František Foltýn

Estate of Milan Heidenreich, Gothenburg
Purchased from the above on 2 May 1998

Gothenburg, Passau, Salzburg & Graz, Tschechischer Kubismus, 1991, p. 191, illustrated
Greenwich, Connecticut, Bruce Museum, The Pleasures of Collecting: Part II, Modern and Contemporary Art, 2003
Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham Museum of Art, Pražské noci / Prague Nights: Czech Modern Art from the Hascoe Collection, 2007

 

Jiří Hlušička, František Foltýn, Prague, 1982, p. 28, another version of the subject illustrated
Jiří Hlušička, The Hascoe Collection of Czech Modern Art, Prague, 2004, p. 28, mentioned; p. 190, no. P27, catalogued; p. 102, pl. 86, illustrated
The Moravian Gallery ed., František Foltýn, Brno, 2007, p. 27, another version of the subject illustrated

This condition report has been provided by Hamish Dewar Ltd. Fine Art Conservation, 14 Masons Yard, Duke Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6BU. UNCONDITIONAL AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE Structural Condition The painting has a wax lining and is securely attached to a relatively new wooden keyed stretcher. This is providing a stable and secure structural support. Paint surface The paint surface has a relatively uneven varnish layer as well as surface dirt and should respond well to cleaning. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows a thick and discoloured varnish layer. Inspection under ultra-violet light also shows evidence of areas of retouching, predominantly in the right hand side of the composition. The most significant retouchings are: 1) a thick intermittent band of retouching running vertically up from the lower right corner, 2) within the central figure's jacket and within the white table to the right of the figure, 3) in the sky and background in the upper right of the composition, 4) scattered retouchings beneath and around the signature in the lower right, and 5) an area in the lower left corner above the horizontal framing edge. Due to the opaque nature of the varnish layers it is difficult to ascertain the full extent of any previous restoration. Summary The painting therefore appears to be in fair and stable condition but has clearly undergone restoration work in the past. The painting may benefit from revarnishing to give a more even surface coating or could be cleaned which would involve the removal of retouchings previously applied.
"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."

Painted in Mukacevo in 1922, this powerful, brooding portrait depicts one of the greatest icons of Russian literature. Feodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881), noted for his profound understanding of human psychology and as an early exponent of existentialist writing, is here surrounded by motifs emblematic of Mother Russia: onion domes and country church spires loom in the background, while a kaleidoscope of villages, pathways, woods and smoking chimneystacks swirls around him. The ray-like motif above Dostoyevsky's head, gives him an almost saintly aura, while at the same time suggesting the lightning-bolt of creative inspiration.

The multi-planar construction that Foltýn employs in Portrait of Dostoyevsky is typical of the artist's work from the 1920s. It has as its source the various progressions of Cubism, and its exploration of the relationship between an object and the space that it inhabits. Here, Foltýn's use of the Cubist idiom is, whilst angular, gentle in its bucolic lyricism, rather than hard-edged and urban. It recalls the painting of the Blaue Reiter group of Expressionists in Germany, particularly August Macke and Heinrich Campendonk and, relevant to the subject, bears similarities with the early work of Chagall (fig. 1).  

Fig. 2. Marc Chagall, Over Vitebsk, 1915-20, Museum of Modern Art, New York Chagall ® / © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2011