Olga Sketchbook

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O[ga's Sketchbook .•.... . Wor[dWar I Sketchbook of the Czar's Sister

description

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrona's sketch book from WWI by Arthur Collingsworth, privately published, 2008

Transcript of Olga Sketchbook

Page 1: Olga Sketchbook

O[ga's Sketchbook

.•.... .Wor[dWar I Sketchbook of the Czar's Sister

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About this book

I had the privilege of meeting Grand Duchess Olga on variousoccasions when, as a teenager, I visited my Godfather TihonKulikovsky, Olga's eldest son. Tihon lived in Mississauga, a suburbof Toronto near her modest home in Cooksville, Ontario. I recallsifting in her living room that was dominated by a portrait of her father,Czar Alexander III, hanging over the fireplace mantle, watching herpaint flowers and landscapes at Barrymede, the estate of JamesRattray, a Canadian mining millionaire and patron ofOlga's, and at the summer home of her Russian emigre friends onLake Semcoe. She was always warm, modest and sympathetic.

I heard Olga and Tihon talking about their lives, friends and herartwork but I didn't fully understand the fascinating story of hertumultuous life because of my youth. Her son Tihon and I exchangedscores of letters over the years and he helped me to understand muchabout the challenging life of his family before he died in 1993.

I began collecting the appealing and charming artwork of Olgaseveral years ago from members of her family, at a wonderful Russianantique shop in London and primarily at auction in Copenhagen (shelived and painted in Denmark from 1920 until 1948). I enjoyed heridyllic depictions of tea services with samovars, flowers andlandscapes. I loaned a few of her paintings to a special Olgaexhibition at the residence of the Russian Ambassador (the formerPullman mansion) in Washington, DC.

In 2006 I had the privilege of participating in the state reburial ofOlga's mother, Empress Marie Feodorovna (Dagmar), in St.Petersburg, Russia as a guest of Prince Andrew AndreevichRomanov, grandson of Olga's sister Grand Duchess Xenia.

I was able to acquire Olga's beautiful and historic World War Isketchbook (1914-1916) at a special Olga sale at the BruunRasmussen Auction House in Copenhagen, Denmark in December,2007. These sensitive portrayals of her life during the war have neverbefore been seen by the public.

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About the author

Arthur J. Collingsworth is a retired United Nations officialand international consultant with a keen interest in ImperialRussia and Finland. He earned his BA at the University ofMichigan and his MA at Georgetown University. He servedas a Presidential appointee on the National SecurityEducation Board and has been awarded the Government ofFinland's two highest decorations. He conceptualized theMillennium Technology Prize, the world's largest prize inthis area, and has lectured on the Romanov family for overten years for the National Trust for Historic Preservation andthe Metropolitan Museum of Art. Arthur and his partner ofthirty-two years split their time between San Diego,California and Prague, Czech Republic.

Produced by Robert F. Taylor

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Olga's Sketchbook

The World War I Sketchbook of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna(dated 1914-1916) consists of twenty-six watercolors and threepencil sketches. The themes are soldiers in uniform, soldiers insickbeds, nurses, interiors, soldiers' graves with flowers andlandscapes. Each sheet measures 33 x 19 cm. Grand DuchessOlga spent the first months of World War I in Rovno (Ukraine) whereshe was a volunteer nurse at a small hospital near the ever-changing frontier between the Russian and Austro-HungarianEmpires. During free hours she made sketches. Her sketchbook isperhaps her best depiction of facial features with its sensitiveportrayal of emotions (e.g. homesickness, sadness, uncertainty) ofthe soldier patients. She continued to sketch during the war in theRed Cross hospitals in Lvov, Proskurov and Kiev.

The sketchbook was inherited by Olga's second son Guri andsubsequently acquired from his second wife and widow. Thesketchbook is in the collection of Arthur J. Collingsworth, Godson ofTihon Kulikovsky, eldest son of the Grand Duchess OlgaAlexandrovna.