Petr Petrovic Verescagin

Petr Petrovich Vereshchagin (Russian,1836-1886) View of the Kremlin from the MoskvoretskyBridge signed in Cyrillic (lower left) oil on canvas 39.4 x 95.5cm (15 1/2 x 375/8in). Footnote: Sold with a certificate from the State Tretyakov Gallery, 30 March,2005. Petr Petrovich Vereshchagin is classed among the remarkable Russianlandscape painters of the second half of the XIX century. Withinthe landscape genre, he specialized in architectural and panoramicviews of Russian cities, and in View of the Kremlin from theMoskvoretsky Bridge, he portrays one of the most stunningarchitectural landscapes of Moscow. This panoramic view of theMoscow Kremlin was painted from one of the corner watchtowers,Beklemishev, which was erected in the middle of the XV century fordefence purposes. The palaces and temple buildings tower over theKremlin wall and a succession of fortresses and among them are theGrand Kremlin Palace, Blagoveshensky, Archangelskij and UspenskyCathedrals as well as the slender bell tower of Ivan theGreat. The monumental austerity of the architecture exists happilyalongside the daily routine of city life. Along the MoskvoretskyBridge and its embankments people hurry in carts, ladies are busywith their shopping, and young couples are strolling leisurely,while hawkers of all sorts are in a rush to deliver their goods tocustomers. Essentially, the artist portrays the bustling reality ofcity life. Vereshchagin had successfully mastered the depiction ofsuch urban scenes and landscapes, especially as they were muchsought after by art lovers at the time. The artist repeatedlypainted views of the Moscow Kremlin, each time selecting a newvisual angle, altering the composition as well as rearranging thelocations of the figures. In each instance, the painting remainedtrue to the solemn beauty of the mighty fortress of Moscow. Vereshchagin was part of a group of artists know as the'vidopistsii' and it was common for artists of this genre to depicturban scenes and panoramas. Apart from Moscow landscapes,Vereshchagin's canon consists of numerous paintings of St.Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Pskov, as well as Caucasian landscapesand cities. In the mid-1870s, Vereshchagin painted a series oflandscapes of the Chusovaia River, in the Urals, depicting almostevery turn of its peculiar movement between mountain gorges andforests. The meticulousness of his work as well his affection for the viewshe painted enable Vereshchagin's paintings to retain their wideappeal today. Galina Churak

LOT 6 PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV TO BENEFITTHE BARYSHNIKOV ARTS CENTER PETR PETROVICH VERESHCHAGIN 1836-1886 VIEW OF ST. PETERSBURG signed in Cyrillic (lower right) and inscribed in Cyrillic(lower left); bears inscription in Cyrillic and numbers 1041 and477 (on the stretcher) oil on canvas 300,000—500,000 USD measurements 16 by 28 1/2 in., 41 by 72.5 cm Description signed in Cyrillic (lower right) and inscribed in Cyrillic(lower left); bears inscription in Cyrillic and numbers 1041 and477 (on the stretcher) oil on canvas PROVENANCE Private Collection, RussiaMikhail Kogan Gallery, FinlandAcquired directly from the above by the present owner, circa1978 CATALOGUE NOTE By the early 1800s, the St. Petersburg Academy was aworld-renowned institution with an increasingly impressive rosterof students, graduates and professors including some of the mostaccomplished masters of their fields, and the majestic skyline andbustling streets of the metropolis became a favorite subject forthem all. Petr Petrovich Vereshchagin, an Academy graduate andAcademician, traveled widely throughout Russia in the mid-1800s,developing a portfolio of images of the country's oldest cities andtowns; most of these works were exhibited at the Academy in thelate 1800s. Vereshchagin was particularly compelled by the Russiancapital, which he rendered from numerous perspectives and in everycondition, and a substantial number of these variations now hang inthe collection of the State Russian Museum. The present, panoramicand dazzling View of St. Petersburg is one of the artist'smost accomplished canvases of the period; it showcases his abilityto capture painstaking detail and render atmospheric depth throughperspective, following in the venerable tradition of veduta painting. View of St. Petersburg comes to auction directly from thecollection of Mikhail Baryshnikov.

LOT 5 PETR PETROVICH VERESCHAGIN 1836-1886 VIEW OF PSKOV signed in Cyrillic l.l. and inscribed Pskov l.r. oil on canvas 80,000—120,000 GBP 42 by 75cm., 16 1/2 by 29 1/2 in. Petr Vereschagin travelled frequently around Russia, depictingmany of its oldest towns. He produced several close variants of hismost popular cityscapes, which he regularly exhibited at theImperial Academy of Arts. The offered lot is one of three similarviews known to exist including one in the collection of the StateTretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Situated on the Velikaya river to the north west of Russia,Pskov is famed for its rich cultural heritage. Executed in theartist's typical palette of greens and lilacs, Vereschagin'scomposition is dominated by the sweeping perspective of theriverbank and low horizon line to convey the flat expanse of thelandscape.

A View of Nevsky Prospekt in St Petersburg, oil on canvas, sign., 40x53 - Provenance at request. Landscape painter Petr Petrovich Verechagin (1836-86) is the best known painter of the city of St Petersburg in Russian art. He spent seven years in the city as a student of the Imperial Academy of the Arts in 1858-65 to return there again for the rest of his life after extensive travels throughout Russia. Vereschagin was born in Perm. His father and also his first teacher was painter Petra Prokofjevich Verechagin and his brother artist, stage and costume designer Vasili Petrovich Verechagin. In his own career Petr Petrovich Verechagin became famous for his architectural panoramas, which he worked tirelessy to perfection. After he became member of the Imperial Academy of the Arts in 1873, almos all of his works were shown in academic exhibitions, where their topographical accuracy and richness in detail earned him great fame and a lot of admirers. Detailed architectural vistas had belonged to the most appreciated and best-favoured themes in Russian art since Catherine the Great’’s acquisition of the master of Venetian veduta-painting, Canaletto’’s, work “Reception of the French Ambassador in Venice”. In his own Nevsky Prospekt theme Vereschagin continues the same classical tradition of perspective and architectural painting. The breathtaking three-dimensional effect with rich details captures the viewer into the pulsating heart of St Petersburg. The main street Nevsky Prospekt, built at the time of Peter the Great, is still the heart of the city. This main boulevard leading from the Admiralty to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery was named after Saint Alexander Nevsky, prince of Novgorod, who defeated the Swedes in the battle of the River Neva in 1240 and was canonized by the Orthodox Church. The present view opens along Nevsky Prospekt towards the Alexander Nevsky Monastery founded in 1710. Of the buildings in the background, on the other side of the Gribojedov channel (until 1923 the Catherine channel), the most recognizable on the right is the Duma Tower, built by Giacomo Ferrari in 1802-04. Opposite the tower, to the left of the viewer, the famous Grand Hotel Europe, by Ludvig Fontana, was erected in 1873-75. On the same side of the main street stands the Philharmonic Small Hall which in early 19th Century was the leading concert hall of the city. On the right is one of St Petersburg’’s historical merchants passages, the Silver Passage. Some of the buildings the foreground have undergone changes in the beginning of the 20th Century. One of St Petersburg’’s landmarks, the Kazan Cathedral constructed in 1801-11 by Paul I, is situated on the right. The composition shows the gable of its 111 meters long arching colonnade, constructed from the plans of serf-architect Andrei Voronikhin, inspired by the Vatican Basilica of St Peter. (text: M.A. Tuija Tervo) Litterature: - F.I. Bulgakov. Nashi hudozhniki (Our artists), the facsimile 1880 edition, Moscow 2002.

Vasilii Petrovich Vereshchagin (1835-1909)
Street Merchant
Add. Notes: signed in Cyrillic 'V. V.' (lower right) pencil and watercolor on paper 15 x 9¼ in. (38.1 x 23.5 cm.) Exhibited
Notes: This print, thought to be one of only three 30 x 40in. versions, was made (by Adams' printer Orland) for a travelling exhibition of the photographer's work organized by George Eastman House c. 1970.
Exhibited: Imperial Academy of Arts, St. Petersburg, 1910, no. 247. Gallery Lemercie Exhibition, Moscow, 1912, no. 180.