Oil on canvas
Russia/Georgia, 1930s
Richard Karlovich Zommer (1866-1939) – Russian painter and graphic artist of german origin
Signed lower right (Cyrillic) ‘R. Sommer’
Dimensions: 38.5 x 57 cm
Very good condition
Provenance: Private Collection, Germany
Richard Karlovich Zommer who studied at the Academy in St. Petersburg is well known for his depictions of Caucasian and Central Asian life; the auction record for one of Caucasian village scenes is currently set at more than €60,000

The painting by Richard Karlovich Zommer shows one of his characteristic subject matters. A group of Caucasian people gathers at a trough. With them are two men with their horses. The group is joined by a woman who wants to bucket some water. An everyday scene, which offers insights into the way of living at the time. In the background the Caucasian mountains can be seen, which the artist travelled in vast parts.

The painting is signed lower right (Cyrillic) ‘R. Sommer’. It is in very good condition, well cleaned and restored. The canvas has been mounted to a new stretcher, and is therefore minimally pulled out of shape. Small touch-ups are visible mainly in the sky. The frame shows some traces of wear and there is a small hole in the upper center. The stretcher measures 38.5 x 57 cm. The total dimensions, including the frame, are 50.6 x 69.7 cm.



Richard Karlovich Zommer (1866-1939)

The artist Richard Karlovich Zommer (Richard Karl Sommer) was born in Munich and went to Russia to study at the Academy in St. Petersburg in 1884, where he received some first recognition. He was sent to an archeological expedition as an ethnologist to Asia in around 1890, where he created numerous works what was the beginning of his most fruitful phase. 20 of these works are held by the Museum of Uzbekistan today. Zommer travelled through Georgia and the Caucasian mountains at the beginning of the 20th century. He managed to make a living as an artist on his own, without support from the state – in contrast to many other artists at that time. Zommer was an important teacher and patron of Lado Gudiashvilis. Both of them exhibited together. Zommer was a member of several artist groups. He took part in different exhibitions in St. Petersburg, also of the Caucasian painters society, between 1916 and 1920. He was one of the founders of the Society for Encouraging the Caucasian Decorative Arts in Tbilisi. His traces become blurred after the 1930s. His works can be found in the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. (tm)

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