MITURICH Petr Vasilievich

September 24, 1887 (St. Petersburg) — October 27, 1956 (Moscow)

Graphic artist, painter

Petr Miturich was born to family of serviceman. Since 1899 he studied at Pskov Cadet Corps, in 1905 he was expelled for storage of illegal literature. In 1906–1909 Miturich attended Kiev Art Institute, later he continued his studies at the class of battle-scene painting at the Imperial Academy of Arts (IAKh) in St. Petersburg, where he studied under the guidance of N. S. Samokish. In the beginning of the 1910s Miturich worked for the magazine Apollon (“Apollo”).

In 1916–1922 Miturich served in the army, took part in the First World War and the Russian Civil War.

Miturich worked a lot in the sphere of book graphic art; in 1919 he designed the children’s book Tale for Literate Children, in 1920 — musical collection The Piano in the Nursery by A. S. Lourié. The artist was also engaged in lithography. He was a member and participant of the exhibitions of the society Mir Iskusstva (“World of Art”).

In 1916 Miturich became friends with a poet V. V. Khlebnikov. In 1922 he lived with Khlebnikov in the village of Santolovo in Novgorod province, where the poet died. Whole life long Miturich considered himself to be his pupil. In 1922–1925 Miturich created illustrations for the poetry by Khlebnikov. Since 1922 he lived in Moscow. In 1924 Miturich married the painter Vera Khlebnikova, sister of the poet.

In 1918 the artist invented new kind of art — spatial graphics: line drawings on geometrical figures and whole installations of paper and cardboard. Miturich studied the problems of wave motion and biodesign. Miturich was granted patents for inventions of different apparatus which worked due to wave motion.

The artist taught at the Higher State Artistic and Technical Workshops (VKhUTEMAS) in 1923–1927, then at the Higher Art Technical Institute (VKhUTEIN) in 1927–1930 in Moscow. In 1925 he joined the society Four Arts. In 1933 the artist made a trip to Kislovodsk, in 1937 and 1939 — to Sudak.

In 1939 Miturich together with his wife V. V. Khlebnikova worked on pictorial panel for the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (VSKhV) in Moscow.

Petr Miturich was a father of the graphic artist May Miturich.

Petr Miturich is one of the leading masters of drawing at Moscow school of graphic art of 1920s — 1930s. He developed his own recognizable manner of drawing, remarkable for artistry of lines and strokes. The artist’s favourite techniques were Indian ink with pen and brush, charcoal and pencil. Miturich was engaged in research of a new art language which would be livelier than traditional art, which the artist never denied. That’s why his early works consisted of both non-figurative, futuristic compositions and figurative detailed drawings — landscapes and portraits. Miturich was interested in the idea of biodesign; he tried to realize the principles of wave motion in rhythmics of graphic works, in particular in his illustrations for the poetry by Khlebnikov and spatial graphics. During the late period of life the artist painted only from nature; his works of that period were characterized by masterly execution and expressiveness.

Works by Petr Miturich are in many private and museum collections in Russia, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and others.