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Lot Essay
Considered the father of Russian Futurism, Burliuk was instrumental in advancing the arts and challenging conventions in Russia throughout the second decade of the 20th century. At the time The Death Rider (The Night Rider) was painted, he was actively involved in promoting Futurism in Russia and emphasizing the relationship between art and poetry. These endeavors culminated in the first Futurist Manifesto in Russia in December 1912, entitled "A Slap in the Face of Public Taste," written by Burliuk along with Velimer Khlebnikov, Aleksei Kruchenykh and Vladimir Mayakovsky. Around this time he also published "Wild Russians (Die Wilden Russlands)" and collaborated with other important artistic figures such as Mikhail Larionov and Natalia Goncharova, with whom he exhibited in the Jack of Diamonds exhibitions. Burliuk also became active abroad, tirelessly promoting the Russian avant-garde art by participating in Munich's Der Blaue Reiter group, and by exhibiting at Berlin's Der Sturm Gallery in 1913 and in the Paris Salon des Indépendants in 1914.
The use of multiple planes in the present composition and the apparent influence of Russian folk art reflect the many technical experiments and breaks with the past that characterize Burliuk's paintings of the early 1910s. A sole rider sits atop a horse holding in his left hand a sword while his right arm is raised grasping a skull, which one can surmise is a beheaded conquest. Caught in a moment, the rider faces the viewer, proud of his victory. Burliuk's use of multiple planes and the flow of colors suggest the fluid movement and continuity of the rider.
The Death Rider (The Night Rider) features an illustrious provenance: the first recorded owner of the painting was artist John Graham, a frequent visitor to Burliuk's New York studio; the second recorded owner was Max Granick, who together with his brother Arthur built one of the largest and most comprehensive collection of paintings of the artist's work. Katherine Dreier, who organized Burliuk's first solo exhibition in 1924, discussed the relationship between the Granick brothers and Burliuk in her 1944 biography on the artist:
"Another outstanding lover of Art, as well as a lover of paintings of Burliuk, is Arthur Granick. Rarely does one meet with such love for art in this country as one finds in Arthur Granick and Onya La Tour. A fine musician and member of Toscanini's orchestra, he [Arthur Granick] was very conscious of the flow and rhythm of Burliuk's line as expressed through the heavy impasto of his color...His brother, Max Granick, is also a devoted admirer of the art of Burliuk, and they each have between forty and sixty of Burliuk's paintings, including some of the most interesting ones he has done" (op. cit., p. 129).
The use of multiple planes in the present composition and the apparent influence of Russian folk art reflect the many technical experiments and breaks with the past that characterize Burliuk's paintings of the early 1910s. A sole rider sits atop a horse holding in his left hand a sword while his right arm is raised grasping a skull, which one can surmise is a beheaded conquest. Caught in a moment, the rider faces the viewer, proud of his victory. Burliuk's use of multiple planes and the flow of colors suggest the fluid movement and continuity of the rider.
The Death Rider (The Night Rider) features an illustrious provenance: the first recorded owner of the painting was artist John Graham, a frequent visitor to Burliuk's New York studio; the second recorded owner was Max Granick, who together with his brother Arthur built one of the largest and most comprehensive collection of paintings of the artist's work. Katherine Dreier, who organized Burliuk's first solo exhibition in 1924, discussed the relationship between the Granick brothers and Burliuk in her 1944 biography on the artist:
"Another outstanding lover of Art, as well as a lover of paintings of Burliuk, is Arthur Granick. Rarely does one meet with such love for art in this country as one finds in Arthur Granick and Onya La Tour. A fine musician and member of Toscanini's orchestra, he [Arthur Granick] was very conscious of the flow and rhythm of Burliuk's line as expressed through the heavy impasto of his color...His brother, Max Granick, is also a devoted admirer of the art of Burliuk, and they each have between forty and sixty of Burliuk's paintings, including some of the most interesting ones he has done" (op. cit., p. 129).