Liturgy six winged Seraph 1914

Natalia Goncharova rendered this image of a six-winged Seraph in the style of a religious icon. Here, she appropriates traditional religious imagery and subjects it to the bold colors and flattened forms of modern painting. Looking at this work, it is worth considering the social position of religious art in early 20th-century Russia, a time of rapid social change and increasing secularization, when many artists were exploring themes beyond those deemed acceptable by the church or state. In icon painting, the quality of the work was directly linked to the spiritual state of the painter. Goncharova turns this on its head, asserting her own vision and artistic authority over the traditions and institutions that had previously dictated how such subjects should be depicted. To understand this artwork fully, one could look at the complex relationship between Russian religious traditions and the Russian avant-garde. By situating this image in its socio-cultural and institutional context, we can better appreciate how art both reflects and actively shapes cultural values.