Beschreibung:

Nikolai Fechin (Russian, 1881-1955) 'Trees by water' apparently unsigned oil on canvas 76.2 x 63.5cm (30 x 25in). Fußnoten Provenance Eya Fechin Branham, daughter of the artist Fenn Galleries, Santa Fe, USA Acquired from the above by the present owner on 8 April, 1975 Exhibited Oklahoma City, USA, Retrospective of Nikolai Fechin, 13 September - 17 November, 1991, no. IL. 91.31.1 Santa Fe, New Mexico, with Fenn Gallery's label Hammer Galleries, New York, 1961 (catalogue, label on frame) Literature H. McCracken, Nicolai Fechin, listed as from the collection of Eya Fechin Branham, The Hammer Galleries, Inc., The Ram Press, New York, 1961, no. 100 Nikolai Fechin is known as a portraitist par excellence. In his oeuvre – in both the Russian and the American periods - landscapes are rare. Yet, for such an artist, the desire to fully understand nature acquires a character of its own and Fechin explores nature subjects in the same way that he peers into the face of a model while working on a portrait, trying to capture and isolate individual and unique traits that will be memorable to the viewer. As with his human models which are for Fechin ever changing, he approaches landscapes with the same interest in its fluidity and ability to change. In the Fechin's hands a landscape is transformed into a portrait of nature: forests, waterfalls, foothills and even deserts. In the offered lot, Trees by water, Fechin's style is characterized by unbridled energy. An array of tools is used: brush, palette knives, and even fingers. Fechin becomes a creator, unquestionably in control of his art; he arranges on the canvas a whole range of elements so as to display them in all their glory. The result is by no means excessive - the artist is in full control: brushstrokes are masterfully arranged on the surface of the canvas. In the present painting, we see Fechin's trademark palette, the one he uses in a number of his works: Beaver Dam, Eucalyptus, Twining Landscape (various American museums and private collections). These works are similar in composition to the present lot: Fechin selects the focal point of the painting to be at eye level of a viewer; thus allowing a unique depth and perspective. He is preoccupied with the fragmentation of the landscape and the details of nature, and it is this focus which results in a painting which infuses energy and vibrant life into a simple subject. The present lot is not dated, but stylistic analysis suggests the date of composition between 1927-1933, a period of creative maturity for Fechin. Equally important that the work comes from the collection of the artist's daughter - Eya Nikolaevna. In the 1960s, it was purchased by the Forrest Fenn gallery - one of the largest dealers of Fechin's works on the West Coast of the USA. We are grateful to Galina Tuluzakova and Ildar Galeyev for their assistance in cataloguing this lot. Николай Фешин - портретист par excellence. В его творческом наследии, равно "русского" как и "американского" периода, пейзажи встречаются достаточно редко. Но у такого художника, как он, стремление постичь натуру, объект/субъект его очередного намечаемого шедевра, носит всепоглощающий характер. Фешин исследует ландшафт подобно тому, как он всматривается в лицо модели во время работы над портретом, пытаясь уловить те черты, которые станут определяющими для будущего зрителя, будут узнаваемыми в галерее образов. Человек, модель для него - всегда в череде изменчивых настроений. В работе над пейзажем он также стремится сделать его подвижным, живым, передать его текущее состояние. В трактовке Фешина пейзаж - такой же портрет, только природы: леса, водопада, предгорья и даже пустыни. В представленной работе Деревья у воды фешинская манера письма определяется его необузданной энергией: используется целый набор технических приемов - кисть, мастихин и даже пальцы рук. Оперируя ими как хирург, Фешин утверждает свой канон живописи. Художник создает на холсте целое пиршество стихии для того, чтобы ее же -