Lot Essay
From his earliest days as a student, Nicolai Fechin was captivated by portrait painting. The widely varied faces of the people he encountered in his native Russia provided the foundation for a storied career that spread across the globe. Like the great Ashcan artist and teacher, Robert Henri, Fechin chose his sitters based on the vitality and character they emanated. Never content with merely capturing a likeness on canvas, Fechin strove to portray a dignity and inner spirit of each subject. The present work is particualrly striking in its tenderness, as it depicts the artist's daughter, Eya, who boldly confronts the view with her piercing gaze.
According to Galina Tuluzakova, "Fechin's true mastery is revealed in the portraits of people he loved—his wife and daughter. Oil and charcoal portraits of Alexandra and Eya are imbued with sincerity and depth of feeling...Portraits of Eya are imbued with fatherly love and affection." (Nicolai Fechin: The Art and the Life, San Cristobal, New Mexico, 2012, pp. 128-29) Indeed, the present work establishes Eya's sweetness in her captivating gaze, complemented by the intimate proximity and abstracted background. Another portrait of the artist's daughter is in the collection of the Taos Art Museum, New Mexico.
According to Galina Tuluzakova, "Fechin's true mastery is revealed in the portraits of people he loved—his wife and daughter. Oil and charcoal portraits of Alexandra and Eya are imbued with sincerity and depth of feeling...Portraits of Eya are imbued with fatherly love and affection." (Nicolai Fechin: The Art and the Life, San Cristobal, New Mexico, 2012, pp. 128-29) Indeed, the present work establishes Eya's sweetness in her captivating gaze, complemented by the intimate proximity and abstracted background. Another portrait of the artist's daughter is in the collection of the Taos Art Museum, New Mexico.