ticketsMember | Make a donation

Doomed City from Mystical Images of War

Natalia Goncharova French, born Russia
Publisher V. Kashin Russian
1914
Not on view
One of the earliest artistic responses to the war, Goncharova’s print series combines reflections on contemporary events, religious parables, and an apocalypse foretold (a number of scenes are derived from a seventeenth-century Russian Bible’s portrayal of Revelations). The final image, for instance, shows Christ triumphantly rising over a battlefield’s mass grave in anticipation of the dead’s ascension. Doomed City—in which angels less benign than those in Christian Host hurl boulders at a town below—also has a Biblical source. Although the scene is filled with contemporary buildings and factories (indicated by the smokestacks in the background), the title and events evoke the Old Testament destruction of the wicked and condemned city of Babylon.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Doomed City from Mystical Images of War
  • Artist: Natalia Goncharova (French (born Russia), Nagaevo 1881–1962 Paris)
  • Printer: T-va I. N. Kushnerev i Ko.
  • Publisher: V. Kashin (Russian, active early 20th century)
  • Date: 1914
  • Medium: Lithograph
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 12 1/2 x 9 in. (31.8 x 22.9 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
  • Object Number: 2007.49.581
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Weibliche Halbfigur (Half-Length Female Figure)
Natalia Goncharova
1922
Des Fleurs
Natalia Goncharova
La Cible
1919
Costume Design for Manka, for 'Bogatyri Ballet' (The Ballet of the Epic Heroes), premiered in New York, 1938, Natalia Goncharova French, born Russia, Gouache, watercolor, graphite
Costume Design for Manka, for 'Bogatyri Ballet' (The Ballet of the Epic Heroes), premiered in New York, 1938
Natalia Goncharova
[1938]
Costume Design for a Peasant Woman in 'Les Noces' (The Wedding), performed at the Théâtre Gaîte-Lyrîqué in Paris, 1923, Natalia Goncharova French, born Russia, Graphite and watercolor
Costume Design for a Peasant Woman in 'Les Noces' (The Wedding), performed at the Théâtre Gaîte-Lyrîqué in Paris, 1923
Natalia Goncharova
[1923]
Costume Design for the Ballet 'Coq d'Or', premiered at the Théâtre national de l’Opéra in Paris, 1924, Natalia Goncharova French, born Russia, Gouache
Costume Design for the Ballet 'Coq d'Or', premiered at the Théâtre national de l’Opéra in Paris, 1924
Natalia Goncharova
[1924]

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Natalia Goncharova - Doomed City from Mystical Images of War - The Metropolitan Museum of Art