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Lot Essay
'Falk would say: It is not separate objects that create a picture, but connecting one thing with another and with the space in which they are located. As a result of this connection, a painting is created [...]. It is similar to music, appearing as a result of connected sounds.'
- Evsei Liubomirskii, 1945
Born into an educated family in Moscow in 1886, Robert Falk played the piano beautifully and at 16 was preparing to enter the Moscow Conservatory of Music. He had, however, shown a considerable aptitude and enthusiasm for drawing from a young age and 'in 1903 I was given oil paints and was once again strongly drawn towards art.' (quoted in D. Sarabianov & Iu. Didenko, Zhivopis' Roberta Falka. Polnyi katalog proizvedenii [Paintings by Robert Falk. Complete catalogue of works], Moscow, 2006, p. 37). Following this volte-face of sorts, Falk commenced his initial training under Konstantin Yuon and Ivan Dudin before studying in the studio of Ilya Mashkov from 1904-1905. In 1905 he entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Like Mashkov, his former teacher and future co-member of the Bubnovy Valet [Jack of Diamonds], Falk was also taught by Konstantin Korovin and Valentin Serov, both of whom were to have a formative influence on his work. The youngest member of the Bubnovy Valet exhibiting society, one of the earliest manifestations of the Russian Avant-Garde, he was also one of its most active participants.
A fervent follower of Cézanne, Falk's earliest works reveal his deep admiration for his country's 19th century landscape artists and in particular the work of Apollinary Vasnetsov and Isaak Levitan. While undoubtedly a masterful portrait painter, the landscape continued to be central to Falk's focus throughout his career. The present work was painted in 1923 in Vitebsk where Falk taught periodically from 1921 and was selected for inclusion in the artist's 1924 solo exhibition at the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Appearing on the market for the first time in over three decades, Oak tree beautifully exemplifies Falk's distinctive creation of form built up via multiple layers of paint. His energetic brushwork, so aesthetically pleasing, is clearly visible on the surface of the painting. Typically for works of this period, it depicts a simple motif: that of an oak tree boldly rendered against a bright blue sky, the confined palette of predominantly blues and greens creating exactly the lyrical unity of which Falk spoke to Evsei Liubomirskii.
- Evsei Liubomirskii, 1945
Born into an educated family in Moscow in 1886, Robert Falk played the piano beautifully and at 16 was preparing to enter the Moscow Conservatory of Music. He had, however, shown a considerable aptitude and enthusiasm for drawing from a young age and 'in 1903 I was given oil paints and was once again strongly drawn towards art.' (quoted in D. Sarabianov & Iu. Didenko, Zhivopis' Roberta Falka. Polnyi katalog proizvedenii [Paintings by Robert Falk. Complete catalogue of works], Moscow, 2006, p. 37). Following this volte-face of sorts, Falk commenced his initial training under Konstantin Yuon and Ivan Dudin before studying in the studio of Ilya Mashkov from 1904-1905. In 1905 he entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Like Mashkov, his former teacher and future co-member of the Bubnovy Valet [Jack of Diamonds], Falk was also taught by Konstantin Korovin and Valentin Serov, both of whom were to have a formative influence on his work. The youngest member of the Bubnovy Valet exhibiting society, one of the earliest manifestations of the Russian Avant-Garde, he was also one of its most active participants.
A fervent follower of Cézanne, Falk's earliest works reveal his deep admiration for his country's 19th century landscape artists and in particular the work of Apollinary Vasnetsov and Isaak Levitan. While undoubtedly a masterful portrait painter, the landscape continued to be central to Falk's focus throughout his career. The present work was painted in 1923 in Vitebsk where Falk taught periodically from 1921 and was selected for inclusion in the artist's 1924 solo exhibition at the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Appearing on the market for the first time in over three decades, Oak tree beautifully exemplifies Falk's distinctive creation of form built up via multiple layers of paint. His energetic brushwork, so aesthetically pleasing, is clearly visible on the surface of the painting. Typically for works of this period, it depicts a simple motif: that of an oak tree boldly rendered against a bright blue sky, the confined palette of predominantly blues and greens creating exactly the lyrical unity of which Falk spoke to Evsei Liubomirskii.