Bidspirit auction | Nikolai Ivanovich Golikov (1924–2011)

Nikolai Ivanovich Golikov (1924–2011) - “Guidon” Sketch composition inspired by Alexander Pushkin’s The Tale of Tsar Saltan.. Palekh, USSR, 1979. Cardboard, tempera. 26 by 11 cm. Condition report: Good condition. Minor traces of age and light surface wear are visible. The paint layer remains stable, and the composition preserves its vivid decorative intensity. Provenance From the Golikov family collection (Palekh). Created and preserved within the artist’s personal archive. This elegant vertical sketch by Nikolai Golikov was created after Pushkin’s The Tale of Tsar Saltan and depicts a scene associated with Prince Guidon and the magical bird. The composition is constructed through strong diagonal movement and a dramatic contrast between the dark background and intensely saturated local colors. The upper section features fantastic birds rendered in the stylized decorative manner characteristic of Palekh painting. Below, the figures of the characters are integrated into a rhythm of swirling forms and stylized landscape motifs. Despite its intimate scale, the composition possesses a distinctly monumental sense of movement and drama. The work is particularly important as an original preparatory sketch revealing the artist’s process of constructing a decorative narrative composition. The sketch is especially valuable for its spontaneity and direct sense of creative experimentation. Collecting & Investment Potential Preparatory sketches by Nikolai Golikov are highly valued by collectors of Palekh art because they provide insight into the artist’s compositional and decorative working method. Such works are sought after by collectors of Palekh art as well as researchers of Soviet decorative graphics from the second half of the twentieth century. “Guidon” is a vivid example of Nikolai Golikov’s decorative graphic art, uniting Palekh tradition, theatrical compositional dynamics, and the imaginative world of Russian fairy-tale imagery.