Yevgeny Kovtun
Mikhail Larionov (1881–1964) stands among the great innovators of the classical avant-garde. Painter, graphic artist, stage designer, and restless experimenter, he forged a new visual language by drawing on the raw vitality of folk imagery, naïve art, popular picture sheets, and the bold vernacular of Russian street signs. Gifted with an extraordinary sense of colour and an imagination unbound, Larionov moved from early Impressionist impulses to a deliberately naïve, often provocative style. With Rayonism — radiant, dynamic, and fiercely original — he created one of the first truly non-representational movements. Across every transformation, Larionov’s individuality remained unmistakable. His work reveals an artist who never ceased to explore, to question, and to reinvent the possibilities of modern art.
