Robert Rafaelovich Falk

Private Collection, Paris (gift from the artist, circa 1930s)

This painting is in lovely condition. The canvas is un-lined but the tacking edges have been reinforced to allow for a more secure stretching. The stretcher is original. The canvas is a little wavy and there is some unevenness to the surface, yet this is not disturbing and if desired, the canvas could be carefully relaxed without lining. The paint layer is stable, clean and varnished. There are no retouches visible under ultraviolet light, even though some of the more transparent colors read brightly under. The condition is almost perfect and the picture should 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."

Myrrha Frankfurt, the late owner of the following six important lots, was of Russian descent but travelled extensively and spent some time in Paris and Germany before finally settling in New York in the 1950s. Married in the late 1920s to prominent Russian film director Fyodor Otzep, her social circle included such influential musicians and artists as Mstislav Rostropovich, Sergei Soudeikine and Robert Falk. Frankfurt welcomed Falk into her home in 1930s, when he was still struggling to establish himself in Paris. In return for her hospitality, he gave her the paintings offered here. She also received her paintings from Soudeikine as gifts.

Robert Falk, known as the Russian Cézanne, looked primarily to the French Post-Impressionists for influence, furthering Russian Neo-Primitivism through experimentations with Cézannism, Fauvism and Cubism. Falk himself was a founding member of the avant-garde group Jack of Diamonds, a society whose membership included young, innovative artists such as Alexandra Exter, David Burliuk and Natalia Goncharova. As the group developed, various members abandoned it because of its reliance on Western modernist models, but Falk persisted in spite of the opposition. He later left Russia in 1928 and settled in France for the following ten years, where Frankfurt's patronage was an important support as he continued to develop his evolving painterly style.

Two Women Sitting Among Trees is a particularly strong example of the influence of Cézanne's Post-Impressionistic style on Falk's oeuvre. Using rapidly executed brushstrokes and a limited palette, Falk breaks down the forms, very nearly embedding the figures in the landscape. By doing so, he uniquely stills the composition; his frenetic brushwork enchantingly translates into a scene of leisure and tranquility.