Lot 13: Kazakhs with a horse at a crossing

Vikentii Trofimov (1878-1956)
Kazakhs with a horse at a crossing
signed in Cyrillic and dated 'V Trofimov/1939' (lower right)
oil on canvas
29 5/8 x 37 in. (75.2 x 94 cm.)

E. Rudenko, Vikentii Trofimov. Zhivopis' i grafika, Moscow, Shishkin Gallery, 2007, p. 27, no. 8, illustrated.

Acquired from the artist's family by the present owner.

The open expanses of southern Siberia have been the habitat of the Kazakh nomads for centuries. The artist V. P. Trofimov (1878-1956), graduate of the Stroganov Art School, moved to Omsk in the 1920s to share his rich artistic experience with students there, and was struck by the beauty of the region.

His 'Kazakh Cycle' (1924-1932) depicts a romantic view of the nomadic lifestyle and ancient culture of the Kazakhs. The river crossing acquires a philosophical, almost mystical subtext, as a passage into another world and has an important place in the artist's oeuvre.