Lot 120: *KUZNETSOV, PAVEL - (1878-1968) Bouquet with Sunflowers

*KUZNETSOV, PAVEL
(1878-1968)
Bouquet with Sunflowers.
Oil on canvas, 90 by 70 cm.
Executed in the early 1930s.

Provenance: Collection of the artist's family, Moscow (inscribed and numbered "317" and "No. 667" on the reverse).
Collection of the prominent art collector Solomon Shuster (1934-1996), St Petersburg.

Authenticity of the work has been confirmed by the experts I. Geraschenko, T. Levina and Yu. Chaykina.
Authenticity has also been confirmed by the expert V. Petrov.

Literature: Pavel Kuznetsov, Moscow, Sovetskii khudozhnik, 1975, p. 370, No. 667, listed.

Pavel Kuznetsov painted the work Bouquet with Sunflowers in the early 1930s, when the genre of Still Life gained a particular prominence in his output. A distinguished feature of his Still Lifes during that period is their bright and warm palette. The combinations of colours in the offered work - the red of the blossoming wild flowers, the green of their leaves and stems, the radiant yellow of the sunflowers and the blue of the shadows - lend vibrancy and vitality to the painting, while the gentle straight and delicate curved lines, emphasising the flowers' silhouettes, add dynamism and spontaneity. Radical simplicity of the background allows the artist to focus on rendering the volume and materiality of the bouquet. As a result, the aroma of the wild flowers seems to be radiating from the canvas, filling the air with its sweet perfume. Vibrant and joyous in mood, Bouquet with Sunflowers embodies Kuznetsov's profound love for simple, unassuming beauty.