Georgy Gurianov

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

A proponent of Neo-Academism, Gurianov is known for recycling Socialist Realist motifs. In 1991, he turns to the subject of heroic sportsmen and sailors which was to become a dominant theme in his art. As art historian Edward Lucy-Smith notes these works were 'influenced by official Soviet painting, and particularly by its celebration of athletes and the navy. He gives these representations a slight satirical edge, which marks the difference between his version of these themes and the original Soviet version....but with a touch of nostalgia'. In the offered lots he features athletic young sailors against backdrop of sky. The central theme is the glorification of virility and strength, although a hint of artifice can be detected in the stylised perfection of the bodies.