Anna Petrovna Ostroumova-Lebedeva

Arthur F. Hamann, Riga and Germany

Original canvas, which is slightly undulated in the lower half. The canvas is thin in a small area above the lefthand figures and in one or two places elsewhere. There is a layer surface dirt and lines of craquelure in places. UV light reveals no apparent signs of retouching. Held in a simple black 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."

In the autumn of 1916 Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva was travelling with her husband to Batumi from Kislovodsk. En route the couple were persuaded by her husband's company, Blaugaz, to stop over in Baku to examine the site intended for a new oil refinery.  Ostroumova-Lebedeva was taken aback by the lyrical composition of the endless groups of oil rigs, which she originally mistook for copses of cypresses in a field, "as though engrossed in friendly discussion." (A.P. Ostroumova-Lebedeva, Autobiographical Notes 1900-1916, Moscow, Leningrad: Iskusstvo, 1945 p. 172) The quixotic error inspired an extraordinary series of Baku paintings, several of which are now in the State Tretyakov Gallery collection. "The vibrant, smoky towers against the dark blue skies, the deep shadows on the ground, the bright sea beyond and murky reflections of the barns on the green earth - everything was incredibly picturesque and excited me as an artist." (A.P. Ostroumova-Lebedeva, Autobiographical Notes  1900-1916, Moscow, Leningrad: Iskusstvo, 1945 p.172)

As Suslov writes in his monograph on the artist, "She was struck by the inhumanity and the shadowy Romanticism of it all. In her studies, awesome and semi-fantastical scenes emerge. Dark towers are silhouetted against a bright sky and throw their dim and shapeless shadows on the ground, cinnamon-brown from all the oil and dirt; steam and smoke waft upwards from somewhere unclear, while great puddles of oil glisten brightly beneath the towers. The pictures are imbued with a sense of alarm and trepidation. As with her Spanish studies, they are painted freely, with generalised forms and colour. The mood expressed by these Baku studies are characteristic of a number of Ostroumova's late pre-revolutionary works' (idem p.172).

The present work may well have been exhibited in the Mir iskusstva exhibitions of 1916 and 1917 in which Ostroumova-Lebedeva exhibited several views of Baku and the surrounding landscape (see Studies, sketches and drawings, Mir iskusstva, 22 October – 21 November 1916, St Petersburg, no.143-156, and Mir iskusstva, 22 December 1916 – 2 February 1917, Moscow, no.141-149).

Одни как будто бы дружески беседовали между собой, чуть склонив друг к другу свои верхужки, подмигивая глазами.

'Пестрые, закопченные вышки на яркосинем небе, на земле глубокие тени от них, мелькающее между ними светлое море и мутные отражения на зеленоватой поверхности амбаров - всё было необыкновенно живописно и волновало меня как художника...'

 

Увиденное поражает её своей античеловечностью и мрачноватой романтикой. В её этюдах встают грозные, почти полуфантастические картины - вышки, мрачным силуэтом рисующиеся на светлом небе и отбрасывающие темные бесформенные тени на коричнево-бурую от нефти и гризи землю; клубы пара и дыма, поднимающиеся неведомо откуда; огромные лужи нефти, отливающие тяжелым блеском среди обступившых их вышек. Тревогой и беспокойством веет от этих листов. Как и Испанские этюды, они сделаны широко и свободно, с упрощением и обобщением формы и цвета. Настроение, выраженное в бакинских этюдах, характерно для ряда произведений Остроумовой последних предреволюционных лет.