Original Oil Painting by Russian Artist Borislav Abdurakhmanov "To My friend Vasily Sitnikov", 20 Century
Size : 16"x20",
With frame : 19"x22"

Vasily Sitnikov (1915–1987) is a postwar unofficial artist whose practice cannot be defined within the framework of the art movements and creative collectives of the history of Soviet nonconformist art. His creative path was a hugely idiosyncratic art project. He is most recognized for a series of works featuring Russian monasteries in which they are juxtaposed in a paradoxical way with absurd plots and caricature tropes appropriated from Soviet everyday life. With humor inherent in his oeuvre, Sitnikov’s self-portraits show him as a holy fool. His landscapes depicting fields incorporate a metaphysics typical of artists from the Yuzhinsky circle, with whom the artist would later become acquainted. Sitnikov invented methods (“stretching” and “the ball”) for use in his graphic works featuring female nudes. Despite his creative isolation, he was a well-known figure among Moscow’s bohemians. He valued the artistic atmosphere, personal connections, and friendly relationships.