Order the catalogue			With Popova, Udaltsova attended the Acádemie de la Palette in Paris, quickly assimilating the principles of Cubism from Henri Le Fauconnier and Jean Metzinger. That the two apprentices responded similarly to their lessons is clear from a comparison of Udaltsova's Composition and Popova's Composition with Figures, both 1913, which, with their faceting, foreshortening, and ecomony of color, are precise and rigorous exercises in the Cubist syntax. Udaltsova's many renderings of guitars and restaurants are also gestures to this primary passion. Cubism remained paramount for Udaltsova and even though she studied the constructive art of Vladimir Tatlin and recognized the contributions of Kazimir Malevich, she gave comparatively scant attention to the possibilities of abstract painting. This might explain Udaltsova's allegiance to the Jack of Diamonds group (she made her debut at its 1914 exhibition) which, throughout the 1910s, emphasized the importance of Paul Cézanne and Pablo Picasso.
			Udaltsova remained loyal to the primacy of studio painting, resisting the pressures–especially in the wake of the October Revolution–to adjust the fine arts to the applied or utilitarian. While she did make Suprematist designs for textiles and taught textile design at Vkhutemas and the Textile Institute in Moscow, she continued to concentrate on Cubist compositions–and it was these that attracted attention at the First Russian Art Exhibition in Berlin in 1922.
			Top: At the Piano, 1915. Oil on canvas, 107 x 89 cm. Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of Collection Société Anonyme. © Estate of Nadezhda Udaltsova/Licensed by VAGA, New York, N.Y.	Bottom: Alexandra Exter in front of Udaltsova's paintings at the exhibition The Store, Moscow, 1916