Ventimiglia (2)

Ventimiglia sits on the Italian Riviera close to the French border, a town that in the second half of the nineteenth century became increasingly connected to the wealthy tourist economy of the Côte d'Azur. Bogolyubov painted this panel view in 1880, during his mature French period when he was based in Paris and making regular painting trips along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. The Riviera presented very different conditions from his Norman subjects — harder light, more saturated colour, a warmer and drier atmosphere — and Bogolyubov's response to this difference is visible in the changed palette and handling of his southern panel studies. The Radishchev Museum's second Ventimiglia view (this being numbered 2) suggests he produced at least a pair of studies here, again revealing his habit of systematic serial observation. By 1880, Bogolyubov was a respected figure in French artistic circles, having exhibited at the Salon and established the Russian colony in Paris; his Italian Riviera paintings were professional work rather than student exercises.

Panel format suits the rapid outdoor study, and Bogolyubov's 1880 Ventimiglia work would show a mature, confident hand. The Mediterranean palette — brighter, more contrasted than his Norman views — requires a different approach to shadow colour: warm purples and mauves rather than cool greys. Architectural details are likely rendered with selective emphasis rather than comprehensive description.