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Lot Essay
Somov was extremely self-critical of his talents as an artist which often led him to destroy works he considered inadequate; in 1914 alone he is said to have destroyed more than 80 works.
This perfectionism led him to repeat compositions he found artistically pleasing and create variants by experimenting with different mediums. The present lot, painted in oils in 1913, appears to have influenced a later version entitled 'First Love' (Fig. 1) painted in gouache. For further information see I. E. Lomize and I. M. Gofman, '"Galantyi" Somov na sovremennom antikvarnom rynke', Ekspertiza i atributsiia, Moscow, 2003, p. 117-118.
This perfectionism led him to repeat compositions he found artistically pleasing and create variants by experimenting with different mediums. The present lot, painted in oils in 1913, appears to have influenced a later version entitled 'First Love' (Fig. 1) painted in gouache. For further information see I. E. Lomize and I. M. Gofman, '"Galantyi" Somov na sovremennom antikvarnom rynke', Ekspertiza i atributsiia, Moscow, 2003, p. 117-118.