Alexei Petrovich Bogoliubov, 1824-1896

The sale of the estate of Albert Bloch of Lavallois, Montmorency;
Galerie E. Fabius, Paris;
W.C. Potter, London (acquired from the above on 15th November 1919);
Acquired from the above by the parents of the current owner in circa 1950

Alexei Bogoliubov, one of Russia’s foremost landscape and maritime painters, served in the navy after graduating from a military school. He studied at the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg from 1849, where he was a pupil of Maxim Vorobev and Bogdan Villevalde. Just like his teachers, Bogoliubov made great use of light to enhance his traditional panoramic views, an approach which is evident in this spectacular Venetian view.

 Bogoliubov visited Venice on numerous occasions during his travels. He was captivated by the city and painted it several times in 1856. These works are all executed in an academic style characterised by a low horizon and dark outlines of the buildings set against the brighter coloured evening sky. The chosen subject-matter and treatment of the light and shadow in the offered lot are reminiscent of the marine views painted by Ivan Aivazovsky. The two artists met before Bogoliubov enrolled in the Academy of Arts and became good friends. The young artist was impressed by Aivazovsky’s dramatic use of colour: … the first time I saw such brilliant colours it made me forget even Turner..
Bogoliubov’s technique in these works reveals a pre-Impressionist influence. The artist deliberately blurs his subject in order to showcase the beauty of the chosen colour scheme. The muted tones evocative of the Romantic tradition in combination with exceptional draughtsmanship make View of Venice a superlative example of Bogoliubov’s maritime scenes.