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Lot Essay
A superb example of Nicolai Fechin's work, Tonita is indicative of the artist's Taos, New Mexico period, which combines a predilection for modern art while simultaneously capturing the realism of an intimate glimpse into the region's Native American life. Trained at the Imperial Academy in Leningrad, Fechin developed a quick and dramatic approach to painting. He immigrated to the United States in 1923, and settled in Taos, a burgeoning art colony, in 1926. "When Fechin arrived in Taos, several New York artists had visited or resided in the area, including John Marin, Robert Henri, Andrew Dasburg, and Marsden Hartley. Nearly all of the original members of the Taos Society of Artists regarded themselves as sophisticated 'modern' painters. Fechin's background, however, was very different from theirs in its rural associations and uniquely Russian focus." (D.C. Hunt, "Nicolai Fechin's Portraits from Life," American Art Review, Kansas City, Missouri, April 2004, p. 126)
Fechin flourished in the bright light and intense color of the region. He quickly developed a great respect and affection for the native peoples of the area, and often included them in his compositions. Interested in portraiture throughout his career, he maintained a keen sense of capturing the individuality of those who posed for him. Using pure color applied directly onto the canvas with broad strokes of a palette knife, Fechin would then often discard his artists' tools and use his thumb to re-work the finer qualities of the sitter's expression and moods. He worked quickly, sometimes violently attacking the canvas with his palette knife, often causing his sitters to become apprehensive.
Fechin biographer Mary N. Balcomb writes "The work from Taos is exceptional. The portraits are acutely psychological, compassionate, penetrating studies of character, scrutinizing the soul of man...Fechin's Taos portraits are masterfully executed, timeless. Each is a highly individualized study, yet possessing a generalization or universal quality which evokes memories and associations that relate to all people everywhere." (Nicolai Fechin, San Cristobal, New Mexico, 1999 ed., pp. 74, 78) These qualities are evident in Tonita, where Fechin creates a beautiful and complex composition of a child gazing confidently at the viewer with stems of beautiful flowers resting on her lap. The artist's strong draftsmanship is visible in the self-assured rendering of the sitter's face and eyes. The hair and clothing are painted in an abstract riot of color, applied with rapid, deft strokes of a palette knife and full of artistic energy and vitality.
Fechin flourished in the bright light and intense color of the region. He quickly developed a great respect and affection for the native peoples of the area, and often included them in his compositions. Interested in portraiture throughout his career, he maintained a keen sense of capturing the individuality of those who posed for him. Using pure color applied directly onto the canvas with broad strokes of a palette knife, Fechin would then often discard his artists' tools and use his thumb to re-work the finer qualities of the sitter's expression and moods. He worked quickly, sometimes violently attacking the canvas with his palette knife, often causing his sitters to become apprehensive.
Fechin biographer Mary N. Balcomb writes "The work from Taos is exceptional. The portraits are acutely psychological, compassionate, penetrating studies of character, scrutinizing the soul of man...Fechin's Taos portraits are masterfully executed, timeless. Each is a highly individualized study, yet possessing a generalization or universal quality which evokes memories and associations that relate to all people everywhere." (Nicolai Fechin, San Cristobal, New Mexico, 1999 ed., pp. 74, 78) These qualities are evident in Tonita, where Fechin creates a beautiful and complex composition of a child gazing confidently at the viewer with stems of beautiful flowers resting on her lap. The artist's strong draftsmanship is visible in the self-assured rendering of the sitter's face and eyes. The hair and clothing are painted in an abstract riot of color, applied with rapid, deft strokes of a palette knife and full of artistic energy and vitality.