Konstantin Andreevich Somov

New York, Grand Central Palace, The Russian Art Exhibition, 1924, no. 699

Igor Grabar, The Russian Art Exhibition, Grand Central Palace, New York, 1924, no. 699

This painting is in lovely condition. It is painted on canvas board. The paint layer is clean and lightly varnished. There are no visible retouches and it is recommended that the picture be hung as is. 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.
"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."

The majority of Somov's landscapes date to his early career, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Such works exemplify his precise brushstroke and his eye for color, as well as his careful study of the paintings of Russian Itinerant artists, including Zhukovsky and Vinogradov. After co-founding Mir Iskusstva, Somov became increasingly inspired by Symbolism and his landscapes were more expressive and less naturalistic; they often suggested the influence of Arkhip Kuindzhi. The present picture is a rare example of Somov's return to landscape painting in the 1920s, and the work exhibits the same fine detail that appears in Somov's flamboyant representations of 18th century courtship.

Somov utilized a broad range of greens to define the delicate qualities of light reflected in the leaves of the trees, and an equal range of browns to define the abstracted, Kuindzhi-esque shadows cast on the ground below. He also employed incredible precision in depicting the iron railing in the background, and he captured with perfection the impression of light reflecting off the surface of the canal.

Somov painted Study of Trees in 1923, the year before he traveled to New York to participate in The Russian Art Exhibition at Grand Central Palace, which he helped Christian Brinton and Igor Grabar to organize. He spent the latter part of 1923 traveling throughout Western Europe on his way to America. It is difficult to determine exactly where he executed Study of Trees, but it is very possible the study is a view of one of the many canals in St. Petersburg.