Terechkovitch Constantin (Moscow 1902-Roquebrune Cap Martin 1978)

Constantin Terechkovitch (Or Kostia, Konstantin, and Tereschkovitch), a Russian artist, was born May 1, 1902 on the outskirts of Moscow and died June 12, 1978 in Roquebrune Cap-Martin, or in Monaco. He was a painter of animated scenes, interiors, figures, portraits, landscapes and still lifes. Terechkovitch was also a watercolorist, painter of tapestries, lithographer and realist poet. He arrived with his family in 1907 in Moscow, where he conducted his studies, and in 1917, he made a brief stay at the School of Fine Arts. He found in order to find the Larionov of the times of the Russian Ballet and Soutine rich traditions of ‘La Ruche’, where he settled down, the artistic city where there lived others such as Chagall and Modigliani. Earning his living, as he could, he went to draw at the Academy of the Grande-Chaumiere. At Montparnasse, he made friends with Kisling, Kremegne, and Lanskoy; then, with Roland Oudot, Brianchon, Legueult, with whom came to form the first spontaneous group of painters of the "Poetic Reality", who weren't official until 1948. In 1939, he engaged in the Foreign Legion and was demobilized in 1940. In 1944, he took refuge, with his family, close to Avallon, where he often painted. From 1950, he traveled and worked regularly at Menton, undertaking pleasure trips and in search of motives, and all four years, across the world, in order to assist the Olympic games and to feed his passion for sports. He was deemed knight of the Legion of Honor in 1951. He participated at collective expositions: since 1925 in Paris, at the Salon of Autumn; 1929 Moscow, group of Russian artists working in France with Chagall, Soutine, Zadkine, Pougny, at the Tretiakov Gallery; then numerous across the world: 1951 Menton, first Biennial of which he was winner of the Grand Prize; of 1954 to 1958 and in 1963 to the School of Paris, Charpentier gallery; regularly of the Salon of Peintres Temoins de leur Temps; 1972 Geneva, The Masters of the Poetic Reality, Granges Gallery. He showed his collections of work in his personal exhibitions: 1927 Paris, Ch. Aug. Girard Gallery; 1934 Geneva, Musee de l'Athenee; 1937 Chicago, New York; 1938 Paris, galerie de l'Elysee; 1942 Paris, Pertrides Gallery; 1946 Paris, Dubourg Gallery; 1948, 1951 Paris, Bernier Gallery; 1953 Paris, Pertrides Gallery; 1959 chateau de Cagnes, first retrospective and London, O'Hara Gallery; 1961 New York, Acquavella Gallery; 1964 Paris, Petrides Gallery; 1965 Tokyo, Yoshii Gallery; 1969 Tokyo, Tamenaga Gallery; 1969, 1971, 1976 Paris, Petrides Gallery; and after his death: 1980 Paris, Tribute to Terechkovitch, Etienne Gallery of Sassi; 1986 Menton, retrospective, Municipal Museum; 1989 Paris, works on paper, J. P. Joubert and France T. Galleries. Terechkovitch had soundly entered Paris. He was able, first, to touch, as a tourist, the spectacles such as the French-cancan, of which the young dancers, on the scene and in the wings, inspired the success of the paintings in which he dedicated to them. In 1933, he realized the decorations and costumes for the show of the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo. Then, from his marriage in 1933, his wife became his principal model, next joined by their two daughters in numerous family scenes, witnessing an evident happiness to many long years. He treated themes very differently, some figures: Portrait of Frederic Lefevre – L’Espagnole – La Belle Danoise – Le Tambour d’Avallon – very characteristic of his manner; still lifes and landscapes of which: Eglise pres d’Avallon – Paysage de Villeneuve; the family scenes already call to mind; of numerous horse races, passion where he reconciles the show for the sport, the exciting game and the motive to paint. Jointly to painting, Terechkovitch is also the author of many lithographs, some which were from notable illustrations from works of Colette, Tchekov, tapestries, and ceramics. During the years and according to his encounters, he painted numerous portraits of his contemporary painters. For sure, one could understand the affinities, for Bonnard knew he vowed a total admiration, for the others whom he’d been able to discover; Soutine – Bonnard – Matisse – Utrillo – Vlaminck – Dunoyer de Segonzac – Rouault – Derain – Friesz – Van Dongen – Braque. Andre Salmon wrote: “La palette de ce peintre, son traitement de la couleur, affirment sa personnalite. S’il n’a pu se depasser, au moins s’est-il heureusement situe." Museums: Albi, Belgrade, Menton, Moscow, and Philadelphia.