4 June 2014 Russian Art Auctions
4 June 2014
* 13. KRYMOV, NIKOLAI (1884-1958)
Landscape with Cows, signed and dated 1909.
Oil on canvas, 52 by 63 cm.
200,000-300,000 GBP
Authenticity of the work has been confirmed by the expert V. Petrov.
Authenticity has also been confirmed by the expert I. Geraschenko.
Related literature: For a pencil study for the present lot, see the catalogue raisonné
Nikolai Krymov, zhivopis’, grafika, teatr, Moscow, Isskustvo, 2009, p. 239, No. 1112, illustrated.
Nikolai Krymov’s Landscape with Cows is representative of this remarkable painter’s best creative period, a time when he worked with members of the Blue Rose group. Subtle, poignantly lyrical artist and creator of a unique style, Krymov entered the history of Russian art as one of its most original landscapists. When capturing the state of nature in landscape he is without parallel in Russian 20th century figurative art. The state of silence that is Krymov’s alone, with its special crystalline tenor and exquisite interplay of areas of colour, lends to the artist’s work a unique atmosphere of ‘associations’. In her monograph on the artist Valentina Byalik wrote: “Of the Blue Rose artists Krymov seemed the most lyrical and the most realist. The tranquil, balanced harmony and silence that reign in his pictures are not mere observation of natural conditions. Perhaps the thought was creeping into the artist’s mind that this kind of idyll is to be short-lived, that a long life is not destined to be this serene. Then again, the Blue Rose artists were also inspired by the genius of Mikhail Vrubel and the creative work of Viktor Borisov-Musatov, who had made an early departure.”
This intimate piece may be placed with confidence alongside the artist’s best creations. The perfection of the composition, the accents of colour, and the extraordinary beauty of the way Krymov uses paint all serve as clear confirmation of this judgement.
Notes on symbols:
* Indicates 5% Import Duty Charge applies.
Ω Indicates 20% Import Duty Charge applies.
§ Indicates Artist's Resale Right applies.
† Indicates Standard VAT scheme applies, and the rate of 20% VAT will be charged on both hammer price and premium.