Experimentf3KcnepHMeiiT, 1 (1995), 45-54. JEREMY HOWARD VOLDEMARS MA 7VE}S The society of artists known as the Union of Youth commenced its activities in St. Petersburg in 1909 and in early 1910.1 Immediately, it attracted public attention through articles in the press, the publication of its regulations together with its formal registration, and its first exhibition. Initially, its aims were far from clear and argument among founding members about which direction to follow led to an early split in the group, and, as time went by, the Union came to reflect the most diverse experimental styles, represented by David Burliuk, Pavel Filonov, Natalia Goncharova, Elena Guro, Mikhail Larionov, Kazimir Malevich, Mikhail Matiushin, Voldemars Matvejs (Fig. 9), Olga Rozanova, losif Shkolnik, Vladimir Tatlin, and many other avant-gardists. However, from the articles that appeared in the St. Petersburg newspapers, the minutes of committee meetings, and the correspondence between members that survive in the Russian Museum archive in St. Petersburg, a picture of its early development can be created. At first, the group strove to be more than a mere exhibiting society and to encourage new ideas and new talents through communal discussion. To become a member and/or exhibitor with the Union was a simple and straightforward procedure (prior exhibition experience was not a prerequisite), while access to the Union's studio and the twice weekly evenings of study and debate facilitated a healthy interchange of ideas. From the moment of its foundation, it was clear that the Union of Youth ran counter to the art establishment, welcomng innovation and experiment (Fig. 10). However, until the article below appeared in the summer of 1910 (almost simultaneously in German, Latvian, and Russian)/ the public had little idea of the specific aims of the Union of · 1 . For further informaton on the Union of Youth and Voldemars Matvejs, see j. Howard. The Union of Youth (Manchester: Manchester Univ. Press, 1992). Also see E. Kovtun, "Vladimir Mar,kov i otkrytie afrikanskogo iskusstva,• Pamiatniki kultury. Novye otkrytiia (leningrad), No.7 (1981), pp. 411-16. 2. The translation below is made from the Russian version of Matvejs' article, i.e., "Russkii Setsession (po povodu vystavki 'Soiuza molodezhi'),• Rizhskaia mysl (Riga), August 11 and 12, 1910, p. 3. The article also appeared in German in Rigasche Neueste Nachrichten (Riga), July 10, 1910 and in Latvian in }auna Dienas Lapa (Riga), july 20, 1910; Latvija (Riga), July 24, 1910); and Dzimtenes Vestnesis (Riga), July 29, 1910. Parts of "Russkii Setsession' have been published in English in Howard, The Union of Youth, p. 63 ff. 46 Experimentf3KcnepHMeHT Youth, and even then its program remained relatively obscure. Translated into English here for the first time, the essay below provides a clear summary of the goals and strategies of the Union of Youth, one of the most influential components of the Russian avant-garde. "The Russian Secession: Concerning the 'Union of Youth' Exhibition in Riga" was written by the Latvian artist Voldemars Matvejs (Hans Voldemars Yanov Matvejs [1877-1914]), now remembered more for his theoretical essays than for his paintings. Matvejs published his review at the time of the Union of Youth's .~econd exhibition in Riga (Junel3- August 8, 191 0). Matvejs, a native of Riga and a student of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, joined the Union in january 1910, coorganizing the first exhibition in St. Petersburg in early March. Subsequently, he made a considerable impact on the development of the Union, publishing a number of theoretical works under the pseudonym Vladimir Markov. Indeed, it seems certain that Matvejs motivated the group to open the second exhibition, "The Russian Secession," in Riga (a choice of title that indicated both a radical break with the older generation in Russian art and a current European fashion). Matvejs went on to develop the formal ideas that he expressed here (as, for example, in his "Principles of the New Art"),3 although, in­ creasingly, his discourse reflected a certain distance from the basic po­ sition of the Union. Indeed, this first article contrasts with the later writ­ ings in that Matvej speaks both for himself and for the Union of Youth as a whole, and in this respect, the text may be taken as the group's first manifesto. Even so, there are certain aspects, such as the references to facture and primitive art, that are peculiar to Matvejs' own vocabulary and that may not have been shared by all the members of the group. **** VOLDEMARS MATVEJS · THE RUSSIAN SECESSION: CONCERNING THE "UNION OF YOUTH" EXHIBITION IN RIGA For those who were there for the first time [the Exhibition] seemed to be wild and strange, frenzied ravings. For the uninitiated its principles of beauty, its unusual color, line and form were unintelligible. But before losing ourselves in explanations, let us try to set forth the why and the wherefore of such art in Russia. · 3. V. Markov. "Printsipy novogo iskusstva,• Soiuz molodezhi (St. Petersburg), April 1912, pp. 5-14; June, pp. 5-18. .