Soviet Art

USSR Culture

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo 1907-1993

Training frigate Nadezhda. 1989. Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo 1907-1993

Training frigate Nadezhda. 1989. Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo 1907-1993

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo is the author of made with a great documentary precision graphics of historic ships. He was the first in the USSR to recreate the images of famous Russian ships, images of which after so many years were lost. E. Voishvillo was born 16 October 1907 in the city of Libava of Kurland province into the family of engineer-mechanic of the Russian Imperial Navy. After graduation he worked first as a locksmith assistant at the plant “Ayvaz”, and then a turner at the factory of Volodarsky. In the summer of 1927, he passed the exam to the Academy of Arts, but failed. He was admitted to the second year of the Leningrad Art-Industrial College at the same Academy, where he studied in the workshop of V.A. Tambi. Immediately after graduating from college in 1930, his clear graphic designs began to publish many Leningrad publishers.

Yacht Zarya wintering. Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo 1907-1993

Yacht Zarya wintering. Soviet graphic artist E. Voishvillo 1907-1993

Like many contemporaries of that time, Evgeny became interested in aviation. He successfully graduated from the aviation school in Gatchina, and was enrolled in the first air brigade assault squadron. After demobilization he started working as a mechanic at a Leningrad factory “Red Triangle”. This is where the staff of factory newspaper noticed the artistic talent of the guy – he began to collaborate in the newspaper. Soon he was invited to work in the Leningrad magazine “Science and Technology”, where he worked until 1940.

The tea clipper Taiping

The tea clipper Taiping

In the early days of the Great Patriotic War, Evgeny was called to the Baltic Fleet, he served in the defense of the coast, and then in the Marine Corps – Commander of the Order of the Patriotic War II degree. At this time, he created the cliché headline of the newspaper “For Soviet motherland.” After one of the shows of the works of artists of the Baltic fleet he was sent to the publishing department of the Political Administration in Tallinn. In 1945 Petty Officer of II Article Voishvillo was appointed “fleet senior draftsman”. He served at the Department of Naval geography, participating in expeditions to reconnaissance and inventory of the rocky fairways, in charge of the drawing office. After the demobilization, in the rank of warrant officer, in 1948 he became a member of the Leningrad Art Fund of the RSFSR.

The squadron of Christopher Columbus. 1992 (co-author BM Starodubtsev)

The squadron of Christopher Columbus. 1992 (co-author BM Starodubtsev)

Evgeny worked in the field of book graphics, collaborated in publishing “Young Guard”, Detgiz and others. He illustrated books: “Young shipbuilder” by ST Luchininov (1948), “The Birth of the Worlds” (1951) and “The Sun and his family” (1957) by MI Ivanovsky, “Secrets of the Glass” by MP Sveshnikov (1955), “Steel horses” by AI Avgustynyuk (1956), “Big Lights” by GV Voishvillo (1958), “Our planes” by LV Uspensky and VA Balabanov (1959), “To another planet” by P. Klushchantsev (1961), “From the Nautilus to a bathyscaphe” by P. de Latil (1963), “Six-winged giant” by NF Grigoriev (1963), “Two steps up to the miracle” by MD Vasin (1966), “Odessa” out to sea” by NA Zaleski (1987) and others.

The ship Neva in the Strait of Gibraltar (for magazine Sea Fleet)

The ship Neva in the Strait of Gibraltar (for magazine Sea Fleet)

Voishvillo is the author of made with a great documentary precision graphics of historic ships. He was the first in the USSR to recreate the images of famous Russian ships, images of which after so many years were lost. At the request of the World Ocean Museum has performed more than 60 documented accurate images of historic ships (with B.M. Starodubtsev). In 1974-1975, together with the shipbuilder AL Larionov performed sketches of the original historical appearance of the boat of Peter I, on the basis of which was made a copy of vessel. Voishvillo illustrated articles on naval subjects in the magazines “Model Construction”, “Around the World”, “The Navy” and others.

The schooner St. Anna

The schooner St. Anna

After several solo exhibitions in Leningrad and in Moscow and a successful debut in the “Navy” was admitted to the USSR Union of Artists.
E. Voishvillo died in 1993 in St. Petersburg. In 2009, the icebreaker “Krasin” organized a personal (posthumous) exhibition of the artist ‘Sail the World’. His work is represented in several museum collections, among them – the World Ocean Museum in Kaliningrad, Russia.

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo 1907-1993

Soviet graphic artist E. Voishvillo 1907-1993

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

Clash of the ship Egypt with the French steamship Seine 1991

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

Frigate Liuting. 1992

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

Frigate Pallada

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

Schooner Perseus

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

sloop Diana

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

sloop Enterprise

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

Sloops Nadezhda and Neva

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

Steamboat King 9 October 1913

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

Taimyr and Vaigach at the Earth of Nicholas II (North Land). 1986 (co-author BM Starodubtsev)

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

The fire on the clipper Hornet

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

The icebreaker Ermak. 1986 (co-author BM Starodubtsev)

Soviet graphic artist Evgeny Voishvillo

The research vessel Vityaz