Yuri Ivanovich Pimenov

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The tacking edges of this canvas have been reinforced, yet the canvas itself is unlined. The paint layer is most likely slightly dirty and seems to be un-retouched. The varnish has blanched slightly, in the background particularly, there are a few losses in the pink pigment of the hanging cloth by the onions and another small loss in the lower left corner. The remainder of the paint layer is stable and in excellent state. Attempts should be made to clean the picture carefully, but it is a delicate paint layer so care must be exercised.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Yuri Pimenov studied art from 1920 to 1925 at VKhUTEMAS (Higher Art-Technical Studios) under S.V. Maliutin and V.A. Favorsky. Pimenov's realism was founded on a training strongly influenced by modernism, and in his early works the influence of German Expressionism is most pronounced. In 1924, Pimenov took part in the First Discussional Exhibition of Associations of Revolutionary Art, and the following year became a founding member of OST (Society of Easel Painters), established by a group of VKhUTEMAS graduates. The members of OST sought to develop a new representational language distinguished by simplicity, dynamic composition, and clarity of drawing. The society's favorite themes were industrialization, sports activities, and urban life. However, by the time of the fourth (and last) OST exhibition in 1928, many official Soviet art critics criticized the work of its members, including Pimenov, for the private, hermetic nature of their paintings, asserting that OST artists spoke the language of the "out-of-touch Soviet intellectual."

By the 1930s, Pimenov turned to producing, in his words, "lyrical and optimistic art." In 1937, he painted one of his most famous works, New Moscow, which glorifies the reconstructed city center and the emancipated Soviet woman driving a car. Similar to New Moscow, the present lot is characterized by an impressionistic brushwork, one of the leading aspects of Pimenov's mature style. Seeking to replace the objective notation of observed reality with a more subjective, emotional response, Pimenov employs broken brushstrokes to capture the effect of ever-changing light. A neutral gray makes its neighboring colors more saturated and intense. The shimmering colors infuse this still life with lightness and elegance.