Simon Fix (XX) - Palermo, Carretto Siciliano

AUTHOR

Simon Fix (XX) Russian painter. He arrived in Rome between 1924 and 1925 to refine his artistic education, quickly integrating into the lively circle of Russian painters in exile. In the capital he formed a deep bond with Grigorij Šiltjan, who described him as a man with a Dante-esque face, with whom he shared long sessions of life drawing in popular taverns and in the most authentic Roman neighborhoods. His stay in Italy was marked by a dramatic wrongful accusation in Genzano, where he was unjustly charged with a serious crime; once exonerated, he regained the esteem of the local community, even designing a famous allegorical float for the town’s carnival.

Under the influence of the partnership with Šiltjan and of contact with the Roman avant‑gardes surrounding Casa d'Arte Bragaglia, Fix's style enriched itself with a plastic solidity close to the 'Return to Order' and to the New Objectivity. His production, showcased in major solo exhibitions in 1926, was distinguished by a realism tinged with melancholy, capable of ranging from nostalgic inn scenes, circus subjects, and urban glimpses. Through works such as 'Osteria' or 'Lavandaio Cinese', the artist managed to fuse his Slavic sensibility with the direct observation of Italian reality, leaving a significant mark on the Roman art scene of the first half of the twentieth century.

Description

"Palermo, Sicilian Cart", oil on panel, 47×63 cm with frame, 30×46 cm the panel alone, 1927, signed with date and place at the bottom right. On the back, a pencil note bearing "Simon Fix, Russian painter".

The scene, immersed in a coastal landscape punctuated by the typical Mediterranean vegetation such as agaves and prickly pears, depicts a driver with a straw hat aboard the typical Sicilian cart, with the horse caparisoned with plumes. This painting belongs to a small group of Sicilian-themed works that appeared on the market, all dated 1927, which document the author's journey to the island. This stay testifies to Fix's anthropological and artistic curiosity for Italian popular traditions, paralleling his interest in Roman taverns and circus scenes.

The composition stands out for a synthetic and modern structure, where the brushwork becomes quick and less descriptive, clearly reflecting the influence of the Roman avant-gardes and the atmosphere of the "Return to Order." The chromatic play is bold: the deep blue of the sea in the background creates a strong contrast with the warm tones of the land and the rosy reflections of the sunset sky, while the figures are carved with decisive strokes that favor volume and movement over academic detail. The layering of color, at times almost transparent on a wooden support, gives the image a vibrant luminosity and a modernity that distances the work from pure tourist iconography, elevating it to autonomous formal research.

This work fits into Fix’s poetics as the perfect example of his ability to fuse Russian melancholy with Mediterranean sunlit radiance. In this period, the partnership with Grigorij Šiltjan and the fréquenting of Casa d’arte Bragaglia lead the artist to temper his language, seeking a solid plasticity that here is expressed in the stylization of the horse and the vegetation. The painting is of some historical and collector’s interest, insofar as it provides concrete testimony of the Russian artistic diaspora, and of its contamination with the cultural ferment then underway in the various European nations. A work of charismatic manner and pleasant aesthetic impact.

Condition Report

Overall condition is good. The painting is intact in every part, with vivid color and brushwork that are clearly legible. The frame is included at no extra cost.

Tracked and insured shipment with adequate packaging.