Lot 82: Nikolai Nikolaevich Sapunov (Russian, 1880-1912) Landscape of blue hues

Landscape of blue hues
signed in Cyrillic and indistinctly dated (lower right)
pastel on board
55 x 72cm (21 5/8 x 28 3/8in).

By 1908, when Landscape of blue hues was finished, Sapunov had already established himself as a skilful and intelligent artist. He graduated from the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where his teachers were I. Levitan, V. Serov and K. Korovin. One could argue that Levitan's influence can be seen in the lyricism inherent in some of Sapunov's work, whereas the sharpness of aesthetic expression he most likely borrowed from Serov. In 1905, Sapunov met with Meyerhold who introduced him to the world of theatre. Sapunov started to work as an assistant decorator, but soon proceeded to create designs for performances himself. He was well acquainted with works by Korovin, and even once worked as his assistant.

In 1907 he partook in the Blue Rose. The 16 participants of this exhibition were inspired by the ideas and world view of Moscow symbolist poets and composers, such as A.N. Scriabin or N.K. Medtner. They all belonged to the Society of Free Aesthetics, where the extravagance of conduct and manners of the Blue Rose members stood out. Their works contained neither the pathos of the Peredvizhniki, nor the World of Art's attachment to retrospectivism. Instead they were inspired by the hidden beauty of the world that can only be revealed through the prism of poetic reverie. Their paintings in the exhibition 'looked like vague sketches for phantasmagorical paintings intended for the decoration of extraordinary places. The artists were convinced that only through the misty symphonies of colour can the poetry of painting be conveyed', writes Sergei Makovsky.

Landscape of blue hues was born of the debate about the theatrical backdrop. Meyerhold firmly believed in reducing decoration to the backdrop against which (and in contrast to) the artists would perform. One can see how the intrinsic flatness of the backdrop prevails in Sapunov's painting. It was rare for Sapunov to paint landscapes and to use the medium of pastel. One could compare Landscape of blue hues to other paintings by Sapunov, such as Apple Trees in Blossom, 1902, Portrait of the Artist Andreeva, 1905, and finally the works associated with the following theatrical performances: Ballet, 1905, Night Festival, 1907, the opera by A.S. Dargomyzhsky The Stone Guest, early 1900s, and The Masquerade, 1907. These works, while being very different from each other, can be connected through the general treatment of colour: the subtle poetry of colour shades and the almost musical, rhythmic application of patches of colour. The composition is also reminiscent of theatre wings, linking the painting to the designs produced by Sapunov for the theatrical performances. Finally, regardless of what time of the day these works depict, their true subject matter is the very ephemeral nature of a visual image. They take visual perception to the very edge, reminding one of the scent of flowers both real and imaginary.

Dr. Valentina Bialik, The State Tretyakov Gallery