Περιγραφή
Vladimir Ovchinnikov (Russian, 1941-2015) (AR)
The Temptation of St. Anthony, 1977, titled in cyrilic:
“В.Овчинников Искушение святого Антония”
oil on canvas, 75 x 60 cm.
Signed and dated bottom right and titled, signed, dated on the reverse.
Provenance
George Costakis Collection, Athens, Greece.
Catalogue notes:
Vladimir Ovchinnikov was a leading member of the Leningrad unofficial art movement beginning in the 1960s. He was involved in many of the movement’s landmark events, including the Exhibition of Workmen Artists held at the Hermitage Museum in 1964, which was open for only two days before being closed by the KGB. Ovchinnikov never received formal art training, although he worked as an assistant stage designer at the Kirov Theater in Leningrad. In the mid-1970s, Ovchinnikov participated in the first officially-sanctioned exhibition of nonconformist art in Leningrad. He was a member of the St. Petersburg Group of Painters, led by Mikhail Chemiakin. Ovchinnikov’s scenes are drawn from the life of the Leningrad suburbs. His distinctive, simplified, naïve style employs full-bodied tubular figures, resembling toys made out of polished wooden blocks. Since his figures display no emotion, the artist’s intentions are conveyed through gesture, the careful deployment of figures and objects, and artful theatrical spotlighting.
Lot location: Loudos Auctions Athens.