VLADIMIR LAZAREV Russian / French, 1904–1988 Winter Games Oil on board. Signed lower right hand corner. Framed. 7 x 9.5 inches (excluding frame) $200-300
ARTIST PROFILE: Vladimir Lazarev (1904–1988) was a prolific Russian-born painter whose work elegantly fused the academic traditions of his homeland with the vibrant energy of European Impressionism. Born near Rostov-on-Don, Lazarev’s early life was marked by his service in the Imperial Army during the Russian Revolution, where he was wounded before immigrating to Europe. He pursued a diverse education, studying engineering in Czechoslovakia and art in Germany before settling in Paris, where he refined his technique under private tutors like Ivan Myasoyedov and at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. Lazarev is most celebrated for his "energetic compositions full of motion," particularly his Parisian street scenes, equestrian subjects (such as Cossack riders and horse races), and nostalgic Russian genre scenes like troika rides. His style is characterized by thick, impasto brushwork and a masterful use of light, whether capturing a rain-slicked boulevard or a quiet winter landscape. Today, his work remains highly collectible, appearing frequently in international auctions as a testament to his life as a prominent member of the Russian artistic diaspora in Western Europe.
