Leon Schulman Gaspard (1882-1964)


Siberian Sleighriders signed in Latin and dated '1921' (lower right)oil on canvas laid on board119.4 x 101.6cm (47 x 40in).
|ProvenanceGerald P. Peters, Santa Fe, New MexicoBerry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New YorkEstate of Russ A. Lyon Jr., ArizonaExhibitedNew York, Leon Gaspard (1882-1964), Berry-Hill Galleries, 6-23 May 1986, no. 9LiteratureFrederick D. Hill and James Berry Hill, Leon Gaspard (1882-1964), exhibition catalogue, New York, Berry-Hill Galleries, 1986, no. 9, illustrated on cover and p. 14Leon Gaspard's paintings known for their post-impressionist styles and rich exotic subjects evoke a sense of kaleidoscopic richness of human existence, the diversity of cultures and, at the same time, they convey a sense of shared human experience. For more than fifty years, Gaspard travelled across four continents exploring natural wilderness and visiting ancient villages, old temples and busy cross roads, making sketches, documenting experiences, and capturing remarkable impressions of humanity of the twentieth century. Whether of the American Southwest, the Far East or his native Russia, Leon Gaspard's most celebrated canvases capture the essence and flavor of local cultures. Truly a 'citizen of the world' the artist was insatiably curios, well–travelled, adventurous and easily captivated by distant lands, and exotic cultures. Based on his artistic training and many years of travels he developed a unique and highly personal style of painting that continues to be highly praised today. Gaspard's paintings are a timeless legacy that continues to enrich lives and expand our understanding of the richness of human experiences. 
Born in Vitebsk, Russia in 1882, as a young boy Gaspard often travelled the Russian countryside with his father, a rug and fur trader, visiting neighboring and distant towns and bustling marketplaces. After initial training under a local artist, Gaspard moved to Paris to enroll in the Académie Julian and began his studies under the guidance of academic master Adolphe Bouguereau. The artist became enthralled by the creative climate of the city, befriended Matisse, Modigliani, Apollinaire, and Verlaine, became a life-long friend with Anatole France. In 1909, together with his young wife, he embarked on a two-year long horseback-riding trip through Siberia, which was just the beginning of his travels that eventually took the artist to Mongolia, Asia, the Himalayas and Tibet, China and Morocco. 'With sketchpad and camera, he captured the everyday and the extraordinary; each region's unique landscape, atmosphere, history, and the faces of many cultures etched with the essence of place and time' (Leon Gaspard. Impressions of Russia and the Faraway, Nedra Matteucci Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2013, page 6).Despite the rich experiences of later distant travels his childhood impressions of snowy Siberian forests, frozen lakes and endless roads never left him, and continued to re-appear in the artist oeuvre until the end of his life. Likely based on his vivid memories of early travels in Russia, Siberian Sleighriders was executed after Gaspard settled permanently in Taos, New Mexico. In 1921 Gaspard also made a long trip to Asia, and it was perhaps there, on his journey to Mongolia and China, that he saw hundreds of pilgrims, endless caravans of merchants, noisy trade market, and all myriads of colors, patterns, characters and impressions that strongly evoked nostalgic memories of seemingly endless trips with his father as part of the trade caravans through the dense forests of Russia. On the present work towering pine trees like mystical giants dominate the scene. A slow moving line of horse-driven sleighs is making its way from the foreground of the painting diagonally into the depth of the forest, and 'the procession seems to dissolve into the looming mass of entangled trees, and the viewer is left with a sense of a quick visual impression that has been forever frozen' (Leon Gaspard, berry-Hill Galleries, 6-23 May, 1986, exhibition catalogue, Introduction by Rick Steward, page 6). The monumentality of nature and fragility of people making their way through wintry terrain do not set the two entities in contract to each other but instead fuse them together emotionally, bounding them as participants on one journey through life. As in his best work, here Gaspard composes a richly colored tapestry of coloures in his characteristic dashing style with bold expressive brushwork that imbues the work with a vigorous and expressive surface. Color-infused, broadly brushed scene creates a dramatic but harmonious representation a ceremonial procession of riders, horses and sleighs through a desolate terrain. A true masterpiece, it manifests Gaspard's unique and powerful style and celebrates the timeless appeal of his beautiful paintings.