Carnival of St. Petersburg by Mihail Chemiakin
Carnival Series “11”, Signed and stamped LE Framed Print.
This colorful and fascinating unnamed, limited edition print is part of his “Carnival of St. Petersburg series from around 1980, signed in pencil by the artist, stamped and labeled as artist proof of 96 of 300. The print’s 30” by 36” wood frame is painted a muted gold and black, with a small shaved area on the top left corner. It encloses a 16” by 18.5” area above the artist’s signature with three matte layers, two cream and one black. The print is encased faces and merges with the form of a by low-glare glass. The print is about a hatted woman in a dress bird/fiend/jester/crab creature while confronting another fantastical creature's dragon-like face. Having been forced out of the U.S.S.R. in 1971 for nonconformist art, Chemiakin (or Semjakin, among other spellings) developed this series in Paris before landing in New York.