Natalia Gontcharova: The Cyclist (1913)
Russian Futurism influenced Natalia Gontcharova and it is exemplified in her later work. As I mentioned earlier, Russian Futurists were characterized by their desire for speed, dynamism and the restlessness of urban life. Gontcharova’s “The Cyclist” is a perfect example for all of these aspects. The most obvious part of the painting to note is the cubist style in which it was painted. The cubist style enabled the cyclist to appear as if he is in motion, dirt clouds kicking up as the man’s legs work furiously. The cyclist’s body, along with the front wheel and handlebars are painted in a cartoon-ish style, with certain parts of the body drawn multiple times next to each other, to create the idea that the bicycle is speeding along, with the cyclist working his legs furiously to perpetuate the motion. There is no emphasis on the face. The man’s eyes are slits and his mouth is a simple line. In the background there are Russian words, written with Cyrillic symbols, which one can only be lead to believe refer to (perpetual) motion. He is riding away from a top hat, which may symbolize regality, like the upper class, which the Futurists despised for their comfort and satisfaction. He is cycling in the direction of a hand, which is pointing at him, and a cup from which steam is rolling out. Perhaps the hand is telling him to go back from where he came, but at the same time, there is a hot drink waiting for him at the end of his ride. Will his ride end? We do not know. There is also what appears to be a drainage grate, which may symbolize industrialism and modern culture, which the Futurists were always striding toward. Oddly enough, Gontcharova chose a bicycle rather than a car. Perhaps Gontcharova herself was ambivalent about the ideals of the Futurists and this was just her way of paying homage to a cause she felt sympathy toward. Either way, this is an essential work of Futurist art and is even a nice picture to just look at for a casual art viewer.
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