In the Search of an Absolute:
Art of Valery Yurlov

Eisenberg Gallery
Sep 24, 2011 - Apr 01, 2012

This exhibition continues a series of one-man shows devoted to early nonconformist artists. The art of Valery Yurlov (born 1932) stands out as one of the earliest examples of geometric analytical abstraction within Soviet nonconformist art. Yurlov never was a member of any art movements or groups, and stayed beyond the confines of politics, not once yielding to the temptation of using ideology in his art. Yurlov’s creativity developed in direct communion with his teachers, the artists Vladimir Favorsky and Petr Miturich, and his long-term friend, the philosopher and theoretician Victor Shklovsky. All of them carried within themselves the ideology and traditions of the avant-garde of the 1920s. In Yurlov’s work this tradition manifested itself in the search for an absolute, for an expressive visual sign, built in accordance with universal principles of construction of a visual form. Throughout his artistic career, Yurlov combined this principle with the latest developments and theories in contemporary art, such as neo-constructivism, structuralism, impermanence, and performance art.

Admission:
$6 for adults who are not members. $5 for citizens over 65. Members, children under 18, Rutgers University students, faculty, and staff with a valid I.D. enjoy free admission. Free admission for all visitors on the first Sunday of every month.

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