Mikhail Demianov

View of St Petersburg is a superb example of Demianov’s rich palette and strong sense of line, influenced perhaps by the work of Sergei Sudeikin whom he encountered at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he studied between 1892 and 1903 under Isaac Levitan. The interwoven branches of the trees, the mosaic-like elements and glowing palette also combine elements of Abram Manievich and Isaak Brodsky’s early cityscapes.

Between 1910 and 1912, Demianov received an academic scholarship to study in Europe among the best galleries of Rome, Venice, Paris and Amsterdam. Popular with the general public, Demianov’s works were widely reproduced on contemporary postcards and his paintings are found in major collections including the State Russian Museum. He settled in St Petersburg on his return, where he was granted a posthumous exhibition in 1914.