Lot 272: - Leonid Terentievich Chupiatov , 1890 - 1941 Two Stools and a Table oil on canvas

oil on canvas

100 by 80cm., 39 1/2 by 31 1/2 in.

Leonid Terentyevich Chupiatov made his artistic debut while in university in St. Petersburg, where he studied with Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin and was an assistant at Vladimir Tatlin's studio. Chupiatov is renowned for his remarkable synthesis of Petrov-Vodkin's classicism with Tatlin's constructivist style. He is perhaps most well known for his many stage designs. Chupiatov's works appeared in exhibitions mounted by several prestigious groups, including the World of Art Group, of which he was a member from 1916-1918. His work was also included in shows of the Society of Artist-Individualists (1922), Heat-Color (1924) and the Union of Contemporary Artists of the Ukraine (1928).

Chupiatov's Two Stools and a Table illustrates the artist's fascination with industrial growth and infrastructure and is reminiscent of his works for the theater. The work includes abrupt foreshortening of perspective and a stylized urban landscape. The angularities of Chupiatov's composition, with its repeating pyramids, cubes, and rectangles are enhanced by the restrained palette of monochromatic browns and grays. Chupiatov also emphasizes the solidity of the forms with tonality and shadows.

Two Stools and a Table also exemplifies Chupiatov's playfulness, as his awkwardly placed trompe l'oeil frame is an integral part of the composition. Chupiatov often included seemingly incongruous elements in his still-life compositions. For example, Chupiatov added a ball to the upper left corner of Apples and Lemon, 1923, an otherwise straightforward still-life.

Leonid Chupiatov's work can be found at the Russian State Museum in St. Petersburg and in private collections throughout the world.