NATALIA GONCHAROVA (1881-1962) Archangel Michael

signed twice with stamp in Cyrillic ‘NG’ (lower right) pencil on paper 33 x 26 cm executed circa 1911 Provenance: Collection Alexandra Larionov-Tomiline (second wife of Larionov). Private Collection An early and rare drawing, Archangel Michael, executed circa 1911, belongs to Goncharova’s early work with religious subjects, begun around 1906. Archangel Michael—the Archistrategos and protector of the heavenly host in Orthodox tradition. Goncharova was inspired by Russian icons, Byzantine frescoes and lubok prints; as in the present work, forms are flattened and lines are direct, reflecting the principles of Neo-Primitivism developed in close dialogue with Mikhail Larionov. It was a period of renewed interest in early Russian art. The restoration of icons, including Andrei Rublev’s Trinity in 1904, and the 1913 Moscow Exhibition of Old Russian Art brought works from churches and monasteries to a wider public. Goncharova’s own exhibition in Moscow in 1913 attracted over 12,000 visitors, while the 1914 presentation in St Petersburg provoked controversy, with more than twenty works confiscated on charges of blasphemy, though later returned. Within this context, Goncharova sought to reconcile Russian tradition with modernity. The subject of Archangel Michael is recurrent in this period. The present drawing anticipates later projects, notably Mystical Images of War (1914), created in response to World War I. Certificate of authenticity by François Daulte, executor of the estate of Alexandra Tomilina-Larionov, Lausanne, 18 November 1995