Portrait of the Artist's Son
Artist
Boris Grigoriev
(Russian, 1886–1939)
Date1921
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionscanvas: 92.7 x 73.7 cm (36 1/2 x 29 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number1923.4
Label TextDuring his early career, Boris Grigoriev was a member of the Union of Impressionists and the neo-Romantic World of Art movement in Russia. He gained prominence during the First World War for his depiction of the Russian peasantry and interest in the Russian countryside. During a period of radical upheaval in the Russian art world, instigated by David Burliuk and the Cubo-Futurist movement, Grigoriev’s commitment to classical mastery was noteworthy and later inspired a younger generation of Soviet Realists.
This portrait, produced two years after he emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States, depicts Grigoriev’s son, Cyril. Grigoriev’s indebtedness to Paul Cézanne, a longtime source of inspiration, is evident in the distorted perspectival space and volumetric planes. At the same time, Grigoriev’s commitment to figuration reaffirms his association with the neo-academic realist movement in his homeland.ProvenanceChristian Brinton, Agent, New York NYOn View
Not on view
Frans van Mieris
1662
