Edvard Arkadievich Steinberg, b.1937

Eduard Steinberg's work is representative of Russian metaphysical painting of the 1970s. The artist considers Malevich to be a decisive influence and in his art seeks 'to combine a mystical idea of the Russian Symbolism of the 1910s and the plastic ideas of Russian Suprematism'. Steinberg began his career drawing live models and landscapes. Later he switched to ''metaphysical still lifes'' exemplified by light tones and forms soaring in space which was typical of the original Suprematism. By reducing Malevich's sharp colour contrasts, Steinberg created melancholic images reminiscent of avant-garde art.

Edward Steinberg was born in Moscow to the family of the poet, translator, and artist A. A. Steinberg, who was arrested under the Stalinist regime. He spent his youth with his family in Tarusa, a small town 130km outside of Moscow, where his father was allowed to settle after his release from prison. Steinberg's years in Tarusa, a stronghold of old Russian culture, was central to his future development as an artist. Steinberg helped his parents working in a piscatorial artel. He had no professional artistic education but studied painting independently by copying the works of important figures such as Vrubel and Van Gogh, as well as painting the Tarusan landscape, still lifes, and portraits. In 1962, he moved to Moscow and took an active part in the nonconformists movement.

The offered lot belongs to Steinberg's White period, which lasted from 1970 to 1985. As the name suggests, during this time, the artist used the technique of painting 'white on white' characterised by flat surfaces, symbolic triangles, circles, soft and straight lines. There are no broken or twisted lines, the imagery is very clean and the painting creates an impression of light and peacefulness.