Portrait of Sergey Kirov, charcoal on canvas (linen), early to mid-1930s.
Very large format measuring approx. 35" x 50". In charcoal on thin linen un-primed canvas. Judging by the traces on the canvas, it used to be on a 29" x 43 ½" stretcher. The portrait is not signed but was obviously made by a professional talented artist.
In very good to excellent condition. Re-stretching it on the same or slightly smaller stretcher will put all the stains, faint as they are, and rust around the nail holes to the back, leaving only one faint but visible stain near the top left-hand corner. It looks like the artist touched his hand there when it was wet and dirty wi
Very large format measuring approx. 35" x 50". In charcoal on thin linen un-primed canvas. Judging by the traces on the canvas, it used to be on a 29" x 43 ½" stretcher. The portrait is not signed but was obviously made by a professional talented artist.
In very good to excellent condition. Re-stretching it on the same or slightly smaller stretcher will put all the stains, faint as they are, and rust around the nail holes to the back, leaving only one faint but visible stain near the top left-hand corner. It looks like the artist touched his hand there when it was wet and dirty with charcoal. It is not very intrusive to the eye on a canvas this large.
Sergey Kirov (Сергей Миронович Киров, 1886 - 1934), born Sergey Kostrikov, was a professional Russian revolutionary who joined the Russian Social-Democratic Party in 1904. Unsure of which democratic party matched his convictions, it was only after the October Revolution of 1917 that Kirov joined the Bolsheviks and made a dizzyingly fast rise to the top of the Party hierarchy. In 1921 he is already a member of the TsK (Central Committee) RKP(b) and First Secretary of the TsK KP of Azerbaijan. In 1923, he was elected member of the TsK RKP(b).
But Sergey Kirov is mostly known as the First Secretary of the Leningrad Regional and City Committee. He was elected to this post in 1926 and held it until 1 December 1934 when he was assassinated in a hallway of the Smolny Palace, the HQ of the Soviet Government in Leningrad.
Later the same day, Presidium of the TsK of the USSR issued a decree directing the NKVD to "expedite" cases against persons accused of plotting, or participation in, acts of terrorism, and not to delay execution of the verdicts. Thus the first wave of arrests rolled through Leningrad, followed by expedited long sentences in GULAG and executions.
Please note that the yardstick in our photo is for size reference.
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