Alexander Evgenievich Yakovlev

A gift from the artist to the grandparents of the present owner

Boulogne-Billancourt, Musée des Années Trente Alexandre Iacovleff, Itinérances, 31 March - 14 August 2004

Chu-Chia-Chien, The Chinese Theatre, illustrated by Alexandre Jacovleff, London: John Lane, 1922

Caroline Haardt de La Baume, Alexandre Iacovleff, l'artiste voyageur, Paris : éditions Flammarion, 2000, p. 19

Exhibition Catalogue Alexandre Iacovleff, Itinérances, Paris : éditions Somogy, 2004, p. 132 (detail p. 122)

Structural Condition The canvas is unlined on a keyed wooden stretcher. There is a slightly raised craquelure pattern but this is entirely stable and not visually distracting and is to be expected on an unlined canvas of this period . The structural condition is sound and secure. Paint surface The paint surface has an even varnish layer. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows small scattered retouchings, the most significant of which are: 1) a thin diagonal line on the right shoulder of the figure standing on the left of the composition, 2) very small spots and lines on the white dress and scarf of the standing singer in the centre of the composition, 3) a very thin diagonal line, approximately 5.5 cm in length, on the stage to her right, 4) retouchings on the lattice-work in the upper right and scattered retouchings in the dark pigments of the central pillar on the ceiling in the upper left of the composition, including on area measuring 4.5 x 2 cm. It should be noted that all these retouchings have been carefully applied and are not visible in natural light. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in very good and stable condition and no further work is required.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

In the summer of 1917 Yakovlev left Saint Petersburg for Peking, a destination he had long dreamed of. Already famous in Russia and a member of the World of Art group, Yakovlev was able to spend two years in the Far East (China, Mongolia and Japan) thanks to a new grant from the Academy of Arts. He returned to Europe from this immensely productive trip with a plethora of drawings and paintings, including The Opera in Peking, which can be considered amongst the finest works of his entire oeuvre.

An exhibition of Drawings and Paintings from the Far East at the Galerie Barbazanges in 1920 thrust the artist into the public eye to huge critical acclaim. Joseph Kessel spoke of 'a brilliant encounter'; Pascal Forthuny titled his article in L'Art et les artistes 'Alexander Yakovlev: A Painter of China'. Soon afterwards, Lucien Vogel published Drawings and Paintings from the Far East with an introduction by Victor Goloubeff and a portrait of Yakovlev by Vasily Shukhaev. At the 1921 Salon d'automne, where members of the World of Art group exhibited their work, his Chinese paintings attracted much attention.        

By 1922, Chinese Theatre. Paintings, Sanguines and Sketches by Alexander Yakovlev had been published by Brunhoff in France and by John Lane in England. Yakovlev himself wrote the introduction, in which he explained his fascination for Chinese dramatic art and its importance. Yakovlev had an enduring interest in theatre and dance, and had painted Russia's greatest performers, including Michel Fokine, Fedor Chaliapin and Anna Pavlova. He had depicted himself as Harlequin alongside Shukhaev's Pierrot in their double self-portrait of 1914. A traveller with an inquiring mind, Yakovlev was fascinated by the Far East - the land of the rising sun – and felt that an appreciation of the Chinese theatre and the richness of ancient Chinese civilisation was crucial in grasping the essence of modern day China.

In a letter to his teacher Dmitri Kardovsky in 1923, Yakovlev wrote, 'In Peking, I was drawn to Chinese theatre, the sole remaining vestige of its ancient culture; I completed an entire series of paintings and many drawings, which have often been reproduced in Paris in a book on Chinese theatre'. Reproduced on a full page and titled Actress Dressed in Mourning Dress, the offered lot undoubtedly seemed strikingly original (fig.3).

Yakovlev wrote: 'One feels that the actor (...) is guided by a geometrical formula. The principal lines of the square are very distinct, the horizontals and the verticals are opposed to the diagonals.'

The unique quality of the work rests on two major contrasts. Firstly, that created by the horizontal lines in the compositions (the balconies and balustrades, the black belt of the figure on the left), the verticals (the standing figures, the central pillar, the sceptre crowned with an ornamental dragon, the women's headpieces) and the arcs (the gracious curve of the actress's arm repeated in the folds of the sleeve of the male figure behind her; the soft rounded form of the costume of the figure to the right, the heads of the actors with their hair in a decorated bun, and the multitude of round faces in the audience). The second contrast exists between the two-tone effect of the white and ochre robes, and the polychrome red of the costume on the figure to the right. These colours are picked up elsewhere in the composition: the ochre of the balconies; the red of the sceptre; the black of the beam, the balustrade and the spectators' clothes. The creamy yellow of their faces, is echoed in the colour of the stage floor. Only the white in the costume and face of the actress do not appear elsewhere, a device used by Yakovlev to accentuate her importance.

Moreover, in stark contrast with the traditional perspectives of Classical painting, this closely framed composition with its low, slightly raised viewpoint, places the actress at the centre of every sightline. Within his painting characterised by a strong vertical impetus, the artist juxtaposes several planes: at the forefront, the balustrade acts as a repoussoir to highlight the position of the young woman. Beyond this, the two figures, cropped in such a way that hints at the influence of early photographic formulae, are at the level of the actress's torso. Then come the successive planes: the audience behind the balustrade, the first balcony and, higher still, the second balcony. Swathed in an opalescent light, the stage floor resembles a sacred space which is separated from the worldly by the pillar.

The overall impression is that of the artist emerging from the wings onto the stage. He creates the illusion of an over-exposed snapshot, with the pallor of the actress's face suggesting an unreal dimension. As Yakovlev explains: 'Suddenly everything is transformed into a statuesque vision. Yet it is not a gesture arrested in full expression. Rather is it the static stylisation of action. But it does not give one idea of a lifeless pose. (...) But all is ruled by the perfect laws of rhythm'.

In this fine composition, with its subtle palette, the actress, whose beauty and charm the viewer can only imagine, radiates like a goddess. Not only do the motionless and silent spectators feast their eyes on her, but the actors on stage are equally under her spell. It is a measure of Yakovlev's talent that he was able to convey the spirit of Chinese theatre by only showing actors from behind.  

With its unique composition and daring use of perspective, Opera in Peking, can be compared to Edgar Degas' depictions of the theatre (fig.4) or to works by the nabis artist, Félix Vallotton, (fig.5) or even to Pont de l'Europe by Gustave Caillebotte, which employs similar geometric lines and depicts figures cropped at three-quarter length or from the back.

It is believed that this scene, featuring an actress dressed in white to symbolise both purity and death, is taken from The Peony Pavilion, one of the Kunqu masterpieces of Chinese literature, which became the template for a perfect love. Written at the beginning of the 16^th century by the poet Tang, one of the greatest playwrights of the Ming dynasty, this play tells the story of a young aristocratic woman, Tu Li-niang, who is seduced by a young man who appears to her in a dream on a Spring afternoon. Obsessed by this impossible love, the young woman dies of sadness, but her steadfast love is stronger than death and the Judge of Underworld takes pity on Tu Li-niang, who finds her lover and returns them to life. In Opera in Peking, the figure to the left is a high dignitary, as indicated by his ochre aristocratic robes and sceptre, and the young woman to the right, a follower.

In Chinese theatre, the roles of women are traditionally played by men, or dan. Mei Lang Fang, a contemporary of Alexander Yakovlev, was both an actor and director, and one of the most famous dan. He had a profound influence on the artistic revival of the Opera of Peking, founding his own school 'The New Theatre of Ancient Form' and was responsible for ushering in the golden age of Peking Opera, from 1918-1932, revolutionising the traditional interpretation of characters by modifying their costumes and make-up and developing their gestures, poses and expressions. Mei Lang Fang played all the female roles of the Chinese theatrical repertoire, including Tu Li-niang in The Peony Pavilion, which was one of his most successful.

Fifteen years later, in 1932, Yakovlev returned to Peking as official artist of the Croisière Jaune expedition to the Far East. That same year, an exhibition was held in Paris in the musée Citroën des Batignolles, which brought together the many costumes, masks and popular depictions of Chinese theatre which had been amassed during the journey.  It included a model theatre, with mannequins wearing the costumes of its greatest characters. On the left of the photograph it is possible to make out the costume of the central actress in the offered lot (fig.6).

Such was Yakovlev's passion for China that he often stamped those works executed in the Far East with a seal of his name in Chinese – Ya Kou Lo Fou. This last character stands for happiness.

We are grateful to Caroline Haardt de la Baume for providing this catalogue note.

To be included in the forthcoming Alexander Yakovlev catalogue raisonné currently being prepared by Caroline Haardt de la Baume.