The arrival of Spring; Two roads

Details

Maria Vasil'evna Iakunchikova (1870-1902)
The arrival of Spring; Two roads
pyrogravure and oil on panel
12 5/8 x 13¾ in. (32.1 x 34.9 cm.)
Executed in 1896

Provenance

The family of the artist.
Thence by descent to the present owner.

Literature

Mir iskusstva, 1904, no. 3, p. 88, illustrated.
Exhibition catalogue; Maria Vasil'evna Iakunchikova's posthumous exhibition, Moscow, 1905, p. 9. no. 111.
Exhibition catalogue; L'expoition de l'Art Russe, Paris, 1906, p. 137, no. 712.
Exhibition catalogue; L'exposition de quelques oeuvres de Marie Weber-Iakunchikoff et de Vera Woulff, Geneva, 1910, no. 1. M. Kiselev, Maria Iakunchikova, Moscow, 1979, pp. 89, 167, pl. 37. Nashe Nasledie, Moscow, no. 54, 2000, p. 3.

Exhibited

Moscow, Maria Vasil'evna Iakunchikova's posthumous exhibition, 1905, no. 111, as 'Spring comes'.
Paris, Exposition de l'Art Russe, Salon d'Automne, 1906, no. 712. Geneva, L'exposition de quelques oeuvres de Marie Weber-Iakunchikoff et de Vera Woulff, Musée Rath, 1910, no. 1, as 'Two roads'.

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Sale room notice

The dimensions for this lot are 12 5/8 x 13¾ in. (32.1 x 34.9 cm.).

Lot Essay

The present pyrogravure is perhaps the most complex work in this selection by Iakunchikova. Critically appreciated, 'The arrival of Spring; Two roads' also has a wider appeal, communicating both the tenets of Symbolism and the transience of existence. Iakunchikova creates a synthesis of colour and form, using the sinuous lines to render a symbolic image, yet at the same time preserving a degree of realism. The juxtaposition of the road leading to the top of a hill, which some critics have suggested leads to a hill-top cemetery, with the industrial train track suggests contrary motion; perhaps the expression of the replacement of generations and the progress of life.

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