PAVEL FILONOV UNOVIS Mixed media on paper 9 x 6 inches. Inscribed with the title "UNOVIS" low right and "Литераторов 19, 1931" (Pavel Filonov's address in Leningrad at the time) on the reverse
PAVEL FILONOV UNTITLED Mixed media on paper 4 x 6 ". The present item was most likely executed in 1922-1925 when Pavel Filonov worked extensively on paper and produced a number of compositions with heads on a dense, abstract background. Striking heads are one of the central themes for this intellectually driven artist. He turned to this subject as early as 1910, in Heads, the painting Filonov considered to be his first serious work. Over the following years, especially after 1918 when Filonov was actively developing his theory of Analytical Art, heads remained the most important figurative element of his compositions. Emerging from the background and floating on the surface they are a striking symbol of intellectual power and the artist's presence in the painting. Their accentuated wide nostrils, peering eyes and distorted features, particularly evident in the present item, reinforce the impression of intense mental strife
