Provenance:

Family of the artist, Toronto

Note:

Arkady Remennik’s works were often made while riding on the Soviet trains half a century ago. This watercolour is a study he made on his daily trip from the village of Galitsino to work in Moscow. Remennik worked on the train spontaneously capturing the likeness and character of the sitter with a scratching tool which he would later colour and further embellish in his studio in Galitsino. The holes, small tears or creases in the sheet were the result of his working technique and self expression. The material used to create the drawings were often printed posters and advertisements due to the shortage of paper at that time. The faces and the manner in which they were executed were personal expressions not intended for sale, however they captured most successfully, like no other artist was able to do, the mood of regular people at that time in the Soviet Union. The faces reflect the weight of the time in which they were created. This work, and the mood of the woman it reflects, are of an era that no longer exists but is of great historical importance.
Arkady Remennik studied under Ely Mikhailovich Bielutin at Moscow Polograph Institute from 1956-1962. He was a member of the Soviet Union Society of Artist’s since 1975. Remennik was one of the first Russian artist’s to join Bielutin’s studio called “New Reality” (Novaya Realnost).