Today's #MuseumTourTuesday features a painting in a private collection, and I consider it such an amazing piece that I feel the need to share my admiration. It's a painting by Nicolai Fechin. Yes, I know, I post a lot of Fechin's work, but it's always for good reason.
This
piece is so intriguing to me, first and foremost for its cross-genre
appeal. Is it a portrait, or a still life? By its title, it's a
portrait, but nothing stands out more in this painting than the
foreground still life. The figures are subdued in value contrast, and
the child especially recedes into the background. The foreground still
life is sharp and dominant in both value contrast and color saturation.
My
own take is that it is definitely a portrait. Despite the title, it is
not simply a dual portrait of Fechin's wife and child, but a family
portrait. The artist himself is included in the reflected metal of the
tea urn, although abstracted to the point of illegibility. I see the
still life as representative of Nicolai himself. A way to include
himself in the family composition and still be the one capturing the
scene.
Regardless
of my own read on the image, the painting is an undeniably bold
composition. I love it when a painting transcends the categories we so
often attempt to push art into. - Patrick Saunders
 |
"Mrs. Fechin and Daughter" • Nicolai Fechin • Oil on Canvas • 1925 • 34 1/2" x 31 1/2" |
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Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Saunders Fine Arts, 2021.
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