DMITRI PLAVINSKY (RUSSIAN 1937-2012) Owl Keeping Wisdom, 1994 oil and polyvinylacetate tempera on canvas 99.5 x 99.5 cm (39 1/8 x 39 1/8 in.) signed, dated and titled on verso PROVENANCE Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner, 1994 LOT NOTES Dmitri Plavinsky was one of the key representatives and leaders of the artistic nonconformist movement in Russia in the 1960s. The artist defined his artistic style as one of "Structural Symbolism," in which the unified image of the world is broken down into sequences of symbols submerged in the layers of time: past, present, and future. His works reflect his travels, ethnography studies, interest in ancient civilizations, as well as his knowledge of music and mathematics.