Footnotes

• EXHIBITED:
  Possibly as 'Bacchante (pastel)' at the 13th exhibition of the St. Petersburg Art Society, 1905, no. 120
  
  Makovsky was a prolific artist, working in many different genres and exploring various techniques throughout his career. He worked with pastels throughout, especially in his latter years and his drawings, watercolours and pastels were frequently exhibited at St. Petersburg Art Society exhibitions. A member of this Society since 1899, Makovsky exhibited his works with them until the end of his career.
  
  It is highly likely that the present work was exhibited at the 13th exhibition of the St. Petersburg Art Society in 1905 and was included in the catalogue as no. 120 with the title 'Bacchante (pastel)'. The present lot, depicting a young bare-breasted beauty wearing a light, barely-there tunic and marvelling at a bunch of grapes is undoubtedly a devotee of Bacchus.
  
  This type of striking blonde with bella figura, long, unfastened hair and moist, partially-open lips with sparkling teeth and a languorous blue-eyed gaze was often employed by Makovsky to impart a hint of eroticism to his works. The dynamism of the composition, the general colour scheme as well as the characteristic arrangement of pastels with sweeping finishing strokes, the masterful depiction of the gauzy cloth, which reveals and compliments the nudity of the sitter, rather than covering it: all are features typical of Makovsky's style.
  
  The exceptionally masterful execution of this large-scale pastel casts it an important work in the œuvre of the artist.
  
  Dr. Elena Nesterova, Professor of History of Art, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

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Category: Fine Art / Russian Art

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