Vasily Ivanovich Shukhaev

Collection of Ae J.L. McDonnell
Private Collection, Sydney

Sydney, Macquarie Galleries, Schoukhaeff & Jacovleff, July 1929
Sydney, University of Sydney, Ae J.F. McDonnell Collection, May 1936
Sydney, National Art Gallery of New South Wales, Special Exhibition of Contemporary British & Continental Artists, October-December 1938
Sydney, Contemporary Art Society Loan Exhibition, 1950

Art in Australia, May 15, 1936, p. 29, illustrated

This painting on canvas board is in very healthy condition. The canvas board appears to be as it was originally; the canvas was laid down on the board prior to the artist painting the picture. The paint layer is slightly dirty but seems to be unvarnished for the most part, and in lovely condition with no damages or retouches. There are small spots of dirt in the quay side in the lower right and a few specks of dirt in the sky. Overall however the condition is very good and the picture could 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."

Vasily Shukhaev left Russia in the early 1920s and, following the path of many Russian artists including his close friend Alexander Iacovleff, he ultimately settled in Paris. Cassis was painted soon after his emigration and is one of a series of works the artist executed in the Provence port town. This beautifully interpreted landscape depicts the Chateau de Cassis, a medieval castle built circa 1380 upon a dramatic hill overlooking the waterfront. Shukhaev's light palette and painterly style fuse to render the atmosphere of this scene in exquisite detail; he employs oil paint as if it were pastel, manipulating its texture to create a softening effect, perfect for capturing the gentle qualities of light specific to the South of France. At once romantic yet strikingly realistic, the composition epitomizes the artistic method espoused by Dmitry Kardovsky, Shukhaev's teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, who favored faithful representation over formal experimentation.

The present lot was discovered during a house clearance in Canberra, Australia. Its extensive history is well documented, as it was once in the collection of important arts patron Ae J.L. McDonnell. The work was exhibited widely, including at the University of Sydney in 1936, when it was reproduced in Art in Australia.