Georges Calistratovitch ARTEMOFF - Lot 34

Georges Calistratovitch ARTEMOFF (Ourioupinsk, 1892 - 1965, Revel) Heron (circa 1934) Sculpture in the round in carved and engraved wood, signed on the base base "Artemoff". Old exhibition label under the base The beak has been glued back on, the body is cracked, and there is a material skip at the base. 86.5 x 29 cm Provenance : - Gift from the artist to a current family member in the years 1935. - Then kept by descendants. Exhibition: Most probably exhibited at the Animaliers at the Edgar Brandt Gallery, 27 boulevard Malesherbes, Paris, 1934. Literature: Exhibition catalog "Georges Calistratovitch Artemoff: peintre, sculpteur, décorateur, 1892 -1965" foreword by Bertrand de Viviés, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gaillac, Sorèze : A. M. Denis , 2005, p. 18 is quoted in footnote "In 1934, Georges Artemoff exhibited Les Animaliers: 'L'homme et la bête', 'Gazelle', 'Biche', 'Poisson St Pierre', 'Heron'". Background: In Georges Artemoff's sculptural work, representations of animals a predominant place, revealing a deep affinity with the living and an instinctive with the living and an instinctive approach to matter. Trained in sculpture during his Moscow years, Artemoff developed a personal 1920s, Artemoff developed a personal language in which noble, resonant wood becomes the vector of a stylized and sensual imagination. The rediscovery of this "Heron", carved in dark, dense exotic wood exotic wood, now enriches the known corpus of his animal works. Standing firmly on its two legs on a pedestal that evokes a stone stone, the great wader raises its beak to the sky in a sober, restrained sober, restrained movement. The attitude, imbued with calm and vigilance, the bird's discreet majesty. Here, it's all about the praise simplicity that gives the bird an almost meditative presence. meditative presence. As in several pieces from the Messidor period, Artemoff works in direct in direct carving, exploiting the density of the wood to subtly planes, edges and light. His aim is not to imitate nature, but to express its essential structure and capture its rhythm. its rhythm. This "heron" is a perfect example of his ability to balance his ability to balance rigorous drawing with a sense of volume. In this face-to-face encounter with wood, Artemoff asserts a free relationship with design to creation, far from commercial circuits, faithful to a sincere, artisanal vision of its art.