Bidspirit auction | Nikolai Ivanovich Golikov (1924–2011)

Nikolai Ivanovich Golikov (1924–2011) - Preparatory Painted Study for the Monumental Panel “Demons”. Palekh, USSR, 1960s. Cardboard, egg tempera, lacquer. 21 by 29 cm Condition report: Losses to the paint layer along the lower edge; staining and traces of black pigment on the reverse; loss to the upper right corner. Provenance: From the family archive of the Golikov dynasty. Original painted study by Nikolai Ivanovich Golikov, executed in the 1960s as a preparatory work for a monumental composition inspired by Pushkin’s Demons. Preserved in the artist’s personal archive. A rare example of a preparatory work executed in the final medium. Unlike graphic sketches, this piece is painted in tempera and lacquer, representing a transitional stage between concept and finished work. The composition is built around intense movement and psychological tension. Against a deep black ground unfolds a dramatic vortex: a troika of dark horses in full flight, forms cutting through space and swirling cold clouds suggesting ghostly presences. Movement becomes the central force, dissolving form into energy. Golikov’s characteristic “flying line” here takes on heightened expressiveness - the brushwork becomes tense, rhythm fragmented and space unstable. Rather than illustration, the work conveys atmosphere of anxiety, turbulence, and the metaphysical force of the storm. Collecting & Investment Potential: Painted preparatory works occupy a distinct position within the oeuvre of Nikolai Ivanovich Golikov. They are significant because they bridge drawing and finished painting, preserve the artist’s compositional decisions in the final technique and are exceptionally rare. Such works are seldom preserved and rarely appear on the market.