26 November 2014 Russian Art Auctions
26 November 2014
* 103. KRAVCHENKO, ALEKSEI (1889-1940)
Nude Model .
Oil on canvas, laid on cardboard, 61.5 by 44 cm.
80,000-120,000 GBP
Executed c. 1920.
Provenance: Collection of the artist’s family, Moscow.
Exhibited: Aleksei Kravchenko. Zhivopis’, grafika. K 120-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya, The State Tretyakov Gallery, 3 September–11 October 2009.
Literature: Exhibition catalogue, Aleksei Kravchenko. Zhivopis’, grafika. K 120-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya, Moscow, 2009, p. 111, No. 72, listed.
Aleksei Kravchenko is rightly regarded as an outstanding colourist and draughtsman. A pupil of Valentin Serov and Konstantin Korovin at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, Kravchenko showed great interest in the depiction of the human figure and was obviously driven to study the nude throughout his creative life.
One of the most expressive examples of this study is the present lot, Nude Model. The unclothed woman is a classic image of feminine beauty as she stands to face the viewer, her hips in a smooth curve, her leg slightly bent at the knee and her head inclined. The unusual posture of the young woman with her arm raised, covering her eyes in a languid gesture, lends the composition a vivid psychological significance, which Kravchenko always strove for through his portrayal of the human figure. Nude Model presents the fundamentals of the subject of the female figure and without doubt is of significance in the artist’s creative oeuvre.
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.