ARTIST: Simka Simkhovitch (New York, Connecticut, Russian, 1893 - 1949)
NAME: The Ballet Dancer (titled on stretcher)
YEAR: 1942
MEDIUM: oil on canvas
CONDITION: Missing a few flakes of paint. No visible inpaint under UV light.
SIGHT SIZE: 30 x 25 inches / 76 x 63 cm
FRAME SIZE: unframed (In-House framing available)
SIGNATURE: lower right and on stretcher
CATEGORY: antique vintage painting
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SKU#: 121397
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BIOGRAPHY:
Simka Simkhovitch was born in Petrograd, Ukraine, on May 21, 1893. He studied art at the Odessa Art School from age 15 to 20, then continued his education at the Royal Academy of St. Petersburg. His talent was so highly regarded that, upon graduation in 1918, he was selected by the students to teach drawing and painting at the Royal Academy. During his time in Russia he won an award from the new Soviet government for a painting on a revolutionary theme. His works are to this day included in two museums in Petrograd. The reasons for his emigration to the United States in 1924 are unclear, but he arrived in New York that year, barely able to speak a word of English. He started to earn his living by working as an illustrator for the Hollywood film writer, Ernest Pascal. His work impressed Pascal who introduced him to gallery owner, Marie Sterner, who immediately bought two of his paintings and exhibited his paintings at her gallery.Commissions soon followed. His work was exhibited at many museums and galleries and sought by collectors. Simkhovitch's paintings were consistently praised by critics in the United States throughout his short American career. There were times when Simkhovitch, still trying to adjust to a new land and a new life, felt isolated. Island Beach Ferry shows a group of people, each seemingly absorbed in her own thoughts. "He was a thoughtful man, not quick to express an opinion until he felt he had grasped all its dimensions and implications. This quality and sense of organization are seen in all his work." Due to his early death and as a result of his thoughtful, deliberate style, his output was limited. In a review by Town and Country in December, 1940, the critic stated, "His group pictures have a quality; they are well organized without reminding you of the figure-compositions class; they are straight and life-like without delving into the folky genre which America seems to feel is the answer to Grant Wood."During an interview in 1941, Simkhovitch explained how he reconciled his Russian training with his American environment. "My methods have not changed... though naturally my environment has changed me...My painting has become brighter in the use of colors, more cheerful in subject matter, and lighter in execution... To my students I emphasize the American scene as it presents itself in daily life."In the 1930's Simkhovitch moved to Connecticut with his wife, the model Elsa Fornel, and their three daughters. In February, 1949 they purchased a home in Milford, Connecticut with a barn, which was to be his studio. While moving them in, he became critically ill with pneumonia. He died two weeks later, on February 25, 1949, without ever having slept in their new home.The Greenwich Time reviewed Island Beach Ferry on December 5, 1940. "...The figures are beautifully highlighted by light reflected from Long Island Sound and a welcome sea breeze moves softly through the picture."Simkhovitch's works can be found in Petrograd museums; at the Krakow Museum in Poland; the Whitney Museum in New York; the Worcester Art Museum; and others.