Mikhail Vasilievich Nesterov

Acquired by the mother of the present owner in the 1920s

New York, Grand Central Palace, The Russian Art Exhibition, 1924, cat.no.551

C.Brinton and I.Grabar, The Russian Art Exhibition catalogue, listed as no.551 A Lonely Woman

Original canavs. There are faint stretcher marks along all the edges. The paint surface is quite dirty. UV light reveals spots of retouching to the trees and elsewhere. Held in a painted wooden frame. Unexamined out of frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

As Irina Nikonova comments in her monograph on the artist, the early 1920s was a period of "withdrawal and detachment" for Nesterov. Evidently he was deeply affected by the national and private upheavals of recent years:  "So many unexpected events have taken place, our lives have changed to such a great extent, mine in particular, that it is hard to know where to begin' (letter to A.Turygin, 2 June 1921). Several friends had emigrated, or, like Korovin, Maliavin and Pasternak, would leave by 1923; unions such as the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia were beginning to proclaim their nationalistic programmes, and in his correspondence the elderly artist frequently referred to material hardships and 2concerns over his daily bread" (letter to A.Turygin, 23 February 1921).

Yet this period of struggle and introspection saw the completion of some of Nesterov's most powerful contemplative works, including his famous The Thinker (1922, The State Russian Museum, fig.1), a portrait of the philosopher Ivan Ilyin. The discovery of a second highly meditative work from the same year provides a fascinating feminine counterpart to the work in the Russian Museum. A Lonely Woman may have been painted at Vasily Baksheev's dacha in Dubki where Nesterov spent the summer of 1922, working 8 or 9 hours a day; his letters at the time reveal his ever-reflective state of mind: "My thoughts have long strayed either towards paintings or the vanity of life, constantly distracting me and driving me to oblivion. All my life it has been like this and will remain so until the final hour" (letter to A.Turygin, 2 June 1922).

The image of a young woman in a moment of private contemplation is one of his most enduring subjects, from his memorable On the Hills (The Museum of Russian Art, Kiev) to his later Loneliness (1934, Shreter Collection, Moscow). The offered lot is a classic evocation of his creed of poeticised realism, and was one of nine paintings he chose to send to the 1924 New York exhibition.