Lot 201
  • 201

Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
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Description

  • Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova
  • Set Design of a Tavern for Espagne or Triana
  • signed in Latin l.r.; further numbered 139 on a label l.l.
  • gouache, pencil and collage on card
  • 57 by 77.5cm, 22 1/2 by 30 1/2 in.
  • Executed circa 1916

Provenance

Lefebvre-Foinet Collection

Condition

The edges are slightly uneven. There is a layer of surface dirt and the sheet has discoloured in places. Held in a simple white wooden frame behind plexiglass. 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."

Catalogue Note

For Natalia Goncharova, an artist who had emigrated almost by accident and who remained spiritually rooted in Russia, Spain was a revelation: 'I love Spain. It seems to me that out of all the countries I have visited, this is the only one where there is some hidden energy. This is very close to Russia…'. The passion and mysticism of the ancient Moorish and gypsy cultures of Spain had much more in common with Byzantine Russia than secular France or the Protestant North.'

In the summer of 1916, Sergei Diaghilev was in San Sebastián for the Ballets Russes season when he had the idea to stage two Spanish ballets: Triana, to be set to the music of Isaac Albeniz and Espagne to Maurice Ravel’s Rhapsodie espagnole. Between 1916 and 1919 Goncharova produced numerous studies, costume and set designs for both ballets and some of the costumes were made up. Espagne made it as far as rehearsals in Rome in the autumn of 1916 but neither ballet was ever staged. This did not stop her from exhibiting the unrealised designs and they would cement her reputation as one of the greatest stage designers of the day. With the success of her designs for Le Coq d’or and the unrealised ones for Liturgie Goncharova had made a name for herself with imaginative interpretations of scenes from Russian folklore, using the stylistic characteristics of traditional peasant crafts and the lubok, but the Spanish ballet work was to broaden her appeal significantly.

Very few designs for the Spanish ballets are inscribed with attributions and for those without it is almost impossible to attribute them to one or other production. This is due in part to the fact that neither ballet was plot driven, rather centred on the theme of Spanish dances, but also because Goncharova’s method was to work on productions simultaneously with each project informing the other and elements of design would often resurface.

Spain was a catalyst for change in Goncharova’s art and the impression it made on her was to have a profound influence on much of her output over the next two decades. Despite the fact that neither ballet made it to the stage her work was not wasted, for the material she gathered over these three years was to provide an endless source of inspiration and inform her work for many years to come.