Nikolai Golovanov valued the outstanding talent of Alexander Golovin and was proud that he acquired quite a few of the artist’s works, including the student ones. The work “Prows of Gondolas” occupied a special place in the conductor’s collection.

Alexander Yakovlevich Golovin (1863–1930) was one of the most prominent Russian representatives of Symbolism and Art Nouveau. His oeuvre reflects all the main stylistic and iconographic features of the artistic language that existed at the turn of the 20th century. Golovin worked with many genres of painting, as well as monumental and applied and decorative arts, but his talent shone most brightly in scenic design. Love for theater is what Nikolai Golovanov and the artist had in common. It is known that they were acquaintances.

Italy held a special place in Nikolai Golovanov’s heart. The conductor often visited this country and was extremely fond of it. There, together with his wife, he toured, vacationed, and tried to make contacts with Italian masters to come and teach in the Soviet Union. It is no surprise then that the painting “Prows of Gondolas” resonated so deeply with the musician.

The canvas “Prows of Gondolas” is associated with the period when the artist began working in a ceramic and pottery studio in Abramtsevo, where his artistic vision was greatly influenced by Mikhail Vrubel. There, Golovin created a great number of works of applied art, all of which were thought remarkable and original. In the late 1890s, Golovin became a prominent figure in Russian Art Nouveau, and the features of the style were reflected in his easel painting. Cold and spectacular color combinations, beautiful expressive silhouettes, generalized images, sinuous forms, and an interesting compositional flow — all these components of the painting “Prows of Gondolas” are inherent in Art Nouveau in general and Golovin’s artistic language in particular. This work demonstrates the artist’s high skills in scenic design, prophesying his destiny as the most prominent reformer of Russian stage design.