Event—Adult Education

The Russian Avant-Garde: Art and Literature, 1910 - 1932

This interdisciplinary seminar will provide an introduction to the Russian avant-garde as a complex mosaic of styles and individuals, focusing on the dialogue between the Russian artists and writers who, at a time of radical change, tried to create new systems of thinking and languages.

Newberry Adult Education Seminars will meet virtually via Zoom. For more information about the Newberry’s virtual seminars, including a Zoom tutorial, please see our Virtual Seminars FAQ page. If you have questions about online learning, please reach out to seminars@newberry.org.

Seminar Description

This interdisciplinary seminar will provide an introduction to the Russian avant-garde as a complex mosaic of styles and individuals, focusing on the dialogue between the Russian artists and writers who, at a time of radical change, tried to create new systems of thinking and languages. We will examine a wide range of ideas and movements, experimental in structure and subject matter, and will discuss works by Chagall, Kandinsky, Malevich, Goncharova, Petrov-Vodkin, Filonov, and Deineka, as well as poems by Mayakovsky and Akhmatova, stories by Bulgakov, and two short novels, Zamyatin’s We and Platonov’s The Foundation Pit.

Seven sessions. Registration – $250

Julia Kriventsova Denne studied literature at St. Petersburg University, Russia, and teaches Russian and Soviet literature in the Chicago area.

Materials List

Required:

  • A selection of shorter materials distributed by the instructor.

  • We by Evgeny Zamyatin. Modern Library Classics, 2006. ISBN: 9780812974621

  • The Foundation Pit by Andrey Platonov. New York Review of Books, 2009. ISBN: 9781590173053

First Reading:

  • For the first session, please read the short stories included in your confirmation email.

Registration Information

Registration opens at 9 am (CST) on Wednesday, January 13th. Newberry Associates members at the Literati level and above will have access to early registration beginning January 7 at 10am. Learn more about membership benefits and becoming a Newberry Associate.

Please note: For more information about registration, including a guide to online registration, see our Registration Information page. Questions? Please contact seminars program staff via email at seminars@newberry.org.

We offer a 10% discount to members, seniors, and students.

This seminar has reached capacity. Please email seminars@newberry.org to be added to the wait list.

This seminar is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about registering for a seminar, program policies, or teaching a seminar.