Александр Николаевич Волков - Гранатовая чайхона

http://tashkentpamyat.ru/volkov-aleksandr-nikolaevich-khudozhnik-.html

also: http://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/en/collection/_show/image/_id/333

Volkov, Aleksandr Nikolayevich
Pomegranate coloured chaikhana (Central Asian tea room with large divans)
1924
Oil on canvas
105 х 116

The name of the painting has a metaphorical sense. The pomegranate is
one of the most widespread motifs in the art and poetry of the Orient.
A chaikhana is the traditional place of relaxation and socializing in
Central Asia, where it is possible to spend the whole day, sipping tea
and without hurrying, thoroughly discussing all the news. It is not
just the name of the canvas that is metaphorical. The artist uses the
principle of creating an Uzbek ornament, where the drawing consists of
endless combinations of one and the same form. The constant change in
rhythms of the pattern creates an impression of variety. The
pomegranate fruit is itself the source of the composition's structure.
It is depicted as a real object, as the motif of the teapot, and as a
generalizing image, since even the figures of the people are perceived
through the contours and drawing of the pomegranate seeds. The
pomegranate colour, poured over the entire canvas, completes the list
of associations, creating a capacious symbol of the Orient.