Alexander Dadiani collection, Moscow
This portrait depicts the famous Spanish flamenco dancer Antonio Triana. He was friends with many artists and he loved to sit at the easel and make sketches in charcoal. Fechin taught drawing to Triana’s daughter and was a frequent visitor to the dancer’s house, where there was a collection of paintings by old masters and contemporary Spanish artists. Triana, in turn, liked to visit Fechin’s workshop in Santa Monica, where the artist treated him to strong Russian tea. Fechin enjoyed attending Antonio Triana’s performances — Triana was also a choreographer and the author of original dance numbers.
Fechin painted Triana on numerous occasions, trying to catch the “hidden nature of the „Andaluz,„ which he expressed in rampant colour, in the tilt of the Triana’s nose and the flicker of an eyelid“.
In this portrait, Triana is dressed as an Andalusian gypsy. The number he performed in this costume made him famous during his European tour, and the dancer maintained this successful image in America.
The portrait looks like it was made in one session — the pose and temperament of the dancer are so aptly captured — the colours are used with such vivacity and energy. Here we can see all the features of Fechin’s „classic“ style. First of all, it is decorative, exhibits „mastery“ through its expressive smears, and a distinctive colour scheme based on a combination of the artist’s favourite colours — saturated blue, lilac, yellow and burgundy.