399 - Ivan Fedorovich Choultsé,

Ivan Fedorovich Choultsé, Russian 1874/77-1932/39- View of a snow-covered village, at sunset; oil on canvas, signed 'I w. F. ChoultsÉ' (lower right), bears partial label for Arthur Tooth & Sons attached to the central stretcher bar, 65.3 x 65.3 cm. Provenance: with Arthur Tooth & Sons Ltd., according to the label attached to the stretcher. Private Collection, UK. Exhibited: (Probably) London, Arthur Tooth & Sons, 'Exhibition of Paintings by Choultsé', 16 March - 2 April 1927. Note: We are grateful to James Butterwick for confirming the attribution of this painting after in-person inspection. Born in St Petersburg, Choultsé trained as an electrical engineer before turning to painting seriously at the age of thirty, after an engineering project in Finland resulted in his bankruptcy. It was at this point that Choultsé attracted the attention of the Ukrainian artist Konstantin Kryzhitsky (1858-1911), who encouraged him to study at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts after being shown the former's early work. The two artists developed a close working relationship, travelling together to the Norwegian archipelago of Spitzbergen, an experience which undoubtedly informed the atmospheric Arctic landscapes which Choultsé repeatedly depicted over the course of his career, of which the present work is a classic example. Choultsé's approach also reveals a debt to contemporaries such as Arkhip Kuindzhi (1841-1910) as well as painters from earlier generations, particularly the Swiss painter Alexandre Calame (1810-1864). Choultsé enjoyed success in his lifetime, with his first exhibition held at the Imperial Academy in 1903, after which he attracted the support of prominent patrons including Carl Fabergé (1846-1920) and members of the Romanov Imperial family. After the Russian Revolution he emigrated to Paris, where in 1923 he exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français, before travelling to London, where a solo exhibition of his work was held at Arthur Tooth & Sons Gallery in 1927. His work was also exhibited widely in New York, including at Edouard Jonas Gallery (1928), John Levy Gallery (1931), and Hammer Galleries (1935), introducing him to a wider American audience. Choultsé was particularly praised for his tranquil snow scenes, often evocatively illuminated and earning him the moniker of the 'magician of light'. Indeed, the art dealer G. Blair Laing (1911-1991) described how 'He painted spectacular snow scenes in which the light seems to come from behind the canvas and glow', an assertion which is powerfully illustrated in the present work. Other atmospheric snow scenes by Choultsé include that which sold at Koller, Zurich, on 18 September 2026, lot 3218 (£81,711 hammer), and at Sotheby's, London, on 25 November 2025, lot 50 (£101,600).