Petr Petrovich Konchalovsky, 1876-1956

The family of the artist

Moscow, State Tretyakov Gallery, First Solo Exhibition of Petr Konchalovsky, 1922, Cat. No.118

Moscow, P.P.Konchalovsky v Abramtseve, 1977, Ex.Cat.52

K.Frolova, Konchalovsky. Tvorcheskoe nasledie, Moscow, 1964, listed p.102 as Portrait of the artist Leonard Mikhailovich Buniatyan  
Ex.Cat. P.P.Konchalovsky in Abramtsevo, 1977, No.52

The canvas has been strip lined and there appears to be a join to the original canvases along the right hand side of the reverse. The paint surface is a little dirty and there are fine lines of craquelure where the paint has been applied most thickly. Examination under uv light reveals retouching to the paint surface a logn the joins and also suggests a join along the lower edge of the work, along which there is also some retouching. There are further flecks of retouching in places elsewhere, mainly confind to the very edges of the work. Hel din a simple 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."

This impressive, three quarter-length portrait of the artist Levon Mikhailovich Buniatyan (1899-1972), or Leonard Benatov as he became known in emigration, encapsulates the essence of Konchalovsky's post-revolutionary portraiture.

 

The offered work was executed in Konchalovsky's studio, with the sitter shown against a wall of canvases. Benatov engages the viewer's gaze directly and intensely, his dynamic presence emphasised through the slight twist in his posture and the bold, flat brushstrokes with which Konchalovsky depicts him. He is presented as a young man in the prime of life, his bare upper torso suggesting a certain element of untamed primitive instinct, underscored by the fact that his figure is barely contained inside the close-cropped edges of the composition.

 

Stylistically the offered work shares many similarities with the cycle of works completed at Abramtsevo, where this portrait was also executed. The series, consisting mainly of landscapes but often featuring the figures of nude bathers in the tradition of European Classicism, was painted from 1919-21 and marks a move away from the still life genre which dominated Konchalovsky's output until this time.  In his monograph from 1923, the art historian P.Muratov argues that Konchalovsky's works from this period can be perceived as preparation for a new direction in his painting: all its elements are there even up his basic experiments with composition.

 

Konchalovsky began to feel restricted by the 'psychological' portrait, which limited him to the representation of one person's inner world. Explaining his shift from the personal, to a more comprehensive approach, Konchalovsky wrote,

            "I always aim to find my subject's style and to open it out into something common to all mankind, because I value not an external likeness but rather the artistry of an image". With this aim in mind he was particularly inspired by Renaissance portraitists such as Rembrandt, "because of their ability to paint eternally arresting portraits of completely unknown people".

 

Benatov and studied under Konchalovsky from 1918-1921 in the State Free Art Workshops, before leaving Russia to settle permanently in France a year later.