Boris Grigoriev

(1886 - 1939)

132

Boris Grigoriev

Intimité

Intimacy

St. Petersburg: Iasnyi 1918

344 x 260 mm. 84 pages. 

Edition: 950 copies. 

Copy nr. XIV

A few months after the publication of Raseia the second book of the announced trilogy by Grigoriev was published. By early November Intimité had appeared, showing a different, but better known, Grigoriev. This time the content shows his familiar depictions of bourgeois city life, with erotic pictures of performing women, bar-, cabaret- and circus girls. The paintings and drawings in the book are from the period 1913-1918 and feel like a step backward from Raseia. The vignettes (Indian ink drawings) were new. Grigoriev even made one for the announcement card, which was not included in the book. The essays by Voinov and Dmitriev comprehensively analyze the development of the artist. The only textual addition by the artist is the opening poem titled To her stepsons. Grigoriev was very pleased with this publication as can be read in his dedication to Voinov in this copy: ‘We Russians are made like this; we very rarely are ready to tell each other nice words, the more so when we are artists. This is why, dear Vsevolod Vladimirovich, I am in a good mood after your praise, because You are a wonderful artist-inventor’. The book had  but a limited success, which might explain why Paris, the last title of the planned trilogy  was never published. Copy with a dedication by Boris Grigoriev.

References:

Markov 1969, pp. 29-32

Stommels 1993, p. 23

Galeeva 1995, p. 29

LS 2005, p. 32

Galeeva 2007, pp. 85-88