The Avant-Garde Icon: Russian Avant-Garde Art and the Icon Painting Tradition

This unusual treatment of the Russian avant-garde offers original insights into the broad and complex unfolding of Russian art up to the 1950s. Beginning with an account of the movement's origins in about 1870, and concluding with the death of Stalin, Andrew Spira demonstrates how icons underpin the development of nineteenth and twentieth-century Russian art. During this time new ideas grounded in a radical revolutionary secularism were providing a strong challenge to the values of a society steeped in religious, faith-based traditions. Great artists such as Malevich and Larionov offered an ambivalent response to their religious heritage. Whilst they rebelled against its stifling conservation and credulity, they were also profoundly influenced by its nationalist, populist, aesthetic appeal and, ultimately, its spirituality. Malevich in particular aimed to raise the status of contemporary art to that of icons. Andrew Spira traces the course of this paradoxical dialogue between artists at the cutting edge of modernity and the rich, sacred and artistic traditions of the past. He also shows how communist designers continued to adapt the popular conventions of icon painting to their own purposes after the Russian Revolution. The Avant-Garde Icon throws a new light on the deeper meaning and significance of icons. It adds to art-historical debates around early twentieth-century art, whilst also catering to those who have a general interest in icons and in the stunning images produced in Russia throughout this tumultuous period.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Ackowledgements; Preface; Icons: An Introduction; Background to the Avant-Garde: The Romantic Associations of Icons; The Iconic Techniques of the Avant-Garde; Imagery, Iconography and Self-Transcendence; Icons and Propaganda; Icons and the Destiny of Russia; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author :
Andrew Spira is Course Director at Christie's Education. He previously worked as a curator in the metalwork department of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Review :
The Avant-Garde Icon is a fine book which renegotiates the abiding question of the icon and modernism, engaging a wealth of textual evidence, much of it new, especially in English' Art and Christianity '[The Avant-Garde Icon] breaks new ground in its knowledge, understanding and clarity of explanation.' 'This is an excellent introduction to Russian culture and a vital contribution to the study of twentieth-century Russian art...' John Milner, Professor of Fine Art, Newcastle University, UK '...a profoundly considered and elegantly written study ... this important book breaks new ground'. The Art Newspaper 2009 'Spira's compelling study unpicks the place of orthodox iconography in Russia (and later, Soviet) modernism, arguing that the anti-illusionist tendencies of icon painting fed seamlessly into the experiments of painters such as Malevich, Larionov and, of course Kandinsky.' The Independent on Sunday 2008 'Spira provides a comprehensive, well-researched and fully illustrated account of the many points of contact between art and religion, chiefly through a close examination of work by, amongst others, Malevich, Rodchenko, and Tatlin.' Arlis 2009 'By addressing the Russian avant-garde in terms of national history, the Orthodox Church and its icons, Spira draws together interrelated strands of tradition and spirituality into re-mappings of these discourses in European modernism. A well-balanced mix of socio-political and religious analysis and visual and theoretical comparisons of avant-garde art and icon painting (illustrated by a large number of colour reproductions) ensure that his thesis is substantiated clearly and compellingly ... thorough and well-presented analysis of iconography in modern Russian visual culture.' The Art Book 2009 'Andrew Spira's book is a tour de force, providing an invaluable study of a very important subject ... he pursues his argument with enthusiasm, intelligence and insight, reinforcing it with a range of compelling visual comparisons ... In producing a highly stimulating and intelligent book, full of original ideas, new information and penetrating insights, Spira has made a significant contribution to a subject that is fundamental to the history of Russian art.' The Burlington ' ... outstanding addition to this important, still expanding field of study.' The Russian Review 'A fine selection of illustrations (90 colour, 40 black-and-white) and the enthusiastic commentary of Andrew Spira provide a beautiful overview of the icon tradition and the cultural inheritance of the avant-garde movement... Andrew Spira manages, quite successfully, to convey the cultural and artistic legacy of the Russian icon. The general narrative is both entertaining and academically pertinent. Furthermore, such a wide array of stunning and beautifully reproduced illustrations is rarely seen.' European History Quarterly 'Andrew Spira's book, The Avant-Garde Icon, is a beautifully illustrated and significant study of a problem that has not received enough attention in Western scholarship...The visual analysis is excellent, while some little known, particularly Russian, sources are brought to light. Spira has made a genuine contribution to our knowledge of the Russian avant-garde and the role of the iconographic tradition in its formation.' Slavonica