Portrait of man; oil on canvas; framed; lower left corner signed and attr. Leon Schulman Gaspard (1882-1964), Russian-born painter, known for his paintings of indigenous cultures and folk traditions; 13.25 inches x 10.25 inches. Whether in the American Southwest, the Far East, or his native Russia, Leon Gaspard's most celebrated canvases capture the folkways of many varied cultures. Among the artist's most distinctive paintings are his lively depictions of Russian villages and their people. He moved to Paris to study at the Académie Julian, where he was enthralled by the creative climate of the city. Gaspard stayed in France for approximately twenty years, and participated on several occasions at the Paris Salon. From his highly academic training under Adolphe Bouguereau as well as his exposure to Impressionism, Cubism, and Fauvism during his stay in Paris, to his immersion in small villages such as Taos, New Mexico and the remote areas of the Gobi desert, Gaspard developed a distinct style of direct painting that captured his daily interactions with each regions' people in an enchanting an inspiring way. A Parisian critic once commented, "the work of Leon Gaspard is a most truthful and significant document of the habits and costumes of the moujiks, workmen, vagabonds, and poor wretches of the Russian country...They are animated documents, too, taken from life with realistic sincerity... They are admirably composed and have a fine sense of color." (F. Waters, Leon Gaspard, Flagstaff, Arizona, 1964, p. 24). PROVENANCE: Southern Ontario estate