Russian Pictures
Russian Pictures
Property from a Private Collection, England
Auction Closed
November 26, 01:34 PM GMT
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
EDUARD GOROKHOVSKY
1929-2004
PERESTROIKA
signed in Cyrillic and dated 90 l.r.; further signed, titled and dated on the reverse
oil and collage on canvas
99 by 100cm, 39 by 39¼in.
Acquired directly from the artist by the previous owner
The non-conformist artist Eduard Gorokhovsky was a pioneer of Soviet photo-based art. Sourcing material from serial imagery as well as the state arsenal of official photographs, he created multimedia works with a pronounced social and political stance. Common themes in Gorokhovsky’s work are the loss of individuality and the devaluation of the family unit brought about by the Bolshevik Revolution and its collectivist ideology.
In the present lot, completed a year before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the combination of figurative imagery and abstraction reflects the process of socio-cultural change which Gorokhovsky witnessed and experienced. Photographic portraits and newspaper clippings serve to document the origins of Communism in Russia, whereas introducing snippets of text and smudges of colour is suggestive of the political instability during Perestroika. Gorokhovsky thus creates a sense of historical narrative within the piece.