Investment ideas on the art market. «Russian Americans». Jules Olitski
ARTinvestment.RU   23 февраля 2009

ARTinvestment.RU presents the story of the Russian emigrant artist, who in the 1960's became one of the major art-stars in the United States

Today, New York is considered the world center of artistic life. It's like a magnet attracts ambitious young artists. This was, however, not always: before the Second World War, when the vogue for the art scene asked mainly Parisians, New York was on the periphery. But with the beginning of the war, many «first person» European modernism moved it there - to stay in their home countries, they were dangerous. These artists have had a tremendous impact on the nascent New York School , through which the United States entered the number of major art in the world.

Almost all of the most prominent representatives of the New York School were emigrants. Many of them were, and people from the Russian Empire. For example, Mark Rothko (Mark Rothko) was born in Latvia, Arshil Gorky (Arshile Gorky) - in Armenia, Louise Nevelson (Louise Nevelson) - in Kyiv, and Bolotovsky Ilya (Ilya Bolotowsky) - in St. Petersburg. One of the most well-known «Russian-American» artists is Jules Olitski (Jules Olitski) - the creator of «color fields», which once even honor to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale. About him, and will be discussed in this article.

Real Name Olitski - Yevel Demikovsky. He was born in 1922 in the town Snovsk, the same, where the effect of the famous novel by Anatoly Rybakov «Heavy sand». Shortly before his appearance at the light Yevela father was killed by the Bolsheviks. Mother and grandmother of the future artist had decided to emigrate to the United States and in 1923 settled in New York. Three years later his mother married again. Her husband, Hyman Olitski (Hyman Olitsky) was heinous subject. He and his sons from first marriage terrorized a small Jules, beat him and obzyvali «moron». Once the artist has admitted in an interview that as a child often feel the main character of the fairy tale Cinderella, where nefarious stepmother was lousy father. The only family member who has maintained the boy was her grandmother. When she died, young Olitski plunged into a deep depression, out of the painting that he helped.

In the early 1930's Olitski penny seller newspapers. Its shocking that people who buy his various publications, often ignored reports of uprising in the Holocaust in Europe. According to the artist, most of his friends were «decent people», who believed that the news about the oppression of Jews do not have any relation to them. They knew nothing about Jews, and often took young Olitski for the Irish. «Why are all silent about the Holocaust and will not do anything to stop it? - Said later in an interview with the artist. - This terrible silence has my life». Denial simple minds the horrors of the Holocaust has caused him great mental trauma. Olitski is always treated with great respect for Jewish culture - many of his abstract works have Old Testament names.

But the abstract works were created much later, and now back to the beginning of the thirties. Then Olitski often walked to school and stick to the outskirts of Brooklyn, where at that time were still chicken. There he met another and from Russia, Rotborta Sam (Sam Rothbort), amateur artist, who has been giving him lessons, and taught painting oven black bread. In 1935, Rotbort took the boy in the art studio in Manhattan. After graduating high school, Olitski has received a scholarship to study at the prestigious Pratt Institute, among the graduates of which - known artists Eva Hesse (Eva Hesse) and Ellsuort Kelly (Ellsworth Kelly). He also admitted to the New York National Academy of Design.

Since the end of training the artist went to the army. As he later said in an interview that the army brought him to the fact that there could be obtained «charge courage», needed to quits with the hated stepfather. But, returning from the war, he was surprised to find that desire to kill a tyrant, to poison his childhood is over. Thanks benefits for demobilized Olitski was able to find a teacher in a school of painting. In 1949 the artist moved to Paris and there became acquainted with the work of French post-modernists - in particular, Jean Fotre (Jean Fautrier) and Jean Dyubyuffe (Jean Dubuffet). He entered the Academy on the streets of Grand Shomer, as well as attend school Osip Tsadkina (Ossip Zadkine) . Olitski joined the circle of young American artists who want to free themselves from the conventions and to discover new ways of painting. In particular, they created many of his works blindfolded. In 1951, Olitski showed his paintings in the style of abstract expressionism at the exhibition «The Americans in Paris», organized by Galerie Huit. After a while he returned to New York where he earned a master's degree in arts. The next few years he taught at various American universities.

«breakthrough» Olitski at great artistic scene occurred in 1958, quite a late art by today's standards - the painter was thirty six years. Then he created a largely monochrome painting. Olitski long sought «attached» to work in any gallery, but the dealers are always answered his refusal. In the end, the artist decided to invent an interesting history. He began to tell the gallery that the painting, which he invites them, in fact, written by fictional artist Yevelom Demekovym. According to legend, Demekovu had to flee from the Soviet Union, due to the fact that Stalin banned the abstract painting. Olitski said that Demekova met in Paris, where he instructed him to sell his works in America. One art dealer, Alexander Iolas (Alexander Iolas) as close to the heart to learn the history, and works in such a romantic aura, which invited him to arrange an exhibition in his gallery. Even when Iolas learned that no Yevela Demekova never existed and all the pictures painted by the Olitski, he was not upset - linen were excellent. Through the exhibition the artist noticed criticism.

In the same year, a fateful meeting for Olitski. He met with the famous theoretician of abstract expressionism Clement Greenberg (Clement Greenberg), who was obliged to its world renown Jackson Pollock. Greenberg was an ardent admirer of the so-called «Color Field Painting» (Color Field Painting), which is considered a logical continuation of pollokovskoy «action painting» (Action Painting). The most famous representatives of the currents in the art are Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman (Barnett Newman). Creativity Olitski the second wave of Color Field Painting, «postzhivopisnoy abstraction», whose birth is associated with the emergence of well-known paintings by Helen Frankentaler (Helen Frankenthaler) «The mountains and the sea». Frankentaler has invented, as to deprive the picture of any traces of individuality to create one person (an idea that later adopted by representatives of pop art and minimalism). She started to pour on canvas divorced water colors, which spreads to form fanciful landscapes. Sprayed paint began even Pollock, but his work shows that it cost the artist to create their great physical effort, while the quieter songs Frankentaler as if the author did not have. According to the artist, she wanted the audience has not seen her work on the painting. Ideas Frankentaler adopted many artists - in particular, Morris Louis (Morris Louis), and Kenneth Noland (Kenneth Noland). Paintings-«target» the latter, probably, became the most recognizable pieces of the second wave of abstract expressionism. These works, unlike, for example, from canvases Rothko absolutely «impersonal» - they look like they did at the factory.

To «depersonalization» their works the artists have used different techniques. Olitski, for example, was painted on canvas using the gun-spray. Thus he was able to come to the colors on his canvases organically flow into one another. According Olitski, he wanted to make the illusion that his paintings - is «just spraying paint, which solidifies in the air». Through such works the artist has become famous. In 1966, Olitski, along with Frankentaler, Ellsuortom Kelly and Roy Liechtenstein (Roy Lichtenstein), represented the United States at the Venice Biennale. And next year he was awarded the first personalized museum exhibition, which took place in the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington. In 1969, Olitski works exhibited in New York's Metropolitan Museum. This exhibition is the first personal exhibition of living American artist, arranged by this prestigious cultural institution.

1960's, no doubt, were «time Olitski». It took years of poverty and insecurity, when the artist is often applied to the bottle. In 1960, Olitski was married a third time. His new wife, Christine Gorb (Kristina Gorby), helped him recover from alcoholism. Thanks to the support of the artist fell asleep Grinberga offers dealers, and prices of his paintings have increased. Olitski was one of the most prolific post-war artists - in the studio, he spent the whole day. He worked always with pleasure, because the painting was his most important love. Olitski created huge paintings, which they bought to decorate the walls of airports, the foyer of the major banks and Lofti «new rich».

In the late 1960's Olitski began to create paintings, more reminiscent of «classic» abstract expressionism than «postzhivopisnuyu abstraction». He painted on thick canvas, using mops, car «Dvornikov», rubber rollers. In an era when art was considered the most progressive «impersonal» Products Andy Warhol (Andy Warhol) and the minimalist, these developments were seen by critics as a repetition of already long gone. So Olitski went out of fashion. In 1973, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston organized the first retrospective of the artist that all the critics line up slang. And got his new sculpture, which he created under the influence of his friend David Smith (David Smith) and Anthony Caro (Anthony Caro): Olitski was charged that he steals ideas Richard Serra (Richard Serra) , - and all because of its three-dimensional creations, too, were of enormous size and a rusty steel.

In the 1980 world again talking about expressionism, this time - about a dark figurative painting, created by young artists from America and Germany. Olitski, and then came «not to the court»: not paying attention to fashion trends, he continued to write abstract paintings. In 1983, his name was linked scandal: Dealer Olitski publicly stated that his protégé's a better painter than a classic of postwar avant-garde Jasper Johns (Jasper Johns). Critics have again severely osmeyali artist, bringing the price of his work fell heavily.

But Olitski continued to go its own way. Criticism of his little excited: «No one asked me to become a painter», - he said. To paint for him as naturally as breathing. Even though the major museums no longer indulge his personal exhibitions, he tirelessly experimented, showing new work in small galleries. The main fan Olitski was Clement Greenberg, who until his death continued to believe that the future of art must be abstract. In 1990, he called Olitski «best artists of living».

When Olitski was already over 70, he quietly moved from the category of «old and unfashionable» artists in the category of «distinguished classics». In late life he created poluabstraktnye landscapes and monotype, which is almost always caused the praise of critics. The artist often went to the opening of his exhibition, which communicated with fans of his creativity. Those who managed to get acquainted with Olitski, said that he was very charismatic and kind man with a great sense of humor.

In February 2007, Jules Olitski died. He died of cancer at a cancer center in New York. Until the last minute, the artist talked about how he wants to go back to the studio and work, work, work ...

Olitski works included in collections of many museums, including the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the Metropolitan Museum and Guggenheim Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum and Sculpture Garden Hirshhorna in Washington and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. It was attended by more than 150 exhibitions around the world.

The most expensive work is Olitski painting Strip Heresy, sold at New York's Christie's in 1990 for 327 thousand dollars. Most of the market traded his canvases, created in the early 1960's, when the artist has already opened for himself «painting color fields», but have not yet invented a technique of applying paint to canvas by means of an aerosol.

Material prepared Yulia Maksimova

Sources: guardian.co. uk , independent.co.uk , washingtonpost.com , nytimes.com , myjewishlearning.com , artinvestment.ru