In the 1910s, Meshchaninov joined a circle of artists from the Paris school and actively participated in exhibitions at artistic salons. He was especially close to Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, and Diego Rivera, without sharing their avant-garde concepts. Many critics noted the rare integrity and independence of his artistic pursuits. Portrait of the Artist’s Mother is particularly expressive in this regard, confirming the validity of Alexander Benois' later assessment; he wrote that the majority of Meshchaninov’s portrait busts “are distinguished by their strong characterisation and noble simplicity.”

Meshchaninov Oscar

Meshchaninov, Oscar Samoilovich (1886, Vitebsk — 1956)

The sculptor Oscar Meshchaninov studied at the School of Drawing in Odessa (1905–1906), Ecole des Arts Décoratifs and Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1907). He worked at Joseph Bernard’s studio and was amember of the National Society of Fine Arts. Meshchaninov contributed to various exhibitions from 1908 onwards, including: National Society of Fine Arts in Paris, Salon d’Automne in Paris, along with shows in Moscow and Petrograd. The artist travelled to Cambodia and India before moving to the USA in 1944.