Background
Nikolai Kulbin was born on May 2, 1868 in Helsinki, Finland.
Nikolai Kulbin was born on May 2, 1868 in Helsinki, Finland.
Kulbin entered S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy in 1887 and studied there until 1892. Three years later, in 1895, he attained Doctor of Medicine degree from the Clinic of Professor F.I. Pasternatsky for dissertation on alcoholism.
Nikolai Kulbin started his career as a lecturer in 1893 at the St. Petersburg Military-Medical Attendants' School, publishing several scientific articles during the period from 1896 to 1907. He also worked as a surgeon at the Russian Army Headquarters between 1903 and 1917.
Between 1908 and 1910, Kulbin was in the centre of the avant-garde scene in St. Petersburg, arguing that all objects in the world were alive and that life itself was based on the universal principles of harmony and dissonance. He took up art in 1908 at the age of forty, organising the Exhibition of Modern Trends in Art in May, which was the first ever show of avant-garde art in St. Petersburg.
The same year, in 1908, Nikolai founded Triangle: The Art and Psychology Group, that exhibited as the "Impressionists", holding four exhibitions between 1908 and 1910 in St. Petersburg and Vilna (nowadays Vilnius) and giving many young artists their first opportunity to show their works. The same year, in 1910, he established "Theatre Intime" together with Vsevolod Emilevich Meyerhold.
The painter founded the groups ARS alliance in 1911.
In 1912 Kulbin worked as a stage designer for Vsevolod Meyerhold’s Terioki summer theatre. He held the same post at the Queen of Spades Theatre in December 1913 - January 1914. Nikolai also helped Boris Pronin to establish the Stray Dog cabaret.
Nikolai Kulbin organised and participated in many avant-garde exhibitions in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vilnius, Baku, lectured on art theory and published numerous articles on the subject. He also illustrated several Futurist and theatre books.
During the period from 1913 to 1914 Kulbin gave lectures on Futurism.
It was Kulbin who arranged Filippo Tommaso Marinetti's visit to Russia in 1914. The following year, Nikolai was appointed an Active State Councillor.
Self Portrait
The Artists
Portrait of Michail Kuzmin
Flight to the Egypt
Portrait of Vsevolod Meyerhold
Portrait of the Actress of "Ancient Theatre" F. Glinskaya
Portrait of Nikolai Evreinov
Portrait of David Burliuk
Portrait of Velimir Khlebnikov
Flowers
Portrait of F. T. Marinetti
Portrait of Sergei Sudeikin
Illustration to 'Bobeobi' by Khlebnikov
Sunbath
Sea Sight
Cover for the Collection by Kruchienykh and Khlebnikov 'Te Li Le'
Mimosa
Nikolai Kulbin was convinced, that the physical action of the universal movement of colour or sound served as outer stimuli, that caused psychical effects in the spectator’s brain. Kulbin declared harmony and dissonance to be basic principles of art.