Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky (6 January 1884 [O.S. 25 December 1883] – 14 August 1939) was a Soviet painter whose work provided a blueprint for the art movement of socialist realism. He is known for his iconic portrayals of Lenin and idealized, carefully crafted paintings dedicated to the events of the Russian Civil War and Bolshevik Revolution.
Brodsky was born in the village of Sofiyivka near Berdyansk in what is now Ukraine to Yisrael, a Jewish merchant. He studied at Odessa Art Academy and the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg. In 1916, he joined the Jewish Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. When Brodsky asked Lenin to autograph his painting Lenin, he said: "I am signing to what I don't agree with for the first time".[1]
Brodsky was on good terms with many leading Russian painters, including his mentor, Ilya Repin. He was an avid art collector who donated numerous first-class paintings to museums in his native Ukraine and elsewhere. His superb art collection included important works by Repin, Vasily Surikov, Valentin Serov, Isaak Levitan, Mikhail Vrubel, and Boris Kustodiev. After his death Brodsky's apartment on Arts Square in St. Petersburg was declared a national museum. His art collection is still on exhibit there.[2]
Brodsky was an Honoured Artist of the Russian SFSR and a member of the Union of Russian Artists. He was the first painter to be awarded the Order of Lenin.[3] In 1934, he was appointed Director of the All-Russian Academy of Arts. From 1934 to 1939 he was also a head of personal Art workshop in institute, where his pupils included the well-known Soviet painters Nikolai Timkov, Alexander Laktionov, Yuri Neprintsev, Piotr Belousov, Piotr Vasiliev, Mikhail Kozell and others.[4] He died in Leningrad in 1939. His memoirs were published posthumously.
Oil on board painting by Isaak Brodsky, 1884 to 1939, a Soviet artist of Jewish origin, pioneer of socialist realism. The artwork depicts a view of a forest. Titled Muranovo on the backside. Signed by the artist and dated 1935 in the lower right. Golden frame. Collectible Figurative Fine Art.
Oil on board painting by Isaak Brodsky, 1884 to 1939, a Soviet artist of Jewish origin, pioneer of socialist realism. The artwork depicts a view of a forest. Titled Muranovo on the backside. Signed by the artist and dated 1935 in the lower right. Golden frame. Collectible Figurative Fine Art.
Isaac Izrailevich Brodskiy, Russian, 1883 to 1939, an antique oil painting on canvas, Alley in the Muranovo Estate, 1913. Signed and dated, lower right. Additionally titled, on the backside. Isaac Izrailevich Brodsky was a Russian, later Soviet painter and graphic artist, one of the founders of socialist realism painting, teacher and collector; master of historical painting and portrait painter, author of extensive visual Leninian literature, caricaturist. One of a kind artwork.
ISAAC IZRAILEVICH BRODSKY (1883-1939) Night in a lacustry landscape (Night Motive) signed and dated '1915' (lower left) and inscribed in Cyrillic “Night Motive” on the reverse Oil on panel 21 x 32 cm executed in 1915 Provenance: private collection, Monaco Brodsky was a Soviet-Jewish painter and plastic artist, born in the Russian Empire in Sofiyevka and died in Leningrad. A socialist realism painter, also made portrait of Lenin, Stalin and Gorky. His paintings feature Russian Civil War and the Bolshevik Revolution. Studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Saint Petersburg. After graduating, he was awarded a travel scholarship that allowed him to visit many European countries. He was fascinated with Spanish Old Masters, French Symbolists and Impressionists, and by the works by the Italian Giovanni Segantini (1858-1899). His works were exposed in several exhibitions and museums, including the Royal Academy of Arts and the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art. Translation ИСААК ИЗРАИЛЕВИЧ БРОДСКИЙ (1883-1939) Ночь в лакустрийском пейзаже (Ночной Мотив) подпись и дата (слева внизу) и надписью "Ночной Мотив" на обороте Деревянная панель, масло 21 x 32 см 1915 Провенанс: частная коллекция, Монако И. И. Бродский - советско-еврейский художник и скульптор. Родился в Российской империи в поселении Софиевка, умер в Ленинграде. Один из ведущих представителей социалистического реализма, писал портреты Ленина, Сталина, полотна, посвященные Гражданской войне в России и большевистской революции. Начинал обучение в Одесской художественной академии, затем был принят в Императорскую Академию художеств в Санкт-Петербурге. По окончании университета получил стипендию для путешествий, позволившую ему посетить многие европейские страны. Изучал живопись испанских старых мастеров, французских символистов и импрессионистов. Интересовался работами итальянца Джованни Сегантини (1858-1899). Его работы демонстрировались на нескольких выставках в ведущих галереях и музеях, включая Королевскую Академию искусств и Коллекцию современного итальянского искусства Эшторика.
ISAAK ISRAILEVITCH BRODSKY 1884 Sofijevka/ near Berdjansk - St. Petersburg 1939 (attr.) Liegender Frauenakt A lying nude Öl auf Leinwand. 48 cm x 57 cm. Rahmen. Unten links in Kyrillisch bezeichnet 'I. Brodski Oil on canvas, 48 by 57 cm, lower left in Cyrillic marked 'I. Brodsky 1917', min. losses of the paint, partially with retouches, framed. ISAAK ISRAILEWITSCH BRODSKI 1884 Sofijewka/ bei Berdjansk - 1939 St. Petersburg (Leningrad) (attr.) Liegender Frauenakt Öl auf Leinwand. 48 cm x 57 cm. Rahmen. Unten links in Kyrillisch bezeichnet 'I. Brodski 1917'. Min. Farbverluste, part. mit Retuschen.
ISAAC IZRAILEVICH BRODSKY (1883-1939) Nocturne dans un paysage lacustre, 1915 (Night Motive) Huile sur panneau signé et daté au dos avec inscription "Night Motive". Littérature-Exposition: Brodsky, I.I, n° 19 Zimka. N°20 Summer. N°21 Siverskaya. N°22 In August. N°23 Bathing. N°24 Cloudy day. N°25 Night Motive. N°26 Landscape. N°27 (no name). Catalogue du premier été d'exposition de tableaux organisé par "The Partnership of Independent"; Mai-Juillet 1916. Petrograd, Field of Mars, n°7). Petrorgrad type. Mn Braude. Nevsky Prospect, 88. Peintre et plasticien né dans l'Empire Russe à Sofiïevka et décédé à Leningrad, son travail s'inscrit dans le réalisme socialiste soviétique. Après des études à Odessa en compagnie de Bourliouk, il est admis à l'Académie des Beaux-Arts de Saint-Pétersbourg et se lance dans la caricature politique tout en soutenant la révolution de 1905. Il peindra notamment des portraits de Lénine, Staline ou encore Gorki. Dimensions : 21 x 32 cm
BRODSKY, ISAAK (1884–1939) Portrait of the Artist’s Mother and Sister signed and dated 1905. Oil on canvas, 72.5 by 66 cm. Provenance: Collection of the sitter Polina Brodsky, the artist’s sister, Leningrad. Collection of the art historian Iosif Brodsky, the artist’s nephew, Leningrad. Private collection, Europe. Important private collection, USA. Authenticity of the work has been confirmed by the expert V. Petrov. Exhibitions: Iubileinaia vystavka proizvedenii Zasluzhennogo deiatelia iskusstv I.I. Brodskogo. 30 let khudozhestvennoi deiatelnosti 1904–1934, Vsekokhudozhnik; Moscow, Leningrad, Odessa, Kiev, September–December 1934. Vystavka proizvedenii Zasluzhennogo deiatelia iskusstv RSFSR Isaaka Izrailevicha Brodskogo, Academy of Arts of the USSR, Moscow, 1955. Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky 1884–1939, Research Museum of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, Leningrad, 1974. Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky 1884–1939, Research Museum of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, Leningrad, 1984. Dvoe. Zhivopis XX veka iz chastnykh sobranii, Kournikova Gallery, Moscow, 16 November 2008–18 January 2009. Isaak Brodsky, I.I. Brodsky Apartment Museum, St Petersburg, 24 November 2016–21 January 2017. Literature: Iskusstvo, No. 5, 1934, Moscow-Leningrad, Ogiz-Izogiz, p. 7, illustrated. Iubileinaia vystavka proizvedenii Zasluzhennogo deiatelia iskusstv I.I. Brodskogo. 30 let khudozhestvennoi deiatelnosti 1904–1934, Moscow, Vsekokhudozhnik, 1934, p. 9, No. 8, listed under the works from 1905. Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky, Moscow-Leningrad, Sovetskii khudozhnik, 1950, illustrated. Exhibition catalogue, Vystavka proizvedenii Zasluzhennogo deiatelia iskusstv RSFSR Isaaka Izrailevicha Brodskogo, Moscow, Academy of Arts of the USSR, 1955, p. 19, listed under the works from 1905. Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky. Statii, pisma, dokumenty, Moscow, Sovetskii khudozhnik, 1956, p. 18, illustrated. I. Brodsky, Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky, Moscow, Izobrazitelnoe iskusstvo, 1973, p. 33, illustrated. Exhibition catalogue, Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky 1884–1939, Leningrad, Academy of Arts of the USSR, 1974, p. 17, illustrated; p. 25, listed. Exhibition catalogue, Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky 1884–1939, Leningrad, Iskusstvo, 1984, p. 31, listed. Exhibition catalogue, Dvoe. Zhivopis XX veka iz chastnykh sobranii, St Petersburg, Petronius, 2008, pp. 18 and 19, illustrated; p. 106, listed. Isaak Brodsky, St Petersburg, K Gallery, 2016, p. 12, illustrated. The outstanding Portrait of the Artist’s Mother and Sister, offered here for auction, is one of the most typical and well-known of Isaak Brodsky’s early paintings. The picture was repeatedly shown at exhibitions during the artist’s lifetime and posthumously, and is reproduced in virtually all the monographs on Brodsky’s œuvre. It was painted in 1905, at a time when depictions of kith and kin had a huge place in the creative life of the young artist. Every summer, this talented pupil from Ilya Repin’s studio, would set out on field trips from the Imperial Academy of Arts in St Petersburg to Sofiyevka, the small village of his birth, lost amid the limitless steppe of the Taurida Governorate in Southern Russia. Awaiting him at home was a large and close-knit family: his father, a trader and local shopkeeper, his mother, brothers and sisters. All summer Brodsky would work persistently and tirelessly, producing studies en plein air and painting portraits and landscapes. Every year, he would return to the Academy with dozens of canvases, which formed a small exhibition. Later in life, the artist would treasure the canvases created during his study under Repin, regarding them as an expression of his creative potential and artistic independence. The present portrait clearly reflects the artist’s experimentation as he moved away from the school of his illustrious teacher to his own, individual means of expression. The models for Brodsky’s portraits at the beginning of the 1900s were the artist himself, as well as the children of Sofiyevka, members of his family and the sisters and brothers of his fellow pupils — including Lyudmila Burliuk. Often, the artist would portray his younger sister Polina Brodskaya, whose features are easy to recognise in several works, such as Portrait of the Artist’s Sister Polina (1906), Gypsy Girl (1902) and Portrait of the Artist’s Mother and Sister, presented here for auction. Depictions of Brodsky’s mother, Golda Elkonovna, however, are rather rare and distinguished by the special care with which they are executed. Recalling that time, Lyudmila Burliuk described with what “tenderness Isaac would speak about his relatives — about his mother, whom he loved and resembled, and about his talented, musical sister”. Working on the image of his mother, the artist is determined to find a firm, distinct outline and devotes a great deal of attention to details and overtones, yet ensures they do not predominate. While achieving an academically rigorous form, he nevertheless retains a restlessness and a slight psychological tension, so typical of his art. The swarthy, large-eyed girl is depicted in three-quarter profile, her entire pose conveying the energy and restlessness of an adolescent, looking as if she has just had an urge to spontaneously hug her mother — who, conversely is fully focused on maintaining her pose. This intrinsic contrast between the static and the dynamic highlights the originality of Brodsky’s figurative thinking, a particular artistic orientation of his. This “domestic” double portrait, imbued with feeling and even a degree of exultation, is distinguished by the originality of its composition and its individualised approach to each of the artist’s beloved models. In some profound way, Brodsky’s painterly manner in this portrait resembles that of his celebrated colleagues Valentin Serov and Ilya Repin. Brodsky was highly regarded as a portrait painter by his contemporaries, who noted his talent for the implicit understanding of his models, an urge to capture them in real-life motion, and a desire to reveal their character. It is no coincidence that Brodsky’s mentor Repin said of him: “Both his character and his work, in which he invests so much love and beauty, always bubble like a clear stream of spring water. This source of pure art is a mirror that reflects everything dwelt on by the profound gaze of this delightful artistic soul”. Thus, it can be said that the splendid example of Isaak Brodsky’s portrait painting, included in this catalogue, encapsulates the artist’s creative exploration during the early period of his work.
BRODSKY Isaac Izrailevitch (1883-1939). Paysage lacustre nocturne. Huile sur panneau signée Brodsky en caractères cyrilliques et datée 1915 au dos de l’œuvre, conservée dans un encadrement ancien en bois doré mouluré. Accidents au cadre mais bon état général. À vue : H. : 21 cm – L. : 32 cm. Cadre : H. : 36, 5 cm – L. : 45, 5 cm.
BRODSKY ISAAC ISRAÉLÉVITCH (1883-1939) / Бродский Исаак (1883-1939) Datcha des Académiciens dans la région de Tver. Huile sur toile. Signée en cyrille et datée « I Brodsky 1930 » en bas à droite. 44,5 x 76 cm. Provenance : Ancienne collection du peintre, puis acquis auprès des descendants par le propriétaire actuel. Collection particulière Dusseldorf. Bibliographie : Une œuvre similaire représentant le même lieu datant de 1907 est conservée dans l’atelier musée d’Isaac Brodsky, cf. I. A. BRODSKY, Isaac Israélévitch Brodsky, Moscou, 1973, p. 67. Бродский Исаак (1883-1939), масло, холст, подпись и дата справа внизу «И. Бродский 1930» Провенанс : Коллекция художника, частная коллекция Дюссельдорф. Библиография: Схожее произведение « Академическая дача » 1907 хранится в музее-ателье Исаака Бродского. Бродский И.И. изд. Изобразительное искусство, Москва, 1973, стр.
BRODSKY, ISAAK View of a Town from the River Bank signed and dated 1920, also further signed, inscribed in Cyrillic with a dedication, indistinctly titled and dated on the reverse. Oil on cardboard, 22.5 by 32 cm. Provenance: Collection of Boris Gofshtein (inscription on the reverse). Important private collection, Europe. Authenticity of the work has been confirmed by the expert V. Petrov.
BRODSKY, ISAAK Autumnal Landscape, signed and dated 1907. Tempera and oil on paper, laid on cardboard, 48 by 48 cm. Provenance: Acquired in the 1930s by a previous owner. Thence by descent. Private collection, Germany. Important private collection, USA. Exhibited: Possibly, I.I. Brodsky. 1904-XXV-1929, Leningrad, 1929. Possibly, Iubileinaia vystavka proizvedenii zasluzhennogo deiatelia iskusstv I. I. Brodskogo. 30 let khudozhestvennoi deyatelnosti. 1904-1934, Leningrad, Moscow, Kiev, Odessa, 1934-1935. Literature: Possibly, exhibition catalogue, I.I. Brodsky. 1904-XXV-1929. Katalog iubileinoi vystavki, Leningrad, Iubileinyi komitet, 1929, p. 10, No. 22, listed. Possibly, exhibition catalogue, Iubileinaia vystavka proizvedenii zasluzhennogo deiatelia iskusstv I.I. Brodskogo, Moscow, Vsekokhudozhnik, 1934, p. 10, No. 22, listed. Possibly, I. Brodsky, Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky. Statyi, pisma, dokumenty, Moscow, Sovetskii khudozhnik, 1956, p. 174, listed with incorrect medium. Isaak Brodsky's work Autumnal Landscape, now offered for auction, belongs to a rare series of landscapes which the artist painted in 1907 at the Imperial Academy of Arts dacha in Tver Province. These landscapes were commended at the Academy Review Exhibition and were endorsed for presentation to the Society for Encouragement of the Arts, which subsequently granted the painter a stipend for them. The works astounded everyone, including the Brodsky's teacher Ilya Repin in that they displayed a highly individual artistic style, a sensitive approach to the natural environment, profound lyricism, and were executed with distinguished maturity. They were a summation of the artist's creative searching of earlier years and introduced a fully-fledged artist with his own, recognisable style. Together with the studies The Academy Dacha and Through the Branches, which were produced at the same time, Autumnal Landscape showcases Brodsky's talent as a draughtsman. The composition is distinguished by a solid structure and well-crafted planes, but, at the same time, by its poeticism and musicality that were to become the hallmark of the artist's landscape painting. Brodsky has a keen eye for the complex links and combinations between the lines and shapes and for the veiny interlacing of the branches. He subtly conveys the exquisite filaments of the foliage, and, using fine, mosaic-like brushstrokes, he minutely paints in every flash of sunlight and every leaf that has fallen from a tree. The diversity of colours that was so typical of the early Brodsky is in retreat: the artist achieves a tonal unity and a resonance of colour in the canvas, while individual colours seem to merge into one another. Ilya Repin commenting on similar works by his talented pupil, said that they "always murmur with the pure source of spring water".
BRODSKY ISAAC ISRAÉLÉVITCH (1883-1939) Datcha des Académiciens Huile sur toile Signée en cyrille et datée « I Brodsky 1930 » en bas à droite. 44,5 x 76 cm. Provenance : Ancienne collection du peintre, puis acquis auprès des descendants par le propriétaire actuel. Collection particulière Dusseldorf. Bibliographie : Une œuvre similaire représentant le même lieu datant de 1907 est conservée dans l’atelier musée d’Isaac Brodsky, cf. I. A. Brodsky, Isaac Israélévitch Brodsky, Moscou, 1973, p. 67. Бродский Исаак (1883-1939), масло, холст, подпись и дата справа внизу; «И. Бродский 1930» Провенанс : Коллекция художника, частная коллекция Дюссельдорф. Библиография: Схожее произведение Академическая дача 1907 хранится в музее ателье Исаака Бродского .Бродский И. И. изд. Изобразительное искусство, Москва, 1973, стр. 67
Isaak Izrailovich Brodsky 1884-1939 (Ukrainian) Autumn landscape, 1931 oil on canvas h:64 w: 48 cm. signed and dated lower left Provenance: Sale: Allgauer Auktionshouse, April 12, 2014, lot 2098. Private collection, New York.
*BRODSKY, ISAAK (1884-1939), Portrait of the Artist's Mother and Sister, signed and dated 1905. Oil on canvas, 72 by 66 cm. Provenance: Collection of a sitter Polina Brodsky, the artist’s sister, Leningrad. Collection of an art historian Iosif Brodsky, the artist’s nephew, Leningrad. Private collection, Europe. Exhibitions: Yubileinaya vystavka proizvedenii zasluzhennogo deyatelya iskusstv I.I. Brodskogo. 30 let khudozhestvennoi deyatelnosti 1904-1934, Moscow, Leningrad, Odessa, Kiev, September-December 1934. Vystavka proizvedenii zasluzhennogo deyatelya iskusstv RSFSR Isaaka Izrailevicha Brodskogo, Academy of Arts of the USSR, Moscow, 1955. Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky 1884–1939, Research Museum of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, Leningrad, 1974. Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky 1884–1939, Research Museum of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, Leningrad, 1984. Dvoe. Zhivopis XX veka iz chastnykh sobranii, Kournikova Gallery, Moscow, 16 November 2008–18 January 2009. Literature: Iskusstvo, No. 5, 1934, Moscow-Leningrad, Ogiz-Izogiz, p. 7, illustrated. Yubileinaya vystavka proizvedenii zasluzhennogo deyatelya iskusstv I.I. Brodskogo. 30 let khudozhestvennoi deyatelnosti 1904-1934, Moscow, Vsekokhudozhnik, 1934, p. 9, No. 8, listed under the works from 1905. Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky, Moscow-Leningrad, Sovetskii khudozhnik, 1950, illustrated. Exhibition catalogue, Vystavka proizvedenii zasluzhennogo deyatelya iskusstv RSFSR Isaaka Izrailevicha Brodskogo, Moscow, Academy of Arts of the USSR, 1955, p. 19, listed under the works from 1905. Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky. Stat’i, pisma, dokumenty, Moscow, Sovetskii khudozhnik, 1956, p. 18, illustrated. I. Brodsky, Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky, Moscow, Izobrazitelnoe iskusstvo, 1973, p. 33, illustrated. Exhibition catalogue, Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky 1884–1939, Leningrad, Academy of Arts of the USSR, 1974, p. 17, illustrated; p. 25, listed. Exhibition catalogue, Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky 1884–1939, Leningrad, Iskusstvo, 1984, p. 31, listed. Exhibition catalogue, Dvoe. Zhivopis XX veka iz chastnykh sobranii, St Petersburg, Petronius, 2008, pp. 18, 19, illustrated; p. 106, listed. Portrait of the Artist’s Mother and Sister is a remarkable early work by Isaac Brodsky. It was painted in 1905, at a time when depictions of kith and kin had a huge place in the creative life of the young artist. Every summer, this talented pupil from Ilya Repin’s studio would set out on field trips from the Imperial Academy of Arts in St Petersburg to Sofievka, the small village of his birth, lost amid the limitless steppe of the Taurida Governorate in Southern Russia. Awaiting him at home was a large and close-knit family: his father, a trader and local shopkeeper, his mother, brothers and sisters. All summer Brodsky would work persistently and tirelessly, producing studies en plein air and painting portraits and landscapes. Every year, he would return to the Academy with dozens of canvasses, which formed a small exhibition. Later in life, the artist would treasure the canvasses created during his study under Repin, regarding them as an expression of his creative potential and independence from his teacher. The models for Brodsky’s portraits at the beginning of the 1900s were the artist himself, as well as the children of Sofievka, members of his family and the sisters and brothers of his fellow pupils – including Lyudmila Burliuk. Often the artist would portray his younger sister Polina Brodskaya, whose features are easy to recognise in several works entitled Portrait of the Artist’s Sister (1902–1904), Gypsy Girl (1902) and Portrait of the Artist’s Mother and Sister, presented here for auction. Depictions of Brodsky’s mother, Golda Elkonovna, however, are rather rare and distinguished by the special care with which they are executed. Working on the image of his mother, the artist is determined to find a firm, distinct outline and devotes a great deal of attention to details and overtones, yet ensures they do not predominate. While achieving an academically rigorous form, he nevertheless retains a restlessness and a slight psychological tension, so typical of his art. The swarthy little girl with large eyes is depicted in three-quarter profile, her entire pose conveying the energy and restlessness of an adolescent – looking as if she is about to spontaneously hug her mother – who, conversely is fully focused on maintaining her pose. This intrinsic contrast between the static and the dynamic highlights the originality of Brodsky’s figurative thinking, a particular artistic orientation of his. This “domestic” double portrait, imbued with feeling and even a degree of exultation, is distinguished by the originality of its composition and its individualised approach to each of the artist’s cherished models. Brodsky strives to portray the members of his family with movement and expression of each person’s character. In some profound way, his painterly manner resembles that of the celebrated Valentin Serov and Ilya Repin. It is no coincidence that Brodsky’s mentor Repin said of him: “Both his character and his work, in which he invests so much love and beauty, always bubble like a clear stream of spring water. This source of pure art is a mirror that reflects everything dwelt on by the profound gaze of this delightful artistic soul”.
BRODSKIJ, ISAAK IZRAILEVIC - ATTRIBUTED (Sofievka 1884 - 1939 St. Petersburg) Kirche. Oil on canvas, mounted on wood. Signed lower left: I. Brodskij. 31 x 23 cm. BRODSKIJ, ISAAK IZRAILEVIC - ZUGESCHRIEBEN (Sofievka 1884 - 1939 St. Petersburg) Kirche. Öl auf Leinwand, auf Holz. Unten links kyrillisch signiert: I. Brodskij. 31 x 23 cm.
Oil on canvas Russia, circa 1910 Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky (1883-1939) - member of the Jewish Society for the Promotion of the Arts around Nathan Altman, after the October Revolution, one of the main representatives of Socialist Realism Signed in Cyrillic script lower right Broad gilt frame Overall dimensions, framed: 103 x 79 cm Good condition Provenance: Private Collection Upper Bavaria Dense forest in spring with Russian Orthodox chapel and figures, painted over a delicate pencil drawing; similar landscape views by the artist fetch over 325,000 Euros at international auctions The present painting by Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky (1883-1939) depicts a dense forest in spring, which opens the view to a Russian Orthodox chapel and a group of figures in the background. The Russian artist has painted over a preparatory pencil drawing in a myriad of delicate nuances. During his travels throughout Europe in 1909 Brodsky had become acquainted with the French Symbolists and Impressionists. This influence can be seen in his works created in the following years. The individual leaves are rendered with splashes of color in a neo-Impressionist manner. Thus the painting is infused with light and movement recreating the sunlight shimmering through the trees. In the period around 1910 Brodsky, who became well-known for his naturalistic portraits of Soviet leaders following the October Revolution, created several similar compositions with forest views onto an architecture. The theme shows the influence of Russian folk art, which characterizes many other works by Brodsky and also had a crucial impact on the early work of Wassily Kandinsky. The painting is in good condition. Some small retouched spots on the leaves in the center, only visible under ultraviolet light, the upper corners show some small losses of color due to framing. The work is signed in Cyrillic script lower right. The frame shows some wear. The framed work measures 103 x 79 cm, the stretcher frame measures 86.5 x 65 cm. Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky (1883-1939) At an early age Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky showed a talent for painting. From 1896 to 1902 he studied at the art school in Odessa. He then moved to St. Petersburg where he continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, where Ilya Repin, one of the most important Russian artists of the late 19th century, became his mentor. In 1913 the latter portrayed Brodsky in one of his works. Brodsky showed his works at the Academy and other exhibitions. After his studies he traveled to Germany, France, Spain and Italy. Following the October Revolution Brodsky began to paint portraits of Soviet leaders and created some very popular portraits of Lenin. In addition, the artist was involved in the reorganization of art education in the USSR. From 1932 onwards he was professor and from 1934 director of the Russian Academy of Arts. He was also head of the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Numerous works by Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky are held by the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Due to the legal obligation for the resale royalty in the art market the following applies: As a result of its membership in the AV Kunst, Auctionata charges additionally to the hammer price the contribution to the AV Kunst of currently 2.1% of the revenues from the sale of fine arts and photographs pro rata towards the buyer. More information about royalty right in our T&C.
BRODSKY, ISAAK (1884-1939) Portrait of a Lady , signed and dated 1916. Oil on canvas, 86.5 by 106.5 cm. Provenance: Collection of E.M. Samuelson (later E.M. Gofman), at least until the 1940s. Anonymous sale; Icons, Russian Pictures and Works of Art, Sotheby's London, 15 December 1994, lot 81. Acquired at the above sale by the present owner. Important private collection, Europe. Exhibited: I.I Brodsky. 1904-XXV-1929, Leningrad, 1929. Yubileinaya vystavka proizvedenii zasluzhennogo deyatelya iskusstv I.I. Brodskogo. 30 let khudozhestvennoi deyatel'nosti. 1904-1934, Leningrad, Moscow, Kiev, Odessa, 1934-1935. Zasluzhennyi deyatel' iskusstv I.I. Brodsky. 1884-1939, The State Russian Museum, Leningrad, 1941. Literature: Exhibition catalogue, I.I Brodsky. 1904-XXV-1929. Katalog yubileinoi vystavki, Leningrad, Yubileinyi komitet, 1929, p. 12, No. 81, listed. Exhibition catalogue, Yubileinaya vystavka proizvedenii zasluzhennogo deyatelya iskusstv I.I. Brodskogo. 30 let khudozhestvennoi deyatel'nosti. 1904-1934, Moscow, Vsekokhudozhnik, 1934, p. 12, No. 75, listed. I. Brodsky, Moi tvorcheskii put' , Leningrad-Moscow, Iskusstvo, 1940, pl. 59, illustrated as Portret E.S. Exhibition catalogue, Zasluzhennyi deyatel' iskusstv I.I. Brodsky. 1884-1939. Katalog posmertnoi vystavki, Leningrad, The State Russian Museum, 1941, No. 141, listed. Iosif Brodsky, Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky. Stat'yi, pis'ma, dokumenty, Moscow, Sovetskii khudozhnik, 1956, p. 182, listed with incorrect measurements under works from 1916.
BRODSKY, ISAAK (1884-1939) Assembly of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR, Chaired by Kliment Voroshilov , signed on the reverse. Oil on canvas, 95.5 by 129.5 cm. Executed c. 1928. Related Literature: For another version of the present lot, see I.I. Brodsky, Sbornik statei, Leningrad, Izdanie yubileinogo komiteta, 1929. Isaak Brodsky's painting Assembly of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR, Chaired by Kliment Voroshilov is a unique document of its time. The commission was an initiative of Voroshilov to mark the 10th anniversary of the Red Army and, according to the artist himself, "I was invited to a session of the Revolutionary Military Council [Revvoensoviet] to help me collect material for the picture, and I did a series of sketches there (...) Shortly before I had consulted with Comrade Voroshilov as to whom I should depict as the speaker, whom I saw as the central figure of the composition. Without a moment's hesitation, Kliment Yefremovich proposed Comrade Ordzhonikidze. He considered this of great importance as it would in itself underline Comrade Ordzhonikidze's vital role in the defence of our country..." Directives from Voroshilov himself explain much of this painting's history. On his advice Brodsky portrayed Sergo Ordzhonikidze at the lectern - who by 1928 was no longer a member of the Revvoensoviet. At the personal request of the People's Commissar, the artist produced several portrait studies and only after one was approved did he begin painting Voroshilov in the Chairman's place. Furthermore, when the picture was completed and the artist presented it for his client's inspection, it turned out that the People's Commissar too had his own, conflicting view on the composition of the painting. "His thoughts on the composition of this piece were so significant," wrote Brodsky in his memoirs, "that I agreed to make major changes to the finished painting". Thus a second version came into being, which was approved from on high and authorised for publication, now in the Central Armed Forces Museum. But the painting offered here for auction is the artist's original, more intimate, composition. The members of this small gathering sit in their places listening quietly and decorously to the speaker. Two chairs in the foreground are empty, allowing the artist to capture the entire space in one viewing. Stalin is taking notes, Tukhachevsky is reading, Bazilevich stares straight ahead, motionless. The second reworking of the canvas, however, is filled with a theatrical dynamism. There are insufficient chairs for the full turnout of council members, and some are obliged to stand behind during the meeting. The only directly repeated elements are the authorised image of Voroshilov and the listener leaning on his elbow, as well as the faithfully rendered meeting room itself. White walls, the two red boards displaying weapons, a green baize tablecloth, brown-black curtains, a blackboard by the lectern and, in the very centre, another painting by Brodsky. This one, The Ceremonial Opening of the Second Congress of the Comintern, was completed in 1924 and did indeed grace the Revvoensoviet meeting room, both in its former home in the Alexandrovsky Military School on Znamenka Street and then in Frunze Street. Today this picture, which survived the period when works portraying "enemies of the people" were destoyed, has become a memorial to its time. This is the very task with which the artist was charged: to create a monumental collective portrait and to record for posterity, in a historical, documentary painting, a meeting of the leaders of the "first workers' and peasants' army in the world". And Brodsky fulfilled that task with all the skill and mastery that resided in him.
Isaac Brodsky (1884-1939) The Luxembourg Gardens in spring signed in Cyrillic, indistinctly inscribed in Russian and dated 'To my dear[...] Repin/I. Brodskii Paris 1910.' (lower left); with number '5' (on a label attached to the reverse) oil on board 13 1/8 x 16¼ in. (33.2 x 41.2 cm.)
BRODSKY, ISAAK (1884-1939) New Moon, signed and dated 1912. Oil on canvas, 62 by 80 cm. Provenance: Collection of E.I. Brodsky, the artist's son, Leningrad. Private collection, St Petersburg. Private collection, Europe. Authenticity of the work has been confirmed by the expert V. Kruglov. Exhibited: Isaak Israilevich Brodsky. Vystavka proizvedenii. K 90-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya, Museum of the Academy of Arts, Leningrad, 1974. Isaak Israilevich Brodsky. Vystavka k 100-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya, Museum of the Academy of Arts, Leningrad, 1984. Literature: I.I. Brodsky, Sbornik statei, Leningrad, Izdanie yubileinogo komiteta, 1929, illustrated in black and white. Isaak Israilevich Brodsky. Stat'i, pis'ma, dokumenty, Moscow, Sovetskii khudozhnik, 1956, p. 179, listed under works from 1912. Exhibition catalogue, Isaak Israilevich Brodsky. Katalog vystavki proizvedenii. K 90-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya, Leningrad, Iskusstvo, 1974, p. 32, listed. Exhibition catalogue, Isaak Israilevich Brodsky. Vystavka k 100-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya, Leningrad, Iskusstvo, 1984, p. 42, listed. Isaak Brodsky painted New Moon soon after returning from his travels round Spain, France and Italy, and the painting has noticeable signs of the romanticised approach to nature which is characteristic of the artist's work in the 1910s. The attraction of this painting is a poetry that tugs at the heartstrings and its lyrical image of evening. It is a work of symbolism, but at the same time it retains a sense of naturalism in its vision of nature. The moon is a pale sickle, the branches of the trees glint, and a softly diffused light shines on the ground. The generally subdued palette of this landscape and the delicate relationships between the cold and the slightly warmer blue-grey tones, with no sharp contrast between dark and light, create the feeling of a sonorous and transparently clear dewy autumn evening. The painting comprises several layers: against the delicate blue-grey background the foliage is painted in patches of Umber and Sienna and later the twigs are touched in with a fine round brush to add expressive detail. Brodsky made the transition from a relatively fluid, Italian use of paint to a slightly fuller-bodied technique on a "thinned out" background. In his recollections Arkadiy Rylov gives a very exact description of the artist's landscape technique: "Brodsky - like a jeweller or a weaver - covers his landscapes in patterns... These colourful patterns are original and lovely. He does not paint, but rather he draws with a fine paintbrush". In fact, among the various means of expression employed in New Moon it is drawing that plays the leading role. Everything is subordinated to a stylising delineation. It is easy to discern strong admiration for the creative alignment of two associations - the Union of Russian Artists and World of Art. The conventionality of the painting's rendition and the accentuated decorativeness of the composition are reminiscent of a theatrical backcloth created by the brush of a virtuoso artist and glimpsed, as it were, through the branches of the wings and scenery borders. It is surprising that Brodsky never turned his hand to theatre design. It is hard to find landscapes more theatrically constructed than his. The tree canopies and branches in the wings guide the eye into the open space of the landscape, allowing the focus to fall on the delicate, fragile beauty of nature lapsing into sleep and the barely discernible village floating in the distance. The view through branches into a landscape's depth was one of the artist's favourite and oft-repeated devices: indeed, one of Brodsky's paintings from the 1910s was called Through the Branches. A contemporary of Brodsky's, the renowned painter Konstantin Yuon, recalled: "I always understood his landscapes as pieces of music, the fine violin part led by his drawing, ever melodious". And the artist himself, giving rein to his thoughts at the time, wrote: "My favourite motifs have remained, as before, landscapes seen in breadth, with wide open spaces and a perspective receding into their depths. I have been striving to construct landscape as a compositional entity, as a picture, intuitively resisting preoccupation with landscape sketched from nature, as inspired by Impressionism, which the imitators of that school elevated to a value sufficient in itself, driving out the idea of composing large creative works of art". During the period when New Moon was painted, and right up until the Revolution, the vast majority of critics described Brodsky primarily as a landscape painter, which was partly due to his exceptional productivity in this genre.
BRODSKY, ISAAK 1884-1938 By the Church , signed. Oil on canvas, 26 by 20 cm. Provenance: Formerly in the Nobel collection. Authenticity of the work has been confirmed by the expert V. Petrov.
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, GERMANY 1883 - 1939 AUTUMN LANDSCAPE signed in Cyrillic and dated 1907 l.l. tempera on paper laid down on board 47.7 by 47.7cm., 18 3/4 by 18 3/4 in.
BRODSKY, ISAAK IZRAILOVICH (Sofjevka 1884 - 1939 Leningrad) Old house. Oil on canvas. Signed lower left in Cyrillic. 100 x 69 cm. BRODSKY, ISAAK IZRAILOVICH (Sofjevka 1884 - 1939 Leningrad) Altes Haus. Öl auf Leinwand. Unten links kyrillisch signiert. 100 x 69 cm.
BRODSKY, ISAAK IZRAILOVICH (Sofjevka 1884 - 1939 Leningrad) Autumn river landscape. Oil on canvas. Signed lower left in Cyrillic. 58 x 68 cm. BRODSKY, ISAAK IZRAILOVICH (Sofjevka 1884 - 1939 Leningrad) Herbstliche Flusslandschaft. Öl auf Leinwand. Unten links kyrillisch signiert. 58 x 68 cm.
ISAAK IZRAILEVICH BRODSKY 1883 - 1939 AUTUMN LANDSCAPE signed in Cyrillic and dated 1907 l.l. tempera on paper laid down on board 47.7 by 47.7cm., 18 3/4 by 18 3/4 in.
BRODSKY, ISAAC 1884-1938 City at Night signed and dated 1915, also signed, dated and titled in Cyrillic on the reverse. Gouache on panel, 21 by 31.5 cm. Exhibited: XIII Exhibition of Painting of the Union of Russian Artists , Moscow, 1916, N52.
ISAAK IZRAILOVICH BRODSKY (Russian, 1884-1939), "A City at Night", oil on panel, signed and dated 1952 l/l, artist's name and title inscribed on verso and on a gallery label, 8-1/4"h, 12-1/2"w.
BRODSKY, ISAAK IZRAILOVICH (Sofjevka 1884 - 1939 Leningrad) Portrait of a woman with a red head cloth. Oil on canvas. Signed lower right in Cyrillic. 63 x 37 cm. With an expertise from the Tretiakof Gallery. BRODSKY, ISAAK IZRAILOVICH (Sofjevka 1884 - 1939 Leningrad) Bildnis einer Frau mit rotem Kopftuch. Öl auf Leinwand. Unten rechts kyrillisch signiert. 63 x 37 cm.
VIEW OF GRENADA image size: 31.5 by 46.5cm., 12 1/4 by 18 1/4 in. oil on board EXHIBITED Art Exhibitions Agency, Copenhagen, February 1929, No.32 NOTE Brodsky wrote to fellow artist Kostandi after a trip to Spain that "It is only worth going to Madrid to see Velasquez and Goya: these two masters are amazing". He had travelled to Spain from Paris in 1909 where he painted bullfights in Madrid. He stayed in Grenada for one month during which he painted numerous sketches en plein air in the soaring Summer temperatures
