associated. Varvara Bubnova was an active organizer of this society, collaborated in the magazine of the same name. She participated in joint exhibitions of the “Youth Union” with the associations “ Jack of Diamonds ” and “ Donkey's Tail ” (including under the pseudonym D. Varvarov). Mayakovsky , Burliuk , Larionov , Goncharova and Malevich and many others participated in exhibitions with her.

In 1913, together with V. Matveis, she traveled to the ethnographic museums of Western Europe to collect materials and photograph African sculpture. After the sudden death of V. Matveis in 1914, he prepared for publication his book "The Art of the Negroes" (1919). In 1915 she graduated from the course of the St. Petersburg Archaeological Institute with the title "Full Member of the Archaeological Institute".

V.D. Bubnova arrived in Moscow in July 1915 with the aim of visiting the manuscript department of the State Historical Museum (GIM) , where her interest in ancient Russian miniature brought her. In May 1917, she began working as a researcher in the Department of Ancient Manuscripts of the State Historical Museum, which was then led by a corresponding member. SPbAN V.N. Schepkin , and after his death in 1920 - Academician M.N. Speransky . A playful collage has survived, where she portrayed herself, her colleagues, and the everyday aspects of working at the State Historical Museum in those years ^[1] . Later, she wrote, characterizing this period of her life: “... I immediately seemed to drown in a sea of ​​colors and images ... The main goal of my life I began to consider work on an ancient Russian miniature ...” ^{[1] [2]} . In 1918, organized the first exhibition of Old Russian miniatures. She worked in the manuscript department of the State Historical Museum until her departure for Japan in 1922. She was a member of the Institute of Artistic Culture (Inhuka), along with Vasily Kandinsky , Robert Falk , Lyubov Popova , Varvara Stepanova , Alexander Rodchenko .

In 1922, at the call of her younger sister A. Bubnova-Ono, she left with her mother for Japan. In 1927 she married the Russian emigrant V. Golovshchikov (1897-1947). In the mid-1930s, she was deprived of Soviet citizenship for "communication with the enemy of the people" (on behalf of the Soviet embassy she introduced a prominent Soviet figure (name unknown) to Japanese sights; he was arrested upon returning to the USSR). From 1924 she taught Russian language and literature at the private Waseda University (before closing in 1937), at the Tokyo Institute of Foreign Languages (according to Japanese data until 1945) and at the institute under the Japan-USSR Society in Tokyo. When the Department of Russian Literature was reopened at Waseda University in 1946, Bubnova returned to teaching at this educational institution. In 1955, she chaired a summer seminar at the University of Hokkaido , and in 1956 she also won a lecturer in Russian language and Russian literature at the Tokyo Institute of Russian Language . Thanks to the efforts of Varvara Dmitrievna, several generations of Russianists grew up in Japan. According to the Japanese newspaper Tsusho Shimbun, “if not for her, translations of Russian literature in Japan would probably not have reached such a high level.” Subsequently, she was awarded the Order of the Precious Crown of the fourth degree for her contribution to the development of Japanese-Russian cultural ties and for her merits in the study of the Russian language and literature in Japan.

V. D. Bubnova participated in exhibitions of the Japanese avant-garde of the 1920s; in October 1922, published in the journal Siso (Thought) an article on trends in contemporary Russian art (mainly on constructivism); was a member of the organization of Japanese artists "Nekakay", "Sanka", "MAVO". She wrote a lot about Russian art later, in particular, in the multivolume edition of World Art. Entering the Tokyo Art and Industry College in 1923, Bubnova studied lithography techniques there and developed her new method of autolithography on zinc. Her activities had a significant impact on the development of lithography in Japan, showing the new possibilities of technology, which, in particular, were widely used in the poster . During the years of life in Japan, Bubnova created the canvases “Portrait of the Translator X. Nikamura” (1927), “Japanese in a Kimono” (1939), “Traces of the War” (1949), “Chrysanthemums” (1943, State Russian Museum). Inheriting the principles of the expressionistic and “non-primitive” wings of the Russian avant-garde of the “Silver Age”, Bubnova turned out to be surprisingly sensitive to the influence of Eastern aesthetics and, to the greatest extent, Japanese graphics. Bubnova also illustrated books by Russian writers for Japanese publishers.

In Japan, 6 personal exhibitions of Varvara Dmitrievna were successfully held (two in 1932, in 1938, 1948, 1954, 1958).

In 1936, after the so-called “putsch of young officers”, Bubnov and her husband were declared undesirable by foreigners, and they were strictly monitored by police. In those years, the Russian department of Waseda University was closed, later Bubnova was forced to leave the Tokyo Institute of Foreign Languages. At the end of World War II, they were evicted from Tokyo to the mountainous place of Karuizawa. The house in Tokyo and all their property, including the library and lithographs, were killed in the bombing. In the post-war period, Bubnova again taught and worked as an artist, gave a lot of energy to the Russian club.

In 1958, Varvara Dmitrievna returned to the USSR and settled in Sukhumi , where her older sister lived. In the USSR, Bubnova remained faithful to innovative ideals, a spirit of independence and commitment to the best achievements of the culture of East and West. She took part in all exhibitions of the Union of Artists of Abkhazia, was a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR and Abkhazia.

Her works of recent years: “On the Seashore” (1959-1960), “House under the Mountain” (1964). Bubnova’s creative heritage is estimated at several thousand works of easel graphics (“The Old Peasant”, 1929; “In the Ocean, behind the Fish”, 1947; “At the Entrance to the Temple”, 1950) and painting, also worked in mixed media (“Sukhumi. In winter by the sea ", 1964;" Camellias ", 1967;" Portrait of Elena Lozova ", 1978). She was the author of illustrations for the works of A.S. Pushkin, N.V. Gogol, A.P. Chekhov, K.G. Paustovsky, she wrote a number of articles on issues of art theory. In the USSR, the artist’s personal exhibitions were held: in 1958 in Sukhumi, in 1960 in Tbilisi, in 1961 in Moscow, Kharkov, in 1962 in Leningrad Bubnov. In total, during the life of Bubnova, 18 exhibitions were held in Russia and the USSR. In 1964, she was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Georgian SSR. The works of Varvara Bubnova were acquired by Soviet museums, including the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts , the State Tretyakov Gallery , and the State Russian Museum .

From 1959 to 1979, Bubnova lived and worked in Sukhum. There she has students Vsevolod Voronov (1945-2003) and Alexander Lozovoi (1949). After her younger sister Anna died in Sukhumi in 1979, Varvara Bubnova moved to Leningrad and remained there until the end of her life. In 1981, an anniversary exhibition was held in Leningrad on the occasion of its 90th anniversary.

She died on March 28, 1983 in Leningrad, was buried in the city of Sukhumi in Abkhazia.

In the summer of 2008, at that time, the Bishop of Sendai (now Archbishop ^[3] ) of the Japanese Orthodox Church (NOC) Seraphim during the dismantling of the warehouse in St. Nicholas Church discovered the icon of " All Who Sorrowful Joy ", painted by Barbara Bubnova. This search was explained by the fact that Michitaka Suzuki (an icon-painting researcher in the NFC) found in the publication “Orthodox Time” ( 正 教 時報 に ) for September 1925 that Varvara Bubnova donated the icon to the Nicholas Church, which lost the iconostasis due to fire and destruction during Great Kanto earthquake . According to Michitaki Suzuki, perhaps this icon is the rarest example of icon painting by the Russian avant-garde artist ^[4] . As of 2016, this landmark work is in the Episcopal Hall of the Sendai and East Japan Diocese ^[5] .

In 2011, to the 125th anniversary of her birth, the Tretyakov Gallery hosted an exhibition of the artist's works. In total, the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery contains more than 30 of her graphic works ^[1] .

Family

• Father Dmitry Kapitonovich Bubnov (? —1914), a college adviser, a small bank clerk, according to Vera Dmitrievna: “... A philosopher and a dreamer, he did not make an official career ... Fortunately, his grandfather made his only son the heir to his wealth. It was a peculiar Gaev of the Cherry Orchard: probably he himself did not notice how his debts outgrew the value of his father’s great heritage! ” ^[2] .
• Along the line of Anna Nikolaevna ’s mother (Ur. Wulf) (1854-1940), Varvara Bubnova was a descendant of the old noble family of the Tver Wulfs , friends of Pushkin .
• Maria Dmitrievna Bubnova (1884-1963) is the eldest of the sisters, pianist, teacher.
• The younger sister Anna Dmitrievna Bubnova-Ono (1890-1979), violinist, teacher, as well as VD Bubnova, contributed to the culture of Japan. She was the first teacher to begin violin lessons with children (previously, the Japanese began teaching violin art only to adults). For her husband, her niece was Yoko Ono - the wife of John Lennon . Also awarded the Order of the Precious Crown of the fourth degree .

For many years, VD Bubnova was on friendly terms and maintained correspondence with Nina Nikolaevna Michurina, her distant relative and friend from the Japanese period, and after returning to Russia, her alter ego ^[2]

.

• In the city of Sukhum, the House-Museum of V. D. Bubnova was created.
• Since 1985, a permanent exhibition on the life and work of V.D. Bubnova has been opened at the Bernese Museum of A.S. Pushkin.

• Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkina , Moscow
• State Tretyakov Gallery , Moscow
• State Russian Museum , St. Petersburg
• Museum of Oriental Art , Moscow
• Arkhangelsk Museum of Fine Arts , Arkhangelsk
• Collection of K. I. Barashkov ^[7] , Moscow

• Arkin D. Over the Sea of ​​Japan. - M. 1931
• Gudiashvili L. The exhibition struck me. // "Soviet Abkhazia." December 18, 1960.
• Pavlov A. Graphics V.D. Bubnova. // "Art". 1961, No. 9.
• Bezmenova K.V. Varvara Dmitrievna Bubnova, watercolors, lithographs, catalog of the exhibition, A. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, 1976
• Bubnova V. D. In memory forever. // "Literary Georgia". 1977. No 8
• Argun A. Exhibition of works by V. D. Bubnova. Catalog. Sukhumi. 1981
• Lozova A. On the work of V.D. Bubnova. // "Art". 1982, No. 3.
• Kozhevnikova I.P. Varvara Bubnova - Russian artist in Japan. M., 1984.
• Lozova A. Living tradition. // "Creativity", No. 3. 1987
• Varvara Dmitrievna Bubnova. 1886-1983. Russian artist in Japan. Exhibition catalog. - M.: State Museum of the East. 1989.
• Kozhevnikova I.P. Lessons in Comprehension. Artist Varvara Bubnova. Memories, articles, letters. - M .: Truth and Life. 1994 ISBN 5-88403-001-0
• Voldemar Matvey and Youth Union. - M .: Science. 2005 ISBN 5-02-033221-6
• Schulz A.M. History of one genus. - The Germans in Russia. People and destinies. Digest of articles. "Dmitry Bulanin." St. Petersburg. 1998. P.273 ISBN 5-288-02146-5
• Lozova A.N. Varvara Bubnova. Graphics, painting. - M.: Soviet artist. 1984
• Lozova A. Some views of Varvara Bubnova on art, collection of books. Sisters of Bubnov and Japan, Sapporo, Center for Slavic Studies, 1999
• Kozhevnikova I.P. Varvara Bubnova. Russian artist in Japan and Abkhazia. - M .: Three squares. 2009 ISBN 978-5-94607-124-6
• Roman Gosin . Creativity of the artist Varvara Bubnova. 1886-1983. - San Francisco: Grom Publishing 2011 ISBN 978-1-257-11156-5
• Varvara Bubnova. Graphic arts. To the 125th anniversary of his birth. Exhibition of works from the collection of the State. Tretyakov Gallery, Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin and private collections. [Catalog]. - M .: Three squares. 2011
• Buzhinsk Irena . Bubnova Varvara Dmitrievna // Encyclopedia of the Russian avant-garde : Fine Arts. Architecture / Compiled by V. I. Rakitin , A. D. Sarabyanov ; Scientific editor A.D. Sarabyanov. - M .: RA, Global Expert & Service Team, 2013. - T. I: Biographies. AK . - S. 87-89 . - ISBN 978-5-902801-10-8 .

• The traditions of the St. Petersburg avant-garde. Varvara Bubnova (1886-1983), Nikolai Lozovoi (1901-1992), Alexander Lozovoi 1949. Exhibition catalog at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, 2006
• Varvara Bubnova, works from the collection of Alexander Lozovoy, State Museum of the East, Moscow, 2007
• From avant-garde to expressionism. Varvara Bubnova, Nikolai Lozovoy, Alexander Lozovoy. Painting, graphics, monotype, collage. Catalog of the exhibition in the International Art Gallery 'Heritage. 2009