Cossack
Pinchus KRÉMÈGNE
(born Lithuania (Russian Empire), active France, 1890 - 1981)
Cossack
Date1915-1950
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionsoverall: 36 1/4 x 23 3/4 in. (92.1 x 60.3 cm)
frame: 42 x 29 1/4 in. (106.7 x 74.3 cm)
ClassificationPAINTINGS
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Jascha Heifetz
Object number1972.48.4
Collection
- 20th century European
On View
Not on viewLabel TextPinchus Krémègne was one of the many expatriate artists drawn to Paris at the turn of the 20th century. Born in Lithuania, he moved to France in 1912, where he would live for the remainder of his life, including going into hiding during the German Occupation due to his Jewish heritage.Today, Krémègne’s work has been largely overshadowed by that of his friend, Russian artist Chaïm Soutine. While the two shared a use of expressive, impasto brushwork, Krémègne’s paintings do not feature the grotesque distortion and fevered brushstrokes of Soutine. This canvas shows Krémègne’s more naturalistic style in its depiction of a man in traditional Cossack dress. Often romanticized in literature and art, the Cossacks are an Eastern European group that played a formative role in both Lithuanian and Russian history. Sitting between an individualized portrait and a generic type, Cossack also incorporates the still life elements for which Krémègne was known in the hanging birds and framed floral painting in the background.
