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Lot 10: ALEXEI PETROVICH BOGOLIUBOV

Est: £400,000 GBP - £600,000 GBP
Sotheby'sLondon, United KingdomJune 06, 2011

Item Overview

Description

ALEXEI PETROVICH BOGOLIUBOV 1824-1896 VENICE oil on canvas signed in Latin l.l. and in Cyrillic l.r. 72 by 120cm, 28 1/4 by 47 1/4 in.

Provenance

Galérie Laurencie, Geneva
The Collection of the Swiss diplomat Henri Coursier and his wife, Marie Henriette, acquired from the above circa 1975
Thence by descent to the previous owner

Notes

Bogoliubov was stunned by his first visit to Venice in the autumn of 1854. 'I worked non-stop for two months', painting the city's embankments, palaces and canals. 'I scribbled away with my pen and covered pages and pages with drawings of columns, capitols and cornices of palazzos and other buildings. It was an excellent trained in architectural drawing, which I have always loved.' (A.Bogoliubov, ''Notes of a Sailor Artist', 1896, in Volga, vol.2-3,1996, p.49)

In 1863, almost ten years later, Bogoliubov found himself once more in Venice, free to 'work to my heart's content' as he recalled in Notes of a Sailor Artist, and in 1873 he again returned. His series of Venetian paintings display his beloved city at dusk and at dawn, during festivals and working days. The delights of Venice so impressed Bogoliubov, that he claimed the cities vistas were permanently etched in his memory, and he would continue to 'paint them until the end of my life' (idem p.49).

Bogoliubov's plein-air studies provided material for paintings he completed later in his studio and abroad. They proved extraordinarily popular and were exhibited widely: over ten different views were shown with the Peredvizhniki; a painting titled Venice (then the property of Doctor Hirsch) was exhibited at the Academy of Arts in 1874, and in 1882 a View of Venice was shown at the All-Russia Exhibition in Moscow. The Venetian scenes were highly sought-after by buyers from across Europe and some even acquired for royal collections, such as The Eve of the Celebration, Santa Maria della Salute. Bogoliubov was even criticised by his contemporaries for concentrating on Venice to the detriment of Russian cities, to which the artist responded indignantly: 'not wishing to boast, I should say that if I had not sold so many [views of Venice], I would still have all of my studies and paintings in my studio. However since not a single composition remains in my possession, I am constantly overwhelmed with commissions, which I am able to sell abroad for great profit.' (idem p49)

The use of warm lilac-greys, blues and golds in the offered lot contributes to the sense of peaceful calm which Bogoliubov achieves in his depiction of Venice in early morning, and not only references the oeuvre of Canaletto whom he so much admired, but also the restricted palette of early Impressionists, such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, whose 'souvenir' landscapes were similarly based on his memories of real places and the mood which they evoked.

We are grateful to Elena Nesterova of the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg for writing this note.

Auction Details

Important Russian Art

by
Sotheby's
June 06, 2011, 12:00 PM GMT

34-35 New Bond Street, London, LDN, W1A 2AA, UK