Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev, 1878-1927

The Collection of Alexander Kopilovich;
Sotheby's London, The Russian Sale, 14-15 December 1995, Lot 307

Petrograd, Dom isskustva, The works of Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev, 1920, Inv.No.559

V.Voinov, Boris Kustodiev, Leningrad, 1925, p.86 and reproduced plate XV;
M.G.Etkind, Boris Kustodiev, Leningrad, 1960, p.201
M.G.Etkind, Boris Kustodiev, Sovetskiy khudozhnik: Moscow, 1982, p.206, No.544

Original canvas although the picture has been strip-lined. The paint surface is slightly dirty and there is some light rubbing to the paint surface along the edges, probably due to abrasion against the frame. Very fine lines of craquelure are visible throughout. Examination under UV reveals a few flecks of retouching in places, mostly to the edges. Held in a wooden frame.
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Although one of the best-known members of the World of Art group, Kustodiev stands apart from his contemporaries for his choice of Russian provincial life as his subject matter over literary or historical themes. More visual storyteller than theorist, he let his art speak for itself. In fact, the only solo exhibition to be held during Kustodiev's life and where Picnic was seen publicly for the first time, was a clear endorsement of Realism and easel painting.

Kustodiev began working on Picnic in 1919, as part of a series of compositions celebrating the lyricism of the Russian landscape at different seasons of the year. Unlike his bustling city views, this work is reminiscent of Bonfire from 1916 in the collection of the Radischev Museum of Art, Saratov (fig.1), with its peaceful contemplation on the delicate palette of the Kostroma countryside. Here, a group of friends sing folk songs by the flickering light of a camp-fire, which sends plumes of swirling smoke into the summer night sky.  Kustodiev creates great drama within this simple setting as the slightly upwards tilt of the perspective adds to the majestic feel of this wonderfully nostalgic composition

Kustodiev once described his art as the illustration of his "wonderful world of recollections" (M.Etkind, Boris Kustodiev, Leningrad, 1983, p.24). By the time he completed Picnic in March 1920, these words had taken on a more poignant significance, since a debilitating spine tumour had confined him to a wheelchair and he was relying entirely on his memories for his artistic inspiration.