Аукцион Bidspirit | Shneider A.P.

Shneider A.P. - Summer landscape.. Early 20th century 21.5 x 21.5 cm (35 x 35 cm) Paper, watercolor From the Tchaikov collection. Schneider Alexandra Petrovna (1863-1941) artist; worked mainly in the field of book illustration, applied and decorative arts; Her landscape works are also known, including those carried out under the highest orders. A century ago, she was widely known for her floral scenes, many of which were printed on postcards. Schneider learned about Alexandra Petrovna from this excerpt: ”1901-1902. Paris. Alexandra Petrovna Schneider, a Russian woman who never knew Pushkin personally, takes painting lessons from the famous artist. One day a Russian came to the studio. He asked to be accepted into the studio. The French teacher sharply refused, without explaining the reason, and a spasm ran across his face. Alexandra Petrovna asked what caused the refusal. The Frenchman replied: “I don’t accept Russians.” “But I’m Russian too, ” the student answered him. For the artist, this news was a complete surprise. He took her for a German, and her statement was a blow to him. He shuddered, dropped the brush and palette from his hands, and went to the window. After a while he spoke: “I am a direct descendant of Dantes. When the Russians find out who I am, they turn away from me with hatred and contempt. I carry within me a heavy legacy - the blood of a murderer. It undermines me, deprives me of peace. If now you turn away from me, I will not find the strength in my soul to condemn you.” There was silence. “Before me, against my will, ” the artist writes, “a teacher, a friend, disappeared. And now stood the one whose name evokes the anger and hatred of the Russian people. We couldn't talk and I left the workshop.” Alexandra Petrovna became a master of flower painting, an excellent watercolorist, who gave lessons to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and her daughters.