.jpg?w=1)
拍品專文
A talented student of Léon Bakst (1866-1924) from Elizaveta Zvantseva's (1864-1921) School of Art, Nadezhda Lermontova masterfully combined the Symbolist and Modernist movements within her oeuvre, while introducing her own, unique vision to her work and retaining the purity and luminosity of colour which she had been taught by her celebrated teacher. Throughout her short, but stellar career, Lermontova retained a close link to Bakst, who encouraged her artistic development, as evidenced by his letter from 12 March 1911: 'Believe in yourself, but equally, be ruthless and demanding of yourself. Above all, seek to express your thoughts clearly. I wish you the best of luck!’ (quoted from: exhibition catalogue, Kournikova Gallery, Nadezhda Lermontova, Moscow, 2018, p. [41].)
A close friend and a fellow student at Zvantseva's school, Varvara Klimovich-Toper was one of Lermontova's 'allies', along with Aleksandr Ziloti (1887-1950), Nicolai Tyrsa (1887-1942) and Maria Petz (1883-1971), who opposed Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin’s (1878-1939) teaching methods at the school following Bakst’s departure for Paris in 1910. The close-knit group of young artists left the school to work independently in their newly rented studio, where they held regular life drawing sessions, as well as hosting soirées to discuss current trends in art while also undertaking several field trips together to study Russia’s cultural heritage in neighbouring towns.
In the summer of 1914 Klimovich-Toper’s life was cut short when she died during surgery. Lermontova was profoundly shocked by the loss of her close friend and conceived the present portrait as a touching tribute to her fellow young artist. Appearing detached, Varvara pensively gazes away from the viewer as she sinks down into the armchair, upholstered in a blue patterned fabric, which echoes the deep blue hues of her dress. The shine of her blonde curly locks and unblemished porcelain skin are accentuated by the emerald green background. Painted in wide brushstrokes, the portrait strikes the viewer with its clarity and power of pure colour and elegant simplicity of form.
A close friend and a fellow student at Zvantseva's school, Varvara Klimovich-Toper was one of Lermontova's 'allies', along with Aleksandr Ziloti (1887-1950), Nicolai Tyrsa (1887-1942) and Maria Petz (1883-1971), who opposed Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin’s (1878-1939) teaching methods at the school following Bakst’s departure for Paris in 1910. The close-knit group of young artists left the school to work independently in their newly rented studio, where they held regular life drawing sessions, as well as hosting soirées to discuss current trends in art while also undertaking several field trips together to study Russia’s cultural heritage in neighbouring towns.
In the summer of 1914 Klimovich-Toper’s life was cut short when she died during surgery. Lermontova was profoundly shocked by the loss of her close friend and conceived the present portrait as a touching tribute to her fellow young artist. Appearing detached, Varvara pensively gazes away from the viewer as she sinks down into the armchair, upholstered in a blue patterned fabric, which echoes the deep blue hues of her dress. The shine of her blonde curly locks and unblemished porcelain skin are accentuated by the emerald green background. Painted in wide brushstrokes, the portrait strikes the viewer with its clarity and power of pure colour and elegant simplicity of form.