Fine Art Poster
From $39
A giclée print on 200gsm matte fine art paper, using a twelve-colour process for accurate, fade-resistant colour. Supplied unframed, delivered flat or rolled.
Hermann at the entrance to the countess - Alexandre Benois
Regular price
$39.00 USD
Sale price
$39.00 USD
Regular price
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
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Made to order
Description
A moody, atmospheric illustration by Alexandre Benois depicting a scene from Pushkin's The Queen of Spades, capturing a snowy night in St Petersburg.
This work by Alexandre Benois depicts a scene from Alexander Pushkin's short story, The Queen of Spades. Benois, a central figure in the Mir Iskusstva (World of Art) movement, possessed a deep affinity for the literature and history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. His approach to illustration often prioritised theatricality and atmosphere, reflecting his extensive work as a stage designer for the Ballets Russes.
The composition captures the protagonist, Hermann, standing in the cold night air before the residence of the elderly countess. The scene is defined by the contrast between the warm, inviting glow emanating from the building's window and the harsh, snowy conditions of the street. Benois employs a muted palette of greys, browns, and whites, punctuated by the soft yellow light of the street lamp and the interior. The falling snow is rendered with quick, light brushstrokes, creating a sense of movement and chill that permeates the urban environment.
Benois focuses on the psychological tension of the narrative. Hermann is positioned in the foreground, his silhouette partially obscured by the shadows of the architecture. The carriage waiting nearby adds to the sense of isolation and impending drama. The architectural details, such as the classical columns of the entrance, provide a sense of period authenticity, grounding the literary scene in a tangible, historical reality. This piece demonstrates the artist's ability to translate complex narrative beats into visual form, using light and shadow to convey the mood of the original text without relying on excessive detail. The work remains a fine example of early twentieth-century Russian graphic art, showing the influence of both European illustration traditions and the specific aesthetic concerns of the St Petersburg artistic circle.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Complete The Look
Hermann at the entrance to the countess - Alexandre Benois
Regular price
From $39.00 USD
Sale price
From $39.00 USD
Regular price
Fine Art Poster / Small Square (30x30 cm) / -
Artist Biography
Alexandre Benois
Few critics left as permanent a mark on the art of their era as Alexandre Benois, yet his deepest passion was France in the age of Louis XIV. His Versailles series of 1905-06, painted in gouache and watercolour during extended residencies near Paris, captured the melancholy grandeur of abandoned royal gardens with a precision entirely his own.
Born in 1870 in St Petersburg into a family of architects and artists, Benois was largely self-taught after a brief, dissatisfying spell as an unregistered student at the Academy of Arts. He studied law at university and educated himself through trips to Italy, Spain, and France. By the 1890s he was Russia's pre-eminent art critic, and in 1898 he co-founded the journal Mir iskusstva (World of Art) with Sergei Diaghilev, backed by Princess Tenisheva and the industrialist Savva Mamontov. The journal opposed the didactic social realism of the Peredvizhniki and insisted that Russian art engage seriously with European modernism.
As a painter, Benois worked primarily in watercolour and gouache until 1905. His Russian history series of 1907-10, commissioned by publisher Iosif Knoebel, depicted Petrine and Catherinian court life with careful archival precision; his three editions of illustrations for Pushkin's Bronze Horseman (1903, 1905, 1916-22) remain defining images of the poem. Theatre absorbed him most fully. He wrote the libretto for Stravinsky's Petrouchka (1911), designed the first Ballets Russes Paris season, and headed the Moscow Arts Theatre's art production section from 1913 to 1915.
From 1918 to 1926 he directed the Picture Gallery at the Hermitage, a formidable institutional role through years of revolutionary upheaval. He left Russia permanently in 1926, settling in Paris the following year, and spent his final decades producing more than sixty theatre and opera productions across La Scala, the Paris Opéra, and major houses in London and New York. He died in Paris in February 1960.
Born in 1870 in St Petersburg into a family of architects and artists, Benois was largely self-taught after a brief, dissatisfying spell as an unregistered student at the Academy of Arts. He studied law at university and educated himself through trips to Italy, Spain, and France. By the 1890s he was Russia's pre-eminent art critic, and in 1898 he co-founded the journal Mir iskusstva (World of Art) with Sergei Diaghilev, backed by Princess Tenisheva and the industrialist Savva Mamontov. The journal opposed the didactic social realism of the Peredvizhniki and insisted that Russian art engage seriously with European modernism.
As a painter, Benois worked primarily in watercolour and gouache until 1905. His Russian history series of 1907-10, commissioned by publisher Iosif Knoebel, depicted Petrine and Catherinian court life with careful archival precision; his three editions of illustrations for Pushkin's Bronze Horseman (1903, 1905, 1916-22) remain defining images of the poem. Theatre absorbed him most fully. He wrote the libretto for Stravinsky's Petrouchka (1911), designed the first Ballets Russes Paris season, and headed the Moscow Arts Theatre's art production section from 1913 to 1915.
From 1918 to 1926 he directed the Picture Gallery at the Hermitage, a formidable institutional role through years of revolutionary upheaval. He left Russia permanently in 1926, settling in Paris the following year, and spent his final decades producing more than sixty theatre and opera productions across La Scala, the Paris Opéra, and major houses in London and New York. He died in Paris in February 1960.
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Fine Art Framed
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The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
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