PAVEL TCHELITCHEW (1898-1957) Untitled XII 1951 pastel on paper, signed, inscribed and dated 'P. Tchelitchew. / XII/51.' lower left 19 3/4 x 13 3/4in (50.2 x 34.9cm) Footnotes: Tchelitchew began his series of 'interior landscapes,' in 1943 and continued to work in this style for the remainder of his career up until his death in 1957. Most of the series of works created during this period were comprised of anatomical figures: skulls, torsos, heads with a 'spiral structure so that it could be seen simultaneously from within and without.'1 By 1950, the artist had moved beyond literal representation and was pushing his art toward a universal 'perfection' of nature; transforming interior, anatomical structures into geometrical ideals. The above drawing is a classic work from Tchelitchew's final period: an idealized, diagrammatic outline of a human head, rendered in a meticulous, luminous pastel. -Erik La Prade 1 Pavel Tchelitchew. Gallery of Modern Art exhibition catalogue. Lincoln Kirstein. 1964. Pg. 51. We would like to thank Erik La Prade for his essay and assistance in cataloguing this work.