Artwork
Uomo con un babbuino
Uomo con un babbuino is an unspecified painting by the Art Brut artist Alexandre Jacovleff. It dates from 1915 and is held in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1915 by Russian artist Alexandre Jacovleff, Uomo con un babbuino is a canvas that now resides in Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery. Though Jacovleff is often linked with neoclassical training, this particular work is catalogued within the art brut tradition, reflecting a raw, unmediated visual language distinct from his academic output.
Subject & Meaning
He stands on a craggy ground, his right arm lifted while his left grasps a red object, perhaps a weapon or ritual implement.
The central figure is a man with a flushed complexion, a dark beard, and a red cap, clad only in a black loincloth. He stands on a craggy ground, his right arm lifted while his left grasps a red object, perhaps a weapon or ritual implement. Around him, a white‑dressed woman and a rider on a pale horse suggest a narrative tableau of confrontation or ceremony, though the precise story remains ambiguous.
Technique & Style
Jacovleff employs a restrained palette of browns, yellows, and muted greens, allowing the striking reds of the hat, object, and surrounding accents to dominate the visual rhythm. The composition is dynamic, with figures arranged to convey motion and interaction, while the handling of brushwork retains a raw, almost primitive quality characteristic of art brut, contrasting with his more polished neoclassical pieces.
History & Provenance
After its completion in the midst of World War I, the painting entered the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery, where it has been displayed as part of the museum’s Russian avant‑garde holdings. Its acquisition reflects the early 20th‑century interest of Russian institutions in works that diverged from official academic standards, preserving a unique example of Jacovleff’s experimental phase.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Alexandre Yevgenievich Jacovleff (also Iacovleff or Yakovleff; Russian: Александр Евгеньевич Яковлев, romanized: Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Yakovlev; 25 June 1887 – 12 May 1938) was a Russian neoclassicist painter, draughtsman, designer and…
