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Lot Essay
An exemplary student of the first Russian Impressionist painter Konstantin Korovin (1861-1939), George Artemoff, like his teacher before him, embarked on a challenging career as an émigré artist in the French capital and asserted himself as a dedicated member of the Montparnasse intellectual and artistic circles.
A native of Uryupinsk, Artemoff was born into the family of a military doctor and initially studied at the Donetsk Cadet corps. His passion for art led him to take drawing classes in Rostov-on-Don and continue his artistic pursuits at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. As a gifted student, Artemoff was awarded a scholarship to study in Paris in 1913. The artist quickly immersed himself into the creative life of the artistic capital of the world. Thanks to his new friend Ossip Zadkine (1890-1967), with whom he would share a studio at La Ruche, Artemoff was introduced to the buzzing artistic community of Montparnasse, which nurtured the most prominent exponents of early 20th century art.
With the outbreak of the First World War the artist enlisted in the French Légion étrangère and, after being heavily wounded, Artemoff was sent to Savoie for recuperation. He then returned to Novocherkassk in Russia to fight for the White Army and when the Reds took power he evacuated to Constantinople and established himself in Paris in 1922. From then on he would remain in France, working between Paris and Corsica, where Seated nude was created. He later joined the Russian community in Clamart and eventually settled in Revel with his second wife and fellow artist Jeanne Astre (1901-1993).
In this painting, Artemoff explores the sensuality of the female body. The detached gaze of the model absorbed in her thoughts and the elegance and simplicity of the forms are reminiscent of the eternal feminine qualities expressed in Female Nude, circa 1916 by Amadeo Modigliani (1884-1920), one of the artist’s acquaintances in Montparnasse. The vibrant colours of the flesh tones with their warmth of pinks, oranges and yellows are masterfully captured with fluid brushstrokes and complemented by the emerald greens of the shadows. The resting pose of the model conveys the serene aesthetics of female beauty.
This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work being prepared by the artist's daughter Marie Testa-Artemoff.
A native of Uryupinsk, Artemoff was born into the family of a military doctor and initially studied at the Donetsk Cadet corps. His passion for art led him to take drawing classes in Rostov-on-Don and continue his artistic pursuits at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. As a gifted student, Artemoff was awarded a scholarship to study in Paris in 1913. The artist quickly immersed himself into the creative life of the artistic capital of the world. Thanks to his new friend Ossip Zadkine (1890-1967), with whom he would share a studio at La Ruche, Artemoff was introduced to the buzzing artistic community of Montparnasse, which nurtured the most prominent exponents of early 20th century art.
With the outbreak of the First World War the artist enlisted in the French Légion étrangère and, after being heavily wounded, Artemoff was sent to Savoie for recuperation. He then returned to Novocherkassk in Russia to fight for the White Army and when the Reds took power he evacuated to Constantinople and established himself in Paris in 1922. From then on he would remain in France, working between Paris and Corsica, where Seated nude was created. He later joined the Russian community in Clamart and eventually settled in Revel with his second wife and fellow artist Jeanne Astre (1901-1993).
In this painting, Artemoff explores the sensuality of the female body. The detached gaze of the model absorbed in her thoughts and the elegance and simplicity of the forms are reminiscent of the eternal feminine qualities expressed in Female Nude, circa 1916 by Amadeo Modigliani (1884-1920), one of the artist’s acquaintances in Montparnasse. The vibrant colours of the flesh tones with their warmth of pinks, oranges and yellows are masterfully captured with fluid brushstrokes and complemented by the emerald greens of the shadows. The resting pose of the model conveys the serene aesthetics of female beauty.
This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work being prepared by the artist's daughter Marie Testa-Artemoff.