Oleg Vassiliev, b. 1931

Private Collection, New York

Ye. Petrova, N. Kolodzei et al., Oleg Vassiliev. Memory Speaks; Themes and Variations, Palace Editions, St Petersburg, p. 155 (illustrated)

Originla canvas which is a little slack on the stretcher. There is a layer of light surface dirt and a few very minor chips along the edges. No apparent retouching is visible under ultraviolet light. Held in a simple black painted 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."

Oleg Vassiliev was one of the leading figures in the Russian "unofficial" art movement. His art combines the traditions of Russian Realism of the nineteenth century with the Russian avant-garde of the beginning of the twentieth century. Vassiliev's principal themes, which developed while he was still in Russia before his emigration to New York and which continue to the present day, are his memories of home and houses, roads, forests, fields, friends and family. The artist himself has described his work as an attempt to "combine the energetic space of the painting ... with the depiction (as realistic as possible) of the subjective world." Vasiliev's landscape is a combination of the Russian landscape and contemporary means of expression. In the Field (Abramtsevo) is reminiscent of photographs in that it captures what was once seen, revives memories of reality and the artist's experience and at the same time renders the true beauty of nature in all the diversity of its changing states. 

In the words of Natalia Kolodzei, the offered lot is 'characterised by the complexity in composition of colours and the variable density of the paint, the combination and juxtaposition of thick and thin strokes, and the application of a light source... It is the combination of the traditional landscape and the new treatment of space and light that makes Vasiliev's work unique' (Natalia Kolodzei 'The Landscape of Memory and the Question of Identity' in Oleg Vassiliev. Memory Speaks; Themes and Variations, Palace Editions, St Petersburg, p. 9)