GURO (married name Matyushina) Elena (Eleonora) Genrikhovna

May 18, 1877 (St. Petersburg) — April 23, 1913 (Uusikirkko, Vyborg province)

Painter, graphic artist, poetess

Guro was born to a noble family. She was a daughter of Lieutenant General, Secretary of Staff of the St. Petersburg Military District Heinrich Helmut Guro. She spent her childhood in the village Novoselye in Pskov province. She studied at the Drawing School of the Society of the Encouragement of the Arts (1890), at school-workshop under Y. F. Tsionglinsky (1903–1906), at school of E. N. Zvantseva (1906–1907) under the guidance of M. V. Dobuzhinsky and L. S. Bakst. In the drawing school she met the artist and musician M. V. Matyushin. In 1906 he married her.

Guro (Matyushina) lived in St. Petersburg. She spent summer months in the village Bolshaya Izhora near Oranienbaum and in the country cottage in Uusikirkko at Karelian Isthmus. The apartment of Matyushin–Guro gathered a lot of artists and writers of avant-garde: P. N. Philinov, K. S. Malevich, O. V. Rosanova. M. F. Larionov, V. E. Tatlin, D. D. Burlyuk, V. V. Kamensky, V. V. Khlebnikov, A. E. Kruchenykh and many others.

In 1905 Guro (Matyushina) made her début as a writer with the story Early Spring in Collected poems of young poets. In 1909 Matyushin and Guro established in their apartment publishing house Zhuravl (“Crane”). In the same year they published the first book of stories, poems and plays Sharmanka (“Street Organ”), in 1912 — the second book Osenniy Son (“Autumn Dream”). The book was reviewed by A. A. Blok and V. I. Ivanov and was highly appreciated.

At the end of 1900s Guro (Matyushina) became friends with the group of Russian cubo-futurists. In 1910 she participated in the first futuristic edition Sadok Sudey (“A Trap for Judges”). At the same time she painted a lot, exposed her works at the exhibitions Impressionists (1909), Treugolnik (“Triangle”), the exhibition of the Union of Youth in St. Petersburg (1913–1914). She also illustrated her own books.

Guro (Matyushina) died of leukemia; she was buried in Uusikirkko (the tomb was not preserved). Collected stories Heavenly Young of Camels (1914) and literary miscellany Three persons were dedicated to the memory of Guro (1913, with A. E. Kruchenykh and V. V. Khlebnikov; preface by M. V. Matyushin, illustrations of K. S. Malevich).

In 1919 exhibitions of artist’s works were held in Petrograd (with M. V. Matyushin) and in 1994 in St. Petersburg. The Museum of Petersburg Avant-garde (under the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg) was established in the house of Matyushin–Guro in the Pesochnaya Street.

Guro was a talented master, outstanding figure of Russian avant-garde of the beginning of the 20th century. Painting, poetry and prose were connected in her creative works.

In early works she was under the impact of impressionism. In the mid of 1900s she was close to symbolism, to retrospection of the group Mir Iskusstva (“World of Art”); she was under the influence of V. E. Borisov-Musatov and M. A. Vrubel. In late 1900s — early 1910s Guro painted in neo-primitive style. Fragmentation and deformation of forms, light transparent colors were characteristic for her works.

Guro and Matyushin developed the theory of expanded watching. Guro studied the influence of form on form, sound on form and color.

Works by Elena Guro are in many museum collections, including the State Russian Museum, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg, the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art and others.