The Common Grave, from War: Mystical Images of War

Natalia GoncharovaWW-1914-085365

1914·Lithograph on cream wove paper·24.8 × 32.6 cm (9 13/16 × 12 7/8 in.)

<p>This landscape of dead bodies fittingly concludes the series by addressing the unfortunate fate of so many soldiers. In this series, the angels serve as divine guides to lead forces into battle and meet the dead at the outcome. In 1914 this print could only anticipate the end of the war several years in the future. Still the image boldly asserts death as the great equalizer. Here angular limbs and uniforms crisscross in a chaotic shallow grave. The space is ringed with flying birds and arching mounds that might represent either the clouds of heaven or the landscape of bomb craters on Earth.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1914
Medium: Lithograph on cream wove paper
Dimensions: 24.8 × 32.6 cm (9 13/16 × 12 7/8 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Natalia Goncharova

Artist

Natalia Goncharova

Painting

Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova was a Russian avant-garde artist, painter, costume designer, writer, illustrator, and set designer. Goncharova's lifelong partner was fellow Russian avant-garde artist Mikhail Larionov. She was a founding member of both the Jack of Diamonds (1909–1911), Moscow's first radical independent exhibiting group, the more radical Donkey's Tail (1912–1913), and with Larionov invented Rayonism (1912–1914). She was also a member of the German-based art movement Der Blaue Reiter. Born in Russia, she moved to Paris in 1921 and lived there until her death.

Tula, Russia

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