YURI IVANOVICH PIMENOV | Street Scene in Novorossiysk

The sheet has discoloured in line with age. There is creasing throughout, most noticeably horizontal creases along the right edge. There is a further crease across the shoulders of the sailor in the light uniform on the left, as well as one along the bottom edge on the left. There are pinholes to both top corners. Three areas of damage to the sheet have been recently repaired: the area by the branches at the centre of the top edge, below the waist of the sailor in the light blue uniform at the centre of the composition and on the hem of his trousers. There is adhesive tape along all edges on the reverse. Held in a simple wooden frame behind glass. Unexamined out of frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In the late 1920s the newly-formed directorate for arts and culture ‘Glaviskusstvo’, organized trips for artists to agricultural and industrial regions of the country to imbue them with ideas on the development of Soviet society. In 1929 Yuri Pimenov was sent to record the daily life of the workers at a large cement factory in Novorossiysk. The country’s main port on the Black Sea and a rapidly expanding industrial center, Novorossiysk was bustling with activity and the atmosphere of the city struck a chord with the young artist. Urban life and industrial progress were central themes in Pimenov’s work and he travelled extensively. ‘Travel will always be travel, be it out of town, in the suburbs or the countryside, or just inside the city. What actually matters is your state of mind and the perceptiveness of your gaze at that moment in time. A journey will always contain the excitement and curiosity of departure, but best of all is the joy of returning. For an artist, travelling is an exhausting, interesting and very hard way to earn their daily bread’ – the artist wrote later in his career (quoted in Yuri Pimenov: k 110-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya, 2013, p.116).