When I first saw this painting it reminded me of Orientalist works by Louis Comfort Tiffany that I had seen over the years. The painting is entitled
The Mystic Orient (Cairo) and it was painted by Leonid Gechtoff in 1938. Leonid Gechtoff (1883-1941) was born in Odessa and that is where he recieved his early art education. When he was in his twenties, he and his parents fled Odessa because of the possibility of conscription into the army. They moved to Cairo and lived there for several years. While he was in Egypt, he painted many city and genre scenes that brought him acclaim in the "Orientalist-enamored European art world." He was heavily influenced by the work of Vincent van Gogh, and on a pilgrimage to Holland to see van Gogh's work, he met his future wife, Etya. After they married, they lived in Holland, Indonesia, Java, and Manila before eventually settling in Philadelphia in 1921. Gechtoff had a very successful career in America that lasted up until his early death at the age of 58 in 1941. His wife went on to success in the art world as a gallerist in San Francisco with the East-West Gallery. One of his daughters, Sonia, went on to become an acclaimed Abstract Expressionist and a mainstay of the New York art scene. She was married to the ground-breaking Abstract Expressionist, James Kelly.
This beautiful Cairo street scene is an oil on canvas done in Gechtoff's trademark heavy impasto style. His handling of color and light is wonderful as he moves from dark, rich jewel tones in the foreground back to bright pastels. The ornate, gilded frame is original. Canvas, 29" w., 24" h. Frame, 38" w., 34" h. American, c. 1938
SOLD
Condition: Very good vintage condition.
L.C.T.
L.C.T.
L.C.T.
