KONSTANTIN ELEVA (1897-1950) Registan. Samarkand

signed, titled in Cyrillic and dated ‘K Eleva/ Registan/ 1942/ Samarkand’ (on the reverse) pencil and coloured crayon on paper 57.3 x 41.5 cm executed in 1942 Konstantin Nikolaevich Eleva was a Soviet painter, graphic artist, theatre set designer of Ukrainian origin. He worked primarily in the fields of propaganda posters and theatre set design. During the Second World War, he collaborated with the renowned artists Kukryniksy on the ‘Windows of TASS’ series, a series of posters urging the defence of the homeland against the Nazi invaders. Drawing occupied a central place in his work. Through this medium, he produced a large number of portraits, landscapes, and satirical engravings.