Arshile Gorky and Russian emigre artists in the USA in the 1920–1930s

Abstract

The relevance of the topic of this article is explained by the under-researched artistic and historical-cultural context; it helps visualize history. The life and work of Arshile Gorky (1901–1944) are considered during the peak of his creativity, after moving to the USA, in the 1920s and 1930s. Notably, Gorky becomes part of the community of Russian artist emi grants. The article analyzes the artist’s personality and his strong connection with Russian cul ture, as well as the American art scene. It examines the influence on his work of Russian teachers and contemporaries living at that time in the United States, among them Nikolai Fechin, David Burliuk, and Ivan Dombrowski (John Graham). The article also analyzes Arshile Gorky’s role in the formation and development of American abstract expressionism, especially his contribution to the creation of creative methods and artistic approaches that influenced many American artists among his contemporaries and followers. Several methods were used in the research, including cultural-historical and social-historical methods. It is quite evident that Arshile Gorky embodied in his work the spirit of search and experiment: his works were distinguished by boldness, plastic expressiveness, deep emotionality, and technical innovation.