Seeing off. Canvas, oil. 1965. Museum of the Moldavian USSR, Kishinev. Soviet Moldavian artist Mikhail Greku (22 November 1916 – 9 April 1998)

Soviet Moldavian artist Mikhail Greku (Mikhai Grecu) – Laureate of the State Prize of the USSR (1990), Honored Artist of the Moldavian SSR. Born 22 November 1916 in the village of Faranovka (now Odessa region), Mikhai Grecu studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bucharest (1937 – 1940). In 1947 he graduated from the Republican Art College in Kishinev. Greku is the author of paintings, landscapes, and still lifes. First of all, he was one of those artists who was purposefully seeking to enrich the language of modern painting. The sphere of his creative search includes the comprehension of the traditions of folk art, and the development of new principles of poetic narrative and pictorial metaphors. And also the experiments in the field of textural expressiveness (the triptych The History of One Life).
Meanwhile, in the painting “Seeing Off” (1965), the artist turns to his favorite theme – the life of the Moldovan village. The artist shows off the new recruits as a traditional autumn holiday. In the depiction of people, the acute characteristic is combined with the typical, which gives the images both authenticity and poetry at the same time. The artist creates the feeling of the holiday through juicy decorative elegance of the painting itself.
More »

Komsomol wedding. 1970. Painting by Soviet Ukrainian artist Mikhail Ryasnyansky 1926-2003

Soviet Ukrainian artist Mikhail Ryasnyansky

Born May 17, 1926 in the old Russian city of Taganrog, Mikhail Ryasnyansky showed his artistic abilities since the early age. Even a 3 year-old boy, in a kindergarten, he was called “artist”. Noteworthy, aged 10, during an art exhibition in Moscow, he received an award – diploma of fist degree, even among adult participants.
Mikhail Ryasnyansky participated in the Great Patriotic War – from September 1943 to April 1944. He was an ordinary of 305 infantry regiment of the 108th Guards Rifle Division. However, demobilized in connection with a serious wound and concussion. Awarded the Order of the Patriotic War II degree and medals: “For courage”, and “For victory over Germany”.
After demobilization, in 1944-1947 he studied at the Rostov Art College of M.B.Grekov. Then, worked in the Rostov branch of the art fund (1948-1950). In addition, he studied at the painting faculty of the Kiev Art Institute, workshops of prominent Soviet artists T. Yablonskaya and S. Grigoriev (1950-1956).
More »

Hutsuls sign an appeal for a pact of peace. 1952. Painting by Soviet Ukrainian artist Leonid Chichkan (August 21, 1911 – December 13, 1977)

Soviet Ukrainian artist Leonid Chichkan

Born August 21, 1911 in Ekaterinodar, Kuban region of Russia, Leonid Ilyich Chichkan graduated from the Krasnodar Art College (1933). After graduation, he entered the Kharkov Art Institute. Unfortunately, he was not able to finish the institute due to the WWII. Member of the Great Patriotic War, he was awarded the Order of Glory 3rd degree, and medals. After the war, in 1945 he graduated from the Kiev Art Institute (workshop of A. Shovkunenko). Member of the Union of Artists of the Ukrainian SSR, he was a permanent participant of republican, all-Union and foreign exhibitions of Soviet art (since 1942). In addition to painting, the artist taught at the Kiev Art Institute (since 1952), and since 1971 – a professor. Honored Artist of the USSR (1969).
Master of still life, landscape and portrait painting, as well as genre paintings, he mainly painted on the theme of the life of Hutsuls. Famous works of the artist: “We will revenge” (1945), “Blue Distances” (1953), “Ukrainian Souvenirs” (1957), “Olexa Dovbush” (1959-60), “Spring” (1968), “Celebration. 1939” (1970), “To Partisans” (1975), and “Evening in the Carpathians” (1976).
Leonid Ilich died on December 13, 1977 (Kiev, Ukrainian SSR). His works are in the museums, galleries and private collections in Ukraine, Russia and abroad.
More »

Happy. 1949. Painting by Soviet artist Nikolay Belyayev (28 May, 1916 – 18 December, 2004)

Soviet artist Nikolay Belyayev

Born in the city of Tsaritsyn, Nikolai Yakovlevich Belyaev showed his interest in drawing since childhood. First, he visited the private studio of the artist Durnao. Later, he studied at the Moscow State Academic Art School in memory of 1905 (1936-1940), workshops of PI Petrovichev, SI Frolov, GN Gorelov, and KI Finogenov. Then, he perfected his education in the Studio of Military Artists of M.B.Grekov (1939-1942).
Veteran of WWII, he was the correspondent of the front-line newspaper “Red Warrior” and the magazine Krasnoarmeets (1942). Participated in the fighting in the 16th Army. In 1942, seriously wounded, he lost his left hand. Perseverance and hard work helped him to continue his journey in art. He was awarded with orders: Patriotic War I degree, Labor Red Banner, Friendship of Peoples and medals “For Military Merit”, “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War”, etc.
More »

Nineteen eighteenth. 1963-1965. Volgograd art meseum. Soviet artist Gennady Sidorovich Mosin (in co-authorship with M.Sh. Brusilovsky)

Soviet artist Gennady Sidorovich Mosin

In the painting “Nineteen eighteenth” (1963-1965), the artist managed to create a vivid and effective image of a revolutionary impulse and an entourage. Here everything is filled with high pathetic: the severity and passion of people, piercing contrast of colors, hard, steel rhythm of lines. The concentrated minds generalize the thoughts and feelings of the revolutionary masses. The whole energy of the picture concentrated in the figure of Lenin, the orator, who addresses the crowd with an ardent appeal.
Born January 26, 1930, in the village of Kvmenno-Oesrsky of Sverdlovsk region, Mosin always felt himself cultivated by the Urals, its nature and its cultural and historical environment. He inherited from his ancestors, indigenous Uralians, a sense of devotion and love for everything that gave him life and talent.
First, Gennady Mosin graduated from the Sverdlovsk Art School. And later, in 1957 he graduated from the Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture of I.E. Repin.
More »

Next to the window. 1981. Oil on canvas. Soviet landscape painter Eduard Bragovsky (October 6, 1923, Tiflis – August 6, 2010, Moscow)

Soviet landscape painter Eduard Bragovsky

Born in 1923 in Tbilisi, Eduard Georgievich Bragovsky graduated from the Moscow State Art Institute of VI Surikov (1953). He studied in the workshop of PI Kotov. Author of genre paintings, landscapes, portraits, and still lifes. Painting by Bragovsky differs spectacular colorful, joyful, and major sound. The richness of color development serves for the artist a bright emotional interpretation of nature. According to the Moscow based artist, he proudly belongs to the “sixties” (1960s). The sixties of the last century, when a young artistic movement was born from the “thaw”, changed the development of Russian fine arts. This movement gave so many fine artists: Pavel Nikonov, Nikolai Andronov, Ivan Sorokin, Viktor Popkov, Tair Salakhov, Albert Papikyan, Peter Ossovsky, Heliya Korzhev, and Mikhail Ivanov … Meanwhile, today this movement in the West is called “Russian impressionism” for some reason.
More »

On the roof of a house. 1949. Soviet artist Ivan Andreyevich Yazev (27 August, 1914 – 17 May, 2011)

Soviet artist Ivan Andreyevich Yazev

Born August 27, 1914 in Romanovskaya stanitsa, now Rostov region, Ivan Andreevich Yazev studied at the Rostov Art College (1931-1935). His teachers were M.B. Grekov and A.M. Chernykh. After graduation, he worked at the Rostov Association of Artists “Rostov Art” (ROSTIZO) for 3 years. Meanwhile, in 1938 he entered the Moscow State Art Institute of V.I. Surikov. Yazev studied in the workshops of outstanding Soviet painters A.V.Lentulov, A.A. Deineka, and S.V. Gerasimov. Unfortunatelly, the artist had to interrupt his study because of WWII. Member of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Andreyevich Yazev fought on the Volkhov, 2-nd Ukrainian, and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, as commander of a rifle battalion. His military awards include the Order of Alexander Nevsky and the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, medals “For Courage”, “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”, “For the Taking of Budapest”, and “For the Taking of Vienna”.
More »