La Peintre

20th-century oil on hardboard by Boris Pastoukhoff (1894–1974), signed lower left, dated and located “Paris 1956” lower right. The work is titled on the back: "Tête brune sur le fond rouge" (Brunette on a Red Background). 

This post-Impressionist portrait presents a woman artist seated before her easel, in the midst of painting. We can imagine the brush in her right hand while her left hand holds the palette, whose colors stand out from the rest of the work.

The tight, almost intimate framing, as well as the thick strokes with marked contrasts, give the composition an immediate strength.

Her intentionally faded face guides the gaze towards her arms and shirt, which melts into the background. The light emphasizes the gestures, while the background remains blurred, almost abstract. This makes for an almost visible sense of movement, and we can anticipate her next brushstroke. 

Boris Pastoukhoff (1894–1974) is a Russian painter who trained in Kyiv, lived in Yugoslavia and then moved to Paris in 1930. There he forged an expressive style blending realism and post-Impressionism, with a great predilection for portraits, atelier scenes, and still life paintings. He exhibited regularly in Parisian salons and received many orders from the State in the 1950s.

• Overall Size: 20.8" x 18.1" / 53.5cm x 46cm.
• Size without frame: 18.1" x 14.9" / 46cm x 38cm.
• Country of origin: France.
• Signature: Boris Pastoukhoff (1894–1974).
• Creation date: 1956. 
• Condition: The work and its frame are in very good condition.
• Materials: Oil painting on hardboard in a light wooden frame.
• Shipping: Complimentary shipping to the US and Europe. A surcharge will be applied for deliveries to Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.
  
• DDP shipping: All taxes and import fees are included in the listed price.