Special
Mihail Chemiakin – Double Portrait with Bird Mask, Signed and Dated 1974
Mihail Chemiakin – Double Portrait with Bird Mask, Signed and Dated 1974
This early ink drawing by Mihail Chemiakin (b. 1943) showcases the artist’s distinctive synthesis of psychological portraiture, symbolic distortion, and theatrical ambiguity. Dated 1974, the work captures two tightly intertwined figures rendered with crisp linear precision. The upper profile evokes the image of a stylized bird or ceremonial mask, suggesting themes of identity, duality, and hidden selves.
Chemiakin’s exploration of layered personas—often referencing commedia dell’arte, medieval costume, and psychoanalytic theory—is already present here in mature form. The drawing’s stark black-and-white palette enhances its graphic immediacy, while the precise curves and cross-hatching lend sculptural weight to the otherwise surreal forms.
Signed and dated in both the upper and lower corners, this piece is professionally framed and matted under glass. As an early and highly focused example of Chemiakin’s Paris-period drawings, it offers collectors a rare and intimate view into the artist’s evolving visual language of masked identity and psychological tension.
Medium: Ink on paper
Date: 1974
Signature: Signed and dated twice by the artist
Provenance: Acquired from a private European collection
