Bidspirit auction | Pavel Benkov (Russian, 1879-1949) (attributed)

Pavel Benkov (Russian, 1879-1949) (attributed) - Pavel Benkov (Russian, 1879-1949) (attributed), gouache on cardboard, signed l.r., 49,5 x 69 cm. Notes Pavel Petrovich Benkov (1879–1949), Born Kazan, trained at St Petersburg Academy of Art; studied briefly in Paris (Académie Julian), absorbing French Impressionist influence. Settled in Samarkand from 1929, becoming a founding figure of Uzbek graphic art and a bridge between Russian/European art and Central Asian national schools. His mature work fused Impressionist light and plein-air technique with a personal, non finito approach, prioritizing instinct and decorative color over academic convention. Recurring subjects: bazaars, courtyards, and daily life in Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand (e.g. Bazaar in Bukhara, Hauza with Water Carriers, Samarkand, a Courtyard, Girl from Khiva), rendered without exoticized orientalism, instead evoking harmony between man and nature. Held in: State Tretyakov Gallery, State Russian Museum, Uzbekistan State Museum of Fine Arts, Savitsky Museum (Nukus).