As a prolific portraitist, genre painter and illustrator, Leonid Pasternak became one of the most respected, eminent and accomplished artists in Russia at the start of the 20th century. Pasternak proved to be a major creative force in Russian Impressionism, using short, light brushstrokes to capture moments of fleeting movement and change, and for capturing the intimate spirit of his sitters with a sense of candour and sincerity.
Born in Odessa, Pasternak initially studied law and medicine, as per his parents' wishes, but eventually gave up these studies to follow his true calling and left for Munich in 1884 to study at the Royal Academy of Arts. His career began in earnest when the notable collector Pavel Tretyakov (1832-1898) bought his painting Letter from home (1889, The State Tretyakov Gallery), which depicts three soldiers in their room in a barracks. In 1894, Pasternak moved to Moscow to take up a teaching post at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and establish a new graphic art department. Pasternak's illustrations for Leo Tolstoy's (1828-1910) War and Peace and Resurrection brought him to the public's attention, and led to a close friendship between the two men. Pasternak, having moved to Berlin in 1921, fled Nazi persecution pre-World War II and settled in Oxford, England, where he lived until his death.
While Pasternak is known primarily for executing portraits of his friends, contemporaries, and members of the Russian cultural elite, such as Feodor Chaliapin (1873-1938), Maxim Gorky (1868-1936) and Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), Pasternak also executed a number of still lifes throughout his lifetime. The present lot combines his signature thick impasto with short, visible brushstrokes, bringing to life the floaty and diaphanous texture of the flower petals. The contrast between the bright colours of the flowers and the darkness of interior draws the viewer’s eye to the flowers, symbols of vitality and vigour. By cropping the top of the roses and some of the leaves, the blooms dominate the composition, and adds a sense of intimacy to the still life.
The work appears at auction for only the second time in history, and is widely appreciated as one of the artist’s finest still lifes. Still life with hyacinths, tulips, hollyhocks and peonies has immaculate provenance: it was first offered in 2008 and was sold to benefit The Pasternak Trust, a permanent exhibition of the artist’s family collection in Oxford.