Neo-impressionist School: "the Orange Roofs Overlooking The Placid River"

Neo-Impressionist School. Oil on canvas, "The Orange Roofs Overlooking the Placid River," signed and dated lower left D. MERINOFF. 38. Countersigned on the reverse, on the upper stretcher, and annotated with the artist's address: 65 Blomet Street, 15th Arrondissement. Russian School. 54 x 73 cm. Dimitry Merinoff (Dmitri Vasil'evich Merinov) was born in Pskov (Russian Empire) in 1896 and died in New York (USA) in 1971. Between 1914 and 1915, Merinoff studied in Saint Petersburg (Russian Empire) under one of the most talented painters of the Russian School: Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947). In 1916, he enlisted in the Imperial Army as an aircraft mechanic. After the First World War, he emigrated to France, where in 1920 he worked in the Hispano-Suiza workshops. From 1928 onward, settled in Paris, he returned to his first artistic passions and exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants, the Salon des Tuileries, and the Salon d'Automne. Merinoff became friends with Natalia Goncharova (1881-1962), Mikhail Larionov (1881-1964), and Nikolai Isaiev (1891-1977). In 1938, to support his family, Merinoff had to work creating designs for Chanel (Russian-style, geometric, and abstract motifs). From 1941 to 1947, he lived in the south of France (Lot-et-Garonne), and then in 1947 he moved to New York, where he spent the rest of his life. Our painting dates from 1938, and it's safe to assume that, to escape the stylistic constraints imposed by Coco Chanel, the artist took real pleasure in returning to this period when, in Saint Petersburg, Roerich taught him the art of painting. Our landscape is a brilliant example of Merinoff's talent. A placid, sparkling river, leafy, verdant trees, and orange rooftops nestled beyond the profusion of spring—this is a beautiful homage to his former master, Roerich. It has a handsome painted and patinated wood and stucco frame in the Montparnasse style (original frame). Two small, imperceptible restorations in the foliage to the right of the painting. Good condition. 1800 euros.