Lot Details
Lot 2479
David Burliuk
Russian/American, 1882-1967
Corner of 4th and the Bowery, 1934
Signed D. Burliuk (lr) and titled on an old label affixed to the stretcher
Oil on canvas laid to canvas, possibly by the artist
39 1/2 x 47 1/8 inches
Literature:
Harry Salpeter, Burliuk: Wild Man of Art, July 1939, ill. p. 65
Katherine S. Dreier, Burliuk, 1944, ill. p. 121
After settling in America in the autumn of 1922, David Burliuk resided in the section of New York City known today as the East Village. His various studios there served as an important meeting place for many artists, including Joseph Stella, Arshile Gorky, Raphael Soyer, Moses Soyer, John D. Graham, Louis Lozowick and Stuart Davis.
Painted four years after Burliuk became an American citizen, the scene in Corner of 4th and the Bowery, may well have been observed from his studio window. Here the artist employs the dazzling palette and energized brushwork that would become his hallmark in America to describe the hurly-burly vitality of the Lower East Side.
Three other urban views by Burliuk were included in an April 1939 exhibition of his work at Boyer Galleries. In her essay for the exhibition, Martha Davidson wrote: "...in the street and waterfront scenes of New York, we have a homely, humorous genre, peopled by gnome-like figures that are the creatures of Burliuk's world. Face and hands, the most expressive parts of the human body, are made effectively eloquent and individualized by their enlarged size and exaggerated features and gestures. These figures, as the buildings, are solid three dimensional forms existing in a changing atmosphere and deep space. On the surface of these canvases Burliuk displays a harmony of vibrant hues in which the scene is completely immersed. At other times he paints in patches of dissonant colors, the synchrony of which is at once dynamic and explosive. Distortions of form, heightened by the use of thick impasto projecting in parts as relief, frequently lend fantasy to these pictures that recall Russian folk art." (Burliuk, Boyer Gallery, New York, 3 to 22 April 1939.)
Around 1940 Burliuk moved to Long Island, making his home in the hamlet of Hampton Bays.
We thank Dr. Bruce Weber, Senior Curator, 19th Century Art, National Academy Museum, New York, NY for generously sharing information about Burliuk's life.
Estate of Miriam K. Mines
Additional Notes & Condition Report
3 minor areas of loss at center just above the white horse, each area not exceeding 1/2''. Also a 1'' area of loss along the bottom edge and a 1/4'' area in the roof at center. No apparent restoration.
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