Elena Genrikhovna Guro
Elena Genrikhovna Guro, born Eleonora von Notenberg in 1877 in St. Petersburg, Russia, was a multifaceted artist known for her contributions to literature and visual arts. Throughout her early life, she combined writing and painting, illustrating her own prose from a young age. After completing her studies at the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in 1903, she further honed her skills in the ateliers of renowned Russian artists. Guro's literary career blossomed with the publication of her first short story in 1905, followed by her debut collection in 1909, the same year she exhibited her paintings for the first time.
She was a pivotal figure in the Cubo-Futurist movement, co-founding the artistic group Venok, and was married to artist and composer Mikhail Matyushin. Guro's work was characterized by playful language, often drawing from the simplicity of childhood, and she received positive criticism from notable contemporaries such as Symbolist poet Viacheslav Ivanov. Despite her growing recognition, her life was tragically cut short by tuberculosis in 1913. Posthumously, several of her works continued to be published, reflecting her lasting impact on the Russian avant-garde scene.
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Elena Genrikhovna Guro
Author
- Born: January 10, 1877
- Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russia
- Died: April 23, 1913
- Place of death: Uusikirkko, Finland
Biography
Elena Genrikhovna Guro was the pseudonym of Eleonora von Notenberg, who was born in St Petersburg, Russia, in 1877. She started writing and painting while a very young woman and regularly combined the two activities, illustrating her own prose works. She attended the school associated with the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, completing her course work in 1903. Guro subsequently studied in the ateliers of several noted Russian artists.
Her first short story was published in 1905, and her first book of short stories, poems, plays, and art was published in 1909, the same year in which she participated in the first exhibition of her paintings. The following year she formed the group Venok, which was heavily associated with the Cubo Futurist movement. Guro was not only involved in the avant-garde on an artistic level but in her personal life as well, being the wife of the artist, composer, and musician Mikhail Matyushin.
Guro subsidized and contributed works to several literary almanacs and was favorably reviewed by the Symbolist poet and critic Viacheslav Ivanov. Although not directly influenced by poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, she showed much of his interest in the use of words for their sounds rather than their sense. However, much of her wordplay was based upon the language of children, and the child as symbol of innocence was a frequent motif in her work. Guro died of tuberculosis in 1913 while staying in her summer house in the Finnish village of Uusikirkko. A number of her works were published after her death.