Konstantin Ivanovich Gorbatov

Possibly London, The Cooling Galleries, Paintings and Drawings of Italy, Palestine and Russia by Konstantin Gorbatoff, 22 April - 25 May 1937   

Original canvas which is slightly slack on the stretcher and is buckling in places, notably in the upper corners. There is a layer of surface dirt with spots in places. There are a few scattered areas of craquelure, notably to the mountains on the right side of the composition. There are several areas of minor areas of paint loss in places: to the tree in the foreground on the right, to the centre of the left edge and to the mountains in the centre, as well as elsewhere. There is a surface scratch in the upper left edge. Inspection under UV light does not reveal any obvious signs of restoration. Held in a simple wooden frame. Unexamined out of frame.
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In 1934 Gorbatov sailed to Palestine via Greece. The trip was to have a profound influence on him and provided inspiration for a series of paintings: ‘For me, as an artist, the trip to Palestine was a true revelation; nature showed me wonders, combinations and contrasts beyond anything I could have dreamt of before’. He was also struck by the beauty of Jerusalem: ‘The suburbs of Jerusalem are indescribable in terms of their unexpected forms and colours [...] The shapes of mountains, hills and horizons are so original and at the same time simple [...] the colours are hot: all shades of brown, yellow and orange, one tone changes subtly to the next, like a charmed Eastern melody, whose sounds modulate and die out’ (cited in Konstantin Gorbatov, The New Hermitage Museum, 2003, p.18). In 1937 Gorbatov held a solo exhibition in London, where he showed a group of works inspired by his trips to Italy, Palestine and Russia. The exhibition catalogue mentions three oils titled Jerusalem.