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Notes:
This painting is to be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné being prepared by Dr. Georgy Kovalenko.

In the spring of 1924, Alexandra Exter travelled to Venice to take part in organising the 14th Venice Biennale. The body of her work which was to feature in the exhibition (oil paintings as well as theatre designs) was assigned in Moscow, and listed in the exhibition catalogue. There was, however, one more work listed on page 8 of the same catalogue (XIV Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte Della Città Di Venezia. 1924. Padiglione Dell’ U.R.S.S. Catalogo. MCMXXIV) numbered 34 and titled 'Venezia – Panello decorativo'. This decorative panel (which is now in the collection of The State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow) was not brought from Moscow, but was painted by Exter in Venice for the entrance hall on the second floor of the Russian Pavilion, accounting for its enormous size: 268 x 693 cm.

It is not surprising that such a complex composition, with a multitude of various forms and sections, should have required several studies by the artist. There are three known studies for this work, all three proportional in size to the large painting; in each of these studies, the artist tries to hold the composition together, to define all the forms and reflect on colouristic solutions for the work. The present study is apparently the closest to the large painting.

As a composition, 'Venice' explicitly conjures the carnival with its resolute and active colour contrasts. The colour idioms metamorphose very quickly and seem to strike against each other, while reuniting in surprising and powerful harmony. The colours in the work resonate with freedom and autonomy, joyful and triumphant energy.

Many of the earlier abstract paintings by Exter were united in the concept for 'Venice', especially the works from such series as 'Colour Dynamics', 'Colour Composition' and 'Colour Rhythm'. Indeed, some of these paintings were exhibited at the Biennale alongside 'Venice', so that the audience could see the origins of many forms used in this large painting.

Venetian art was undoubtedly the main inspiration for this composition. Venice itself, as a city, is an amalgam of centuries of art: everything is different, a product of other ages. Nonetheless, the city's artistic heritage is present in its palette, as an artistic vision, another dimension: a 'colour dimension'. The colour scheme and the juxtaposition of colour surfaces is strongly reminiscent of Titian; the tones of green are suggested by the works of Veronese, while the deep blue surfaces are derived from the dresses of Bellini’s Madonnas.

Dr. Georgy Kovalenko