Lot 104: David Shterenberg , Russian 1881-1948 Flowers in a Vase oil on canvas

signed in Cyrillic (lower right) oil on canvas

measurements 28 by 19 3/4 in. alternate measurements 72.5 by 50 cm

David Shterenberg trained at the Académie Vitti between 1906 and 1912. He exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon d'Automne and interacted with the most experimental artists and theoreticians of the early twentieth century at the illustrious Café Rotonde, where émigrés including Chaim Soutine, Jacques Lipchitz, Guillaume Apollinaire exchanged ideas.

The flourishing pluralism in the visual arts during the first decade of the twentieth century facilitated Shterenberg's distinct approach to rendering objects in space. Static objects become animated through his dynamic use of color and form, and the splintered brushwork of the Post-impressionists melds with the Cubist's fragmentation of space in the present work. Throughout his career, Shterenberg emphasized the purity of shape and form, free from heavy-handed political or social overtones.

The present still life illustrates the deeply-rooted Post-impressionistic influence in Shterenberg's oeuvre. The flowers are set against a static, seamless backdrop, uniting the foreground and background, evoking a simultaneous intimacy and complexity similar to still life compositions of Cézanne. Unlike Shterenberg's earlier works, which are abundant with Cubist experimentation and harsh lines and angles, this work is more representational and elegant.