Provenance
Acquired by American Legacy Fine Arts directly from the artist

Artist Statement
"Painted in greater Moskow's Arkhangel'skoye Park, this magnificent arch fills the painted panel, developing a contradiction between what you see and the chosen title. Notice the scale shift from the architecture to the figures, the classical tsarian gateway leads the wanderers to a path through the woods to an inevitable purpose. A grand gateway, affirming the significance of their journey in the face of the overwhelming majesty of the world around them. The winter weather cleanses the palette to a purified simplicity creating a scene that is both familiar and operatic." — Nikita Budkov

Note: Portrait sketch in red ink of Gallery VP, Matthew L. Segotta on verso

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