Dimitri Semenovich STELLETSKY (1875-1947) - Lot 16

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  3. Dimitri Semenovich STELLETSKY (1875-1947) - Lot 16
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Lot n° 16
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Dimitri Semenovich STELLETSKY (1875-1947) - Lot 16
Dimitri Semenovich STELLETSKY (1875-1947) The Archangel Saint Michael Tempera on paper, circa 1927 Signed lower left and dedicated to Pyotr Alexandrovich Vakhrushev, dated March 20, 1927. 41.5 x 47cm (view) This work was a gift from the artist in 1927 to his friend, the sacristan of the Saint Serge Orthodox Church in Paris, Mr. Piotr Alexandrovitch Vakhrouchev. The latter was also, in the 1920s, one of the co-founders of the Theological Institute attached to this church. This work depicting St. Michael the Archangel may have been a sketch for the frescoes in the same church on Rue de Crimée in Paris, since the painter, often referred to as the "Russian Michelangelo", completed the decoration between 1925 and 1927. This archangel reflects the painter's attraction to Byzantine art, Oriental ornamentation and the taste for symbolism and purity that inspired the great Russian iconographers. Like his peers, the artist chose an intense blue background and emphasized flatness to the detriment of depth. There is an almost complete absence of perspective effects, typical of iconography. Facial features inspired by Greco-Byzantine art and strategically placed white highlights gently underline the angel's hieratic, mystical presence. The artist does, however, allow himself a slightly personal, modern touch in the red wall and decorative frame surrounding the subject. The work as a whole, however, retains the mimetically effective function of Byzantine religious works. Dmitri Semionovitch Stelletsky was born into a noble family of soldiers, priests and great scholars, descended from Ukrainian Cossacks. Apparently, nothing predisposed him to an artistic vocation! He first made a name for himself as a sculptor, creating portraits, some of which can be seen in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg and the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. From 1900 onwards, Dimitry Stelletsky, along with his friend Boris Kustodiev, visited ancient Russian cities and monasteries, writing down their impressions and sketching frescoes and icons. Very interested in the Byzantine roots of Russian art, he illustrated books with miniatures in the style of ancient manuscripts. He also designed costumes and sets for opera and theater, notably for Serge de Diaghilev. Arriving in France in 1914, he studied Romanesque art and took part in numerous exhibitions. His major work remains the decoration of the Saint-Serge-de-Radonège church in Paris, which he executed between 1925 and 1927 and for which he drew inspiration from the Russian religious style of the 16th century. He continued to paint icons and iconostases, mostly in oil and tempera, for places of worship in France and abroad.
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