Sergei Arsenievich Vinogradov

A gift from the artist's widow to the family of the present owner in the 1940s

Possibly Paris, Galeries d'Alignan, Exposition d'art russe, 1931, nos.314 or 315

Original canvas. There is craquelure throughout the composition which is slightly raised in places. The canvas is slightly warped in places and there are faint stretcher bar marks, most notably along the upper edge. There is a light covering of surface dirt and some discolouration of the varnish layer. Examination under UV light reveals very minor areas of scattered retouching throughout the composition. Held in a painted wooden frame. Unexamined out of frame.
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Each summer, the monastery received scores of pilgrims who travelled on foot from far and wide. It was particularly famed for the miracle-working icon of the Dormition which attracted the blind and sick with its reported healing properties.

In the present lot Vinogradov depicts a group of beggars standing at the gates in Petrovsky Tower, at the very entrance to the monastery complex. His skilful use of colour brings the architecture to life, the faithfully observed lilac shadows contrast with the whitewashed walls of the gates. Just visible at the top of the composition is the icon of the Hodegetria Mother of God, richly decorated with pearls and precious stones and the painted inscription, a verse from Psalms, which reads 'The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob'.

With the addition of figures of monks, beggars and the faithful, Vinogradov transforms these documentary depictions into charming genre scenes. In the foreword to his album, Sinaisky praises Vinogradov’s paintings not only for their verisimilitude, but also for the fact that they enliven his publication, elevating it from academic study to something of cultural interest.

Almost all the works from the series found buyers immediately after they were painted, lots 40-43 are four of the very few which the artist held on to and are most likely among those which he exhibited at the Galeries D’Alignan in Paris in 1931 and later at his personal exhibition in Riga in 1935. The mother of the present owner assisted Irina Kazimirovna, the artist’s widow, to immigrate to Canada and in gratitude Irina presented the owner’s family with these canvases.