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PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

NUDE

104.5 by 69cm., 41 by 27¼in.

signed in Cyrillic t.l.

oil on canvas

PROVENANCE

T.E.Anisimova-Kuprina, the artist's widow;
Acquired by Vitaly Yakovlevich Shymskij in 1968;
Private Collection, Germany;
Acquired from the above by the present owner

EXHIBITED

St. Petersburg, The Knave of Diamonds in the Russian Avant-Garde, State Russian Museum, 9 July - 15 November 2004

LITERATURE

Exhibition Catalogue: The Knave of Diamonds in the Russian Avant-Garde , St. Petersburg: Palace Editions, 2004, p.226 (illustrated)

NOTE

Nude Model was painted in 1908, a formative year in Kuprin's artistic development. Kuprin had dreamt of becoming an artist since childhood, but only enrolled in the Moscow School of painting, sculpture and architecture at the rather late age of 26. The second year of his studies came to determine Kuprin's artistic career. That year Kuprin participated in his first exhibition, but perhaps more importantly, he realised that he was losing interest in traditional painting.

For the first time, in 1908 I saw very powerful images flashing before my eyes -- Shchukinskaya, the Morozov Galleries, meeting Mikhail Larionov and other members of the Golden Fleece. For the first time I saw French Impressionists, post-Impressionists and even Cubists. I saw Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gaugin, Matisse, Derain, Braque, Picasso... This art, this new influence enabled me to breathe more easily. It was like a breath of fresh air or, to be more precise, like a stream of fresh, crystal-clear mountain water. Here I sighed with great relief. My heart was filled with joy and hopes. I began to work.

Many artists who were in the same circle as Larionov later became central figures of the Russian avant-garde movement. Even though old traditions were already fading out, the new era of Cezanne, primitive art and cubism had not yet arrived. In 1909 at the Golden Fleece exhibition Kuprin met Petr Konchalovsky and two years later the famous first Jack of Diamonds exhibition took place. Nude Model shows a glimpse of what is to come: the colour scheme is still subdued. By the end of the 1910s Kuprin's art, like that of many other future avant-garde artists, was still very much indebted to academic traditions in painting. Bright decorative colours begin to appear in his later works.

The choice of blue and grey tones as well as carefully applied brushstrokes go against the artistic teachings of the time but rather allude to late Russian Impressionism. Kuprin strove to free himself from traditional academic painting and the bleak works of the Wanderers in order to fully exploit the colours of the Impressionists.

Kuprin carefully observed his subjects and for each painting he made several preparatory sketches. Nude Model is characterised by a well balanced composition, traditional and harmonious forms as well as soft outlines. There is nothing casual or superfluous about his work. In terms of its subject-matter, the offered lot occupies an important place within the Jack of Diamonds group and also was one of Kuprin's most favourite themes.

We are very grateful to Faina Balikhovskaya for her help in cataloguing this lot.