Vladimir Vassilyevich Lebedev

V.N.Petrov, Vladimir Vasil'evich Lebedev, 1891-1967, Leningrad: Khudozhnik RSFSR, 1972

Original canvas. The picture is clean and ready to hang. There are some finel ines of craquellure to the background and a couple of minor surface scratches (one very minor one to the sittter's right cheek, visible to the naked eye). UV light reveals no apparent retouching. Held in a modern gold painted wood frame with plaster mouldings. Unexamined out of frame.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The compositional structure of Lebedev's work is unique in the consistency and solidity of the strokes, each carefully regulated by the artist. Nearly every portrait shows a half-figure against a background of abstract shapes and colours, more often than not facing forwards, but occasionally at a slight angle. The planar nature of the composition is underlined by his treatment of form, which is conveyed not with volume but with blobs of paint, which sometimes become a kind of half relief. The latter effect is achieved using shading and a gradation of tone. After 1937 Lebedev made his colours became more intense and full-bodied, and applied thicker layers of paint. In general Lebedev's use of colour approached that of Renoir.

 

Aleksandra Natanovna Latash (1909-1972), an artist from Saint Petersburg, produced paintings, lithographs and graphics, as well as working as an illustrator and costume designer. Her work is marked by the lyrical poeticism and gentleness of its depictions. Her main interests were children's portraits and still-lifes. Many of her works are now held in museums and private collections, including the Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.

We are grateful to Natalya Kozyreva, Head of the Department of Drawings and Watercolours from XVIII-XXI centuries at the State Russian Museum. St. Petersburg, for providing this note.