In a Rocking Chair

Oleksandr Bohomazov was a Ukrainian graphic artist, painter, educator, and art theorist, a leading figure in both Ukrainian and global avant-garde art movements.

Oleksandr Bohomazov was a pioneering Ukrainian artist and theorist who significantly shaped national Cubo-Futurism, blending analytical form with dynamic energy and rhythm. His vibrant works, influenced by European avant-garde movements, captured urban life, emotion, and motion.

The artist was born in 1880 into a bookkeeper's family in the Kharkiv Governorate. He attended a gymnasium and pursued a degree in agronomy at his father's insistence. Encouraged by his uncle, he would go on plein air painting trips with him. 

Bohomazov initially planned to enroll in the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts but in 1902 decided to attend the Kyiv Art School, where he met Oleksandra Exter and Oleksandr Archipenko. He studied under Oleksandr Murashko and Ivan Seleznyov and also attended private studios in Moscow.

The artist lived and worked in Kyiv. In 1913, he married Kyiv-based artist Wanda Monastyrska, who became his muse throughout his life and artistic career. 

In 1915, he moved to the Caucasus, which turned out to be a disappointment for the artist due to financial difficulties and limited social interactions. However, the experience inspired many of his paintings. 

Starting in 1917, he began teaching. From 1922 to 1930, Bohomazov served as a professor at the Kyiv Art Institute. 

Bohomazov passed away in 1930. Shortly after his death, his name and artistic legacy were erased from the Soviet-era historical narrative. Only during the cultural "thaw" of the mid-1960s, his name and works were rediscovered by a group of art historians.

His artworks are vibrant and dynamic. They were inspired by both the rhythm of urban life and the emotional depth of his subjects, reflecting an innovative approach to modern art.

Among Bohomazov's original paintings are "Abstract Landscape" (1915), "Sawyers" (1925), "Cityscape. Kyiv" (1913), "Tuning Saws" (1927), "Self-Portrait" (1915), "Sіnnyi Market. Kyiv" (1914), "Portrait of the Daughter" (1928), "Bouquet of Flowers" (1915), "Lumberjack" (1913), "Electrician" (1915), "Memories of the Caucasus" (1916), "Abstract Composition" (1913), "Locomotive" (1915), "Still Life with Flowers" (1914), "Portrait of Wife" (1913), "Girl with a Hoop" (1913), "Landscape with Red Houses" (1911), "A Bridge" (1908), "Still Life with Fruits and Vegetables" (1905), "Head" (1914), "Toys" (1914), and others.

One of the most famous Oleksandr Bohomazov's original paintings for sale "In a Rocking Chair" (1907) is available at auction on the UFDA website. This impressionistic painting portrays a girl immersed in a serene moment, her face illuminated by warm sunlight as she sways in rhythm with nature. 

Utilizing pointillist techniques, a delicate color palette, and a play of light and air, Bohomazov masterfully captures the harmony between emotional depth, motion, and musicality, reflecting the influence of French Neo-Impressionism. This artwork of Bohomazov marks the early stages of his artistic journey and a new era in Ukrainian visual art. 

Oleksandr Bohomazov's art style evolved from Impressionism to become one of the defining elements of Ukrainian Cubo-Futurism. Influenced by the works of European cubists and futurists, he sought to break down forms analytically and achieve a synthesis of artistic expression. Bohomazov focused on dynamic movement, striving to capture rhythm and energy in his paintings, often using minimal color palettes and geometric shapes. 

Bohomazov's art distinctively emphasized the use of lines to convey emotion and atmosphere, making his works both visually striking and intellectually stimulating. His treatise "Painting and Elements" was a key contribution to the theoretical foundations of Cubo-Futurism, confirming his role as a pioneer in modern art.