Ivan Pavlovich Pokhitonov

A gift from the artist to his sister, Anastasia Lazarevich, Belgium
Private Collection

Liège, Cercle des Beaux-Arts, Ivan Pokitonow, 16 April - 30 April 1910, no.60 

Exhibition catalogue Ivan Pokitonow, Cercle des Beaux-Arts, Liège, 1910, no.60, Entrée d'un jardin à Trou-Louette - Effet de neige

The board is slightly warped. There are small areas of paint loss to the lower right corner and in places along the bottom edge. There are fine lines of craquelure. UV light reveals very minor infilling to the top left corner and a couple of very minor spots elsewhere. Held in a simple black painted wooden frame. There are some losses to the frame around the edges.
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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."

Ivan Pokhitonov and his family were based in Minsk from 1901 but, fearful of the political situation in Russia, they returned to Belgium in 1906. The gardens and alleys of Jupille were among Pokhitonov's favourite subjects of which he never tired. The years spent in Russia allowed Pokhitonov to work on his depictions of winter light, and in the present work the snow-lined branches create a superb impression of snow that is both heavy and light at the same time. In the background is Les Houlpaix, a recurring subject in his paintings. The glare of the sun on the snow lends the composition an atmosphere of rare and subtle beauty, reinforced by touches of yellow, pink, red and blue. Pokhitonov painted a second version of this landscape from the same viewpoint during the summer (fig. 1). A comparison of the two reveals how his 'sorcerer's' brush was able to transform the charming colours of summer into this extraordinarily delicate semi-impressionist, semi-abstract painting. While Pokhitonov returned to his favourite views time and again in an attempt to record subtle changes in their appearance, Entrance to a Garden in Trou-Louette is a rare example of a familiar subject treated in a radically different way, and which demonstrates once again the multifaceted talents of this great artist.

We are grateful to Olivier Bertrand for providing this catalogue note. The offered lot will be included in his forthcoming catalogue raisonné on Ivan Pokhitonov.