Head of Art and the memorial museum KS Petrov-Vodkin (Khvalynsk) VI Borodin tells of a cloth "tail", sold at Christie's June 8, 2010

Painting Russian artist Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin «Vasya" (38 x 53), is in private collections in Chicago and an unidentified general public, was exhibited at the Russian sales of international auction house Christie's in London on June 8, 2010 (and sold for 1.83 million pounds in the Estima 250 -350 000 pounds. - AI. ).

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The information about the picture provided by the auction house, not the year of creating a portrait , no date and at the canvas, which is not typical for KS Petrov-Vodkin, which is usually next to his signature of the author not only wrote the date, but often at the sketches - not even the day and month of their creation.

Portrait was created before 1922 and, judging by the picture, the boy is written in Sci during one year stay KS Petrov-Vodkin at home.

In 1916 he was the last time before a long separation from their families stayed in Sci from June to December (in 1916, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin was summoned to Khvalynsk, he was assigned as a soldier at the place of birth). It was, on the one hand, happy summer, when he could enjoy his own, finally unfinished, less overall long "slot" - a summer residence in the vicinity of Khvalynsk, where he "felt the nature of the end", where he worked well and sleep well, "where ideas come , deep and poetic. " In autumn this happiness was overshadowed by the death of his father - an event both tragic and sacred, sublime, podvedshim certain outcome in life Kuzma Sergeyevich: "We can say that is over one period of my life and that kind of happiness will not be <...> It was one of the most silent and touching moments of my life: his death ».

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probably in the summer of 1916 and was written by a boy Vasya. When you first look at the picture pops into your painting K. S.Petrova-Vodkin "Mother" in 1915. The same wooden wall houses, Kyoto left, only in the portrait it is an icon of Our Lady "Tenderness", and in the picture - a few small paper. In the portrait, too, was an attempt to portray the part of the window with a landscape behind it, but the final version of the artist refused him: the right side of the canvas guess its shaded image is: probably green-colored landscape outside the window "echoed" with the same "splashes" in the chasuble of Our Lady of icon.

Why K. S.Petrov-Vodkin renounced image window in the portrait? Perhaps the artist wanted to avoid a direct compositional analogy with "Mother". Maybe go find composite versions of "interior" of the picture and possibilities are just groping "spherical" perspective. In "Mother", she revealed more inclined horizontals and verticals, creating the effect of "rocking the world's ship" in the usual Russian hut. But her mother has shown "abstract", as in the portrait of "Washi" is already looking character - a characteristic, Volga. Therefore, the artist focuses not on circumlocution, and on his face, which becomes a metaphor for a kind of stoicism and loyalty to the Russian man with a young faith. Yes, and a horizontal format canvas portrait of his smaller size did not allow Kuzma Sergeevich "flee in breadth. Later, both variants of images of interiors: a window or open door (the doubling of space, "space in space") and "hollow" wall against which depicted characters - will be developed. This concentration on the face of dates the portrait of 1916. At the same time create another child portrait "Fecteau - Khvalin girls Feoktista Lipatova, he is more" Wasi "in size, but the same horizontal format, as in the portrait background Fecteau landscaped green wall encloses the track, as in" Vasya "- wooden wall house, the same search for "expressions, specific, like life", not "substance-images" "animated" on the canvas, such as the "hungry warrior" (1915), and sought "access to the actual event."

Before his trip to his homeland in 1916, Kuzma Sergeevich visited Kirillov and looked in the frescos of Dionysius Ferapontov Monastery, where he wrote his wife: "I'm happy and glad to Russia, I feel it here <...>" . A trip to Ferapontov and appeal to the ancient Russia was reflected in the overall ocher color portrait, and fashion icon image in the severity of "anticipation of" Vasey. "Afloat" written by a person, it would be truer to say "face", a small mouth with thin, tightly compressed lips, thin eyebrows arched above is not a child's severe gray-green eyes, bright colors in the sun-bleached straw, short hair framing " luminous halo "smooth face with a sunburnt nose, also send the viewer to the ancient Russian images.

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At the end of life in 1938 for his recital in Leningrad, the artist says: " Usually they say: Petrov-Vodkin's so fond of the French. I have to say about the following <...> If there is no influence from the Russian icons, it means it is not Russian, and not a painter <...> ". So the artist indicated his respect and love for ancient art, which is absorbed from the mother's milk in their native Sci with its monasteries and painters. And the first "pictorial" experiments he did in the iconography, when as a boy portrayed the Virgin with the child is angry, and still half-consciously "stretched to the full, immediate use of painting».

It is in Sci , the Old Believers' homes took place his first meeting with the specimens of old Russian painting Novgorod letter: "Have not I know nothing about that time, but the glow color of things I remember, and in these times, <...> For further insight into the Russian paintings, these works still brighter and more lit up my memory, and Novgorod samples and master Rublev and Dionysius seemed to me to have family and friends since childhood ».

This" vaccination "of ancient paintings will help further the artist to go" through the jungle routine skills as secular, academic, and iconographic ».

In the latter case under the" icon-painting routine skills, "the artist had in mind the late icon with its" artificial "dark color," restraint and unresolved between the tones, separated the icon with a pure color. Icon painters of the nineteenth century is often customer-Old Believer, imitating styles XV - XIV centuries (donikonovskoy era), avoid bright colors. Artificially making an icon of the "old" as if "namolennoy" next generation, with darkened varnish, with dull green then, the brown-gold tone painting, icon-painters, a layer of old varnish by complex and dexterous manipulation "prismiryali" color, where he unwittingly escaped from the general tone. But seen in childhood samples of old Russian painting "overpower" in memory Kuzma Sergeevich later, "Novodel" icons with their restrained, faded and dark colors. Pure colors - red, yellow and blue - the full force of a "conspiracy" in his works. That Russian iconographic tradition helps KS Petrov-Vodkin find your own unique style, which are organically unite East and West, postimpressionisticheskie developments with Old.

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It in 1915-1916 Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin be "taxi" to his own way, he wrote in those years a friend - artist P. Utkin: "All this guilty Maeterlinck, Wilde's different, which strained our strength in vain. But it is now clear is their klounstvo and tricks, damn them - mediocre ventriloquist and spiritists - and go to the sun - our father, Rodion color and fill color shape of the earth and man. " The work on the portrait of "tail" fell just at this crucial time, when the artist moves from the conventions of the actors, "which is not from the <...> invention, but the nature of the <...>", "expand" for the artist, as he himself said, "the audience».

So, the picture could be written in Sci, in the artist's parents' home (now a house museum KS Petrov-Vodkin) or its krasulinskoy dacha in the summer of 1916. It is not known whether the artist has completed work on a portrait in Sci or later, upon his arrival in Petrograd, but the original sketch was written at home. Perhaps the little boy came relative KS Petrov-Vodkin. He has lived in Sci cousins on the father, who had by this time were children. Perhaps one of them became a hero of the portrait, as Feoktista (Fecteau) was not just a neighborhood girl, but also a distant relative of the artist.

head of London's department of Russian art auction house Sarah Mansfield said the agency "Interfax-Siberia": "pictures of Russian artists" Vasya "we found four months ago in Chicago, in the same family, in which it was stored about 70 years. And this family does not represent the values of this picture. The work of Petrov-Vodkin - a rare phenomenon for the international art market. Auction house studied painting and discovered that the painting was exposed to the public twice in Riga (in 1922 and 1932) under the exposition of Russian artists. Over the last decade, the emergence of significant works of Petrov-Vodkin at the international art market can be counted on the fingers, although this is one of the most highly valued by Russian artists 20 centuries. This information confuses the date of exhibitions in Riga, to which could be Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin. It is known that his works were exhibited in Riga in 1920 at an exhibition of paintings of artists - members of the House of Arts. It was a touring exhibition, it was shown in Petrograd, Moscow, Kiev, Saratov, Kursk, Riga and Yerevan. More than any mention of involvement by KS Petrov-Vodkin in Riga shows not found. The picture could get into the Riga by student KS Petrov-Vodkin - G. Ya Skulme, who lived in Riga, kept in touch with the teacher. In late July 1924 on his way to France, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin and his family stayed in Riga for two weeks, gave a lecture on the basic provisions of the developed "spherical" perspective that can influence the audience organically. Visa to stay in Riga, he arranged for GY Skulme. In 1932 the paintings were exhibited at an exhibition of Russian art in Philadelphia and in 1933 - at the exhibition "Contemporary Art of the USSR" in San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia and New York. Not just a "tail" and was acquired by the owners? In any case, finding work is of undoubted interest to researchers of the artist, adding new touches to his creative alchemy ».

Portrait" tail "is in a long series of the artist works. However, it, like a drop of water, broke wise and universal interpretation of the philosophical problems that agitated the artist. And there in his work by chance, each of the works, even the most modest, he did with complete devotion and the ultimate stress the spiritual and creative powers. That is the Petrov-Vodkin.

Valentina Borodina, head of art and memorial museum KS Petrov-Vodkin (Khvalynsk)

Lot was sold for 1,833,250 pounds at an estimated cost of 250-350 thousand pounds. I want to believe that the painting was bought by Russian collector and returned to Russia.

Even after the publication of this article on the site of the museum staff Radischevskaya artistic memorial museum KS Petrov-Vodkin (branch of the museum them. Radishshev) found the reference to "Vasya" in the previously published Draft list of works written by the artist in the years 1917-1925, compiled by KS Petrov-Vodkin, probably in 1926 to FF Notgafta, who not only had in his collection of paintings by KS Petrov-Vodkin, but kept lists of his works. In this draft, in the column relating to 1917, the painting is referred to "tail". But in the same column there is work, written in 1916. Therefore, our assumption is that the portrait of "tail" was written in 1916, has solid reasons: first, in 1916, Kuzma Sergeevich last visited Khvalynsk before long separation, and the portrait, no doubt, written in Sci secondly , found mention of a portrait by the artist himself (only for today, confirming the authenticity of the work).

Source : radmuseumart.ru