Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov

Painted at Gerasimov’s house in Sokol, Wildflowers shows the artist’s rendition of a more informal, private genre to which he dedicated regular time throughout his career, despite being predominantly known as the official painter of Soviet Union’s political and cultural elites.

Gerasimov himself recalled: ‘What great pleasure it is to paint flowers (...) Flowers are the earth’s sweet-smelling nectar, breaking through its great mass (...) Still lifes ‘cleanse’ the eyes of the painter. Painting flowers is like resting after a long tiring road’ (A.Gerasimov, Zhizn' khudozhnika, Moscow, 1963, p.101).

Bursting with colour, the wildflowers assembled by the artist with evident fondness – among them cornflowers, daisies, and globeflowers – epitomise joy and a zest for life. This is not coincidental considering that the work was executed in 1945, as the country celebrated the end of the Second World War. The sunlit table and the lush greenery in the background work as contrasting elements in this large-scale still life, with its joyous atmosphere symbolic of the hope and renewal filling the air. Wildflowers was shown at the artist’s 100th-anniversary exhibition in 1981 and is listed in the exhibition catalogue. It is also listed and illustrated in the 1988 monograph on the artist, in both cases with slightly different dimensions, which can be explained by the canvas having been extended on the right-hand side. Most recently, the present lot was included in the 2016 retrospective exhibition of Gerasimov’s work at the State Historical Museum in Moscow.