Lot 143: IVAN VLADIMIROVICH KOSMIN

IVAN VLADIMIROVICH KOSMIN 1882-1973 WATER SPIRIT oil on canvas 128 by 179 cm., 50 1/2 by 70 1/2 in.

Stolitsa i Usadba, December 15, 1916, no. 72, p. 25, illustrated

Water Spirit is a fantastical masterpiece painted in Russia during the early twentieth century and recalls the romantic and dreamlike imagery of Vasily Kotarbinsky and Mikhail Vrubel. Born into a peasant family, Kosmin was admitted to the prestigious Penza Art College, near Moscow, where he studied from 1906 to 1909. He then gained entrance to the St. Petersburg Academy, where he studied under Vladimir Makovsky. In 1916 he was awarded a gold medal for his exceptional work.