Russian Pictures
Russian Pictures
Lot Closed
June 2, 02:35 PM GMT
Estimate
70,000 - 90,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
ALEXANDER MIKHAILOVICH GERASIMOV
1881-1963
STILL LIFE WITH ROSES AND MIRROR
signed in Cyrillic and dated 1933 t.r.; further bearing a Vsekokhudozhnik label on the stretcher
oil on canvas
Canvas: 61.5 by 63.cm, 24¼ by 24¾in.
Framed: 94 by 96cm, 37 by 37¾in.
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One of the leading proponents of Socialist Realism, Alexander Gerasimov became renowned for his official portraits and genre scenes that brought him recognition with the Communist Party. Although not strictly prohibited, the painting of still lifes was not encouraged by the Soviet authorities since it was believed that as a genre it contributed little to the promotion of Soviet ideals. However, despite its apolitical and decorative nature, the floral still life would remain one of Gerasimov’s favourite genres throughout his career.
According to his contemporaries, Gerasimov started arranging his flower compositions from the roses and peonies growing in his garden in Sokol from the 1930s. The artist himself recalled: ‘What great pleasure it is to paint flowers ... Flowers are the earth’s sweet-smelling nectar, breaking through its great mass (…) Outside the window of my studio in Sokol, a huge bush of scarlet roses blooms until the frosts. Still lifes ‘cleanse’ the eyes of the painter. Painting flowers is like resting after a long tiring road’.
Executed in 1933, Still Life with Roses and Mirror is a fine example of Gerasimov’s floral compositions, comparable to other famous works from the 1930s and 1940s, now in the collections of the Kursk State Art Gallery, Voronezh Regional Art Museum and A.M. Gerasimov Museum-Estate in Tambov.