Bidspirit auction | Sofia Mikhailovna Golikova (Vakurova) (1928–2019)

Sofia Mikhailovna Golikova (Vakurova) (1928–2019) - Sketch “Ruslan and Lyudmila”. Palekh, USSR, late 1940s-1950s. Paper, tempera, pencil. 13 by 19 cm. Condition report: Condition consistent with age. Visible abrasions, surface wear, small folds and edge losses, pencil notes and working marks, minor paint losses. The work retains the character of an author’s working sketch. This small compositional sketch based on Alexander Pushkin’s poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” belongs to the early creative period of Sofia Mikhailovna Golikova (Vakurova). At the centre appears a mounted rider approaching a fortress with a female figure above, likely referring to the rescue of Lyudmila. Despite its modest scale and sketch-like quality, the work possesses a vivid fairy-tale atmosphere and demonstrates refined compositional rhythm. The work is important as an early authorial sketch by a representative of the Palekh school. Characteristic features include soft decorative palette, graphic clarity of silhouettes, combination of miniature tradition with freer painterly handling, preservation of the immediacy of the creative process. The work is especially significant due to its connection with the Vakurov–Golikov artistic dynasty, which played an important role in the development of twentieth-century Palekh art. Artist Biography Sofia Mikhailovna Golikova (Vakurova) was born on July 1, 1928, in Palekh. A hereditary painter, she was the daughter of M.P. Vakurov and the wife of artist N.I. Golikov. From 1947 to 1949 she studied at the Palekh Art School under D.N. Butorin and N.A. Pravdin Beginning in 1949, she worked at the Palekh Artists’ Association. Her principal artistic themes included Russian folklore, literary and fairy-tale subjects, decorative compositions in the Palekh miniature tradition. Collecting & Investment Potential Authorial sketches by mid-20th-century Palekh artists are considerably rarer than finished lacquer miniatures and possess strong collector value. Such works are highly desirable among collectors of Russian decorative art and museum collections devoted to Palekh art. This “Ruslan and Lyudmila” sketch is a rare example of Sofia Golikova’s early graphic work, reflecting both the continuity of the Palekh artistic tradition and the immediacy of the artist’s creative process.