Dimensions: 21.7 x 14.6 cm (inside the mat)
signed lower left: 'Poustochkine'
Biography
Basile Poustochkine was a talented and well-educated artist—a painter, printmaker, and draftsman. His life was connected to Poland at various points—he fought against the Bolsheviks on Polish soil, worked here, and left for France with a Polish passport. There, he took up residence in rooms of a palace that was later occupied by the Strzałko couple, Polish diplomats. All of the works presented in *Marchand* come from their collection. His wartime experiences shaped his personality; although he regularly exhibited his works, he chose a solitary life, distancing himself from critics and the art world. He created prints, designed fabric patterns, and painted landscapes. These works, though small in size, are intriguing, filled with gentle light and the beauty of nature. When he created landscape studies of the Parisian countryside, he was, in a sense, an heir to the achievements of the Impressionists. As a Post-Impressionist, however, he did not follow the path of the gradual deconstruction of nature; on the contrary, he chose to reveal its spirit, colors, and light. What sets Poustochkin’s works apart is also a certain nostalgia encapsulated in these small formats. Human figures rarely appear among the painted meadows, fields, and forests, and even when they do, they are merely an addition to the landscape. More often, however, one encounters autumn landscapes full of color and subdued light.
