 Burlyuk David Davidovich
1882, the Semirotovshina khutor of Kharkov province. - 1967, Long Island, USA
The poet, artist, one of founders of the Russian futurism
He was born on July 9, in the Semirotovshina khutor of the Kharkov province in the Cossack family. His father sold farm and worked as a manager in
different estates, therefore the family frequently moved from place to place, and Burlyuk studied in gymnasias of different cities: Sumy, Tambov and Tver.
Since he was ten years old Burlyuk had been interested in painting, in 1898-1899 he studied at Kazan and Odessa art schools. In 1902-1905 Burlyuk
studied painting at the Munich Royal Academy of Arts. He participated in art exhibitions in Russia and abroad.
On his return to Russia, Burlyuk became close with the left artists and participated in art exhibitions. In 1909-1910 Burlyuk united the young poets and artists who repudiated aesthetics of symbolism. They searched for new ways to develop poetry and art. Later they will name themselves the futurists. About that time Burlyuk met Mayakovsky (since 1910 Burlyuk, as well as Mayakovsky, studied in the Moscow Art School) who named him "his real teacher".
Burlyuk's energy, his organizing abilities and initiative helped to establish a new poetic school. In the collection "Slap in the Face to Public Taste" (1912) he called to reject classical traditions (he proposed
"to throw Pushkin, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy from the Steamship of the Modernity"). Furious attacks on the collection followed, thus only increased interest to the new school.
In the same years Burlyuk lectured on the principles of
futurism in poetry and cubism in painting. In 1914 Mayakovsky and Burlyuk were expelled from the art school "because of participation in public debates".
Burljuk believed: "True work of art can be compared to the accumulator from which energy of electric suggestions proceeds. Each work is marked, as
in the theatrical act, with the determined hours for admiration and viewing. Many works contain stocks of aesthete - energy for long period".
Burlyuk's pictures and drawings are scattered all over the world in museums and private collections. "Father of the Russian futurism", Burljuk actively participated in performances of futurists and was their theorist, poet, artist and critic.
V.V.Mayakovsky recollected: "My real teacher, Burlyuk made me a poet... He gave me 50 kopecks daily. So I could write without starving ".
During the First World War Burlyuk was not drafted to the front, since he did not have one eye. He lived in Moscow, published poetry, cooperated in
newspapers and painted pictures.
During 1918-1920 he traveled over Ural, Siberia and the Far East.
In 1920 Burlyuk immigrated to Japan where he lived two years, studying culture of the East and continued to paint pictures.
In 1922 Burlyuk settled in the USA. Together with his wife Burlyuk published collections, brochures and magazines, which were distributed through friends
mainly in the USSR. His memoirs about futurism and V.V.Mayakovsky have a great value. He continued to write and paint pictures and published magazine "Color and Rhyme ".
In 1956 Burlyuk visited the Soviet Union.
He died on January 15, 1967 in USA.
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