(movement, 1910's)
Rayonism (Cubo-Futurism) represents one of the first steps toward the development of abstract art in Russia and was founded by Mikhail F. Larionov and his wife Natalia Goncharova. Rayonism was described as "naturally encompassing all existing styles and forms of the art of the past, as they, like life, are simply points of departure for a Rayonist perception and construction of a picture". The central feature of Rayonism is the "crossing of reflected rays from various objects;" to this end, its most powerful tools are color and line. Although short-lived, Rayonism proved to be a crucial step in the development of Russian abstract art. As Larionov said, it represented the "true freeing of art" from the former "realistic" conventions that had so "oppressed" the artistic community.
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