Aleksandr Volkov

Yakov Evseevich Rubenstein, Russia
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner, circa 1981

Tallinn, Fine Art Museum of the Republic of Estonia, Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings and Watercolours by Russian Artists of the first third of the Twentieth Century from the collection of Ya.E. Rubenstein and T.S. Zhegalova, 1966 (travelling exhibition, visiting Moscow, Novosibirsk, Alma-Ata and Lvov among others)

Exhibition catalogue Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings and Watercolours by Russian Artists of the first third of the Twentieth Century from the collection of Ya.E. Rubenstein and T.S. Zhegalova, Alma-Ata, 1967, p.8

Original canvas, with painted portrait on reverse (please refer to the printed catalogue for image). The canvas is slightly uneven in places and there is some light surface dirt and a few very minor surface scratches. There is a vertical line of minor paint loss on the right hand side and a few minor flecks of paint loss elsewhere near the edges. UV light reveals no apparent signs of retouching, but an uneven layer of varnish prevents a more conclusive examination. Held in a simple wooden frame. Unexamined out of frame.
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The present work was executed circa 1921-1923. The reverse features a Portrait of a Woman, completed by Volkov while studying in Kiev, circa 1912-1916. 

Caravan is a stunning example of the chaotic beauty that so often defines Alexander Volkov's oeuvre. Considered one of the founders of the 'Oriental avant-garde', Volkov was greatly influenced by the Western artistic movements of Cubism, Futurism and Suprematism and used these techniques to depict the kaleidoscopic colours and local rituals of his native Uzbekistan. The result is a body of work that spins dramatically between East and West, incorporating elements of primitivism and religious iconography, not unlike the work of Natalia Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov.  The art historian Alexei Sidorov commented in 1923: 'Some of [Volkov's] works, by their rich colours and rhythm provide a description of the East which cannot be found elsewhere. His art is European and leftist in form. In many works there is more Paris than Tashkent, more Matisse and Picasso than an Eastern carpet.'

After graduating from the Kiev School of Arts in 1916, Volkov settled in Tashkent, and his works from the late 1910s and 1920s reflect a focused passion for his homeland and its culture. In the present work the hot, red colors of the East combine with the geometric planes of Cubism to evoke a sense of pulsating, dynamic motion. Volkov's layering of shapes and colours recalls stained glass window techniques; within the bold outlines we make out the shapes of camels and scorching desert. In the words of John Bowlt, Volkov conjures 'the timeless firmament above and the endless expanse of the wilderness below where man had relinqished power to the divine'. (J.Bowlt, A Silken Whirlwind of Unbridled Colors).

We would like to thank Andrey Volkov, grandson of the artist, for providing additional catalogue information. The offered lot forms part of a collection presented in the Russian Paintings Day Sale, lots 180-189.