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signed, dated and inscribed A Monsieur Reymann W. Wasnezoff Paris 1877 (lower right)

oil on canvas

EXHIBITED

Paris, Md De Couleurs
CATALOGUE NOTE

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov recognized continuity in his oeuvre. He did not distinguish, as an art historian might, an unequivocal artistic shift from his early historical genre scenes to his later fantastic Russian-revival masterpieces. Wedded to epic renditions of great Russian narratives, in 1898 Vasnetsov wrote, "how I turned from a historical genre painter, with leanings towards the fantastical, I cannot answer for certain. But I know this, that during the deepest involvement with genre paining, during my academic years in St. Petersburg, I was always haunted in my dreams by historical legends and fairy tales... There was no contradiction in my soul between historical and genre painting, nor was there any internal break or transitional struggle leading me from one to the other..."

Several sketches and studies from the early 1870s foreshadow the paintings that made the artist famous later in his career. Like many of his fellow realists, Vasnetsov was greatly influenced by folk art themes, and elements of folklore and old Russian applied art enter much of his work with archeological accuracy. Out of all the 19^th century Russian artists, Vasnetsov's oeuvre clearly represents the pinnacle of the Russian revival style and his artistic calling was to clearly define Russian national identity through art. However, it was due to a seminal trip to France, the trip which engendered the present lot, that Vasnetsov finally realized what haunted him in his dreams, a clear notion and deep love of "home."

Vasnetsov's old friend and colleague Ilya Repin wrote to him in 1874 inviting him to Paris under the pretense of a possible acceptance into the Paris Salon. In a letter to Vasnetsov, Repin predicted that a trip to Paris would give more to Vasnetsov then just exposure, "Ny dear Victor, here is my advice to you...Save some money...and come here in May...We will show you around Paris until you get bored, and when you do, we'll send you back home! This way when you'll get to know everything foreign, you will walk ten times taller and braver right away. You will no longer be troubled by the uncertainty of the unknown. There is nothing more to say about the benefits of such a journey: it will open your eyes to everything. But most importantly, you will be glad to know that you are a Russian..."

Vasnetsov did not leave for Paris until 1875, a year after Repin's letter. Before his departure, Vasnetsov completed two more genre pieces for the Fifth Circulating Art Exhibition, one of which was At the Bookseller's (see fig. 1). He spent 1875 living with a French family in Medogne, right outside of Paris, and was known to quickly find a common tongue with any foreigner; however, no great influx of foreign artistic stimuli would distract Vasnetsov from his true focus. It is likely that The Lost Wanderer, dated 1877, resulted from this sojourn. This work embodies elements of Russian folklore, and mirrors Vasnetsov's own journey-the hero's stray, and his long journey home. In late spring of 1877, our "hero" returned to his homeland as an established artist, moved, technically advanced, and secure in his calling. Vasnetsov was en route to great celebrity and as Repin predicted, untroubled by the uncertainty of the unknown and glad to be a Russian.