This portrait of Soviet artist Mirel Shaginyan (1918 – 2012) was painted by Aleksander Deineka in 1944

Soviet artist Mirel Shaginyan (May 17, 1918 – February 24, 2012) – painter, member of the Union of Artists of the USSR. Her mother, Marietta Shaginyan (1888-1982) was a famous Russian writer, one of the first science fiction writers in the Soviet Union. Mirel’s father – Yakov Hachatryants was a teacher of Nakhichevan seminary. Mirel’s first school was Russian school in Armenia, and then she continued studying in Kislovodsk. In 1931 Shaginyan family moved to Moscow. In 1936, Mirel Shaginyan graduated from high school. During World War II she was evacuated to Sverdlovsk. In 1948 she graduated from the Moscow Art Institute of Surikov (class of Alexander Deineka). Mirel Shaginyan lived in Moscow (Arbat) and in Koktebel, the Crimea.
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Soviet artist Andrey Demykin. Self-portrait with a broken brush. 1982

Soviet artist Andrey Demykin (02.11.1951 – 15.02.1989) became aware of himself as an artist when he was twelve. At this age, he became acquainted with the famous graphic artist Lev Tokmakov who gave Andrey his watercolors and a brush. Andrey became interested. Andrey showed him his drawings. “You will be an artist, like no one else”, – Tokmakov said. These words became true very quickly. Originally, Andrey manifested himself in the first works – watercolors, oil, graphics, etchings. His spiritual vision like a scalpel cut the top layer of life, revealing the metaphysical essence of the world. Andrey graduated from the Art School, where his teacher was a great master, artist Michael Roginsky, but Andrey nevertheless at any time, at any age remained true to himself, like no one else.
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Soviet artist Tatyana Yablonskaya. Knitting

Soviet artist Tatyana Yablonskaya was People’s Artist of the USSR (1982), member of the Russian Academy of Arts (1992); full member of the USSR Academy of Arts (1975), winner of three of the USSR State Prize (1950, 1951, 1979), two medals of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. Same age as the October Socialist Revolution, Tatyana drew poetic, life-affirming paintings dedicated to the work and life of the Soviet people (“Bread” 1949; “Nameless heights”, 1969; “Len”, 1977). Tatiana was born February 24, 1917 in Smolensk, Russia. Her father, NA Yablonsky was a well-known Smolensky painter, graphic artist and a teacher of Russian literature.
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Young Soviet artists painting Friendship. Andrey Multansky 12 years old. Shepherd. Gouache

Young Soviet artists painting Friendship

‘Young artist’ – a monthly magazine of the Union of Artists of the USSR, the Academy of Arts of the USSR, the Central Committee of the Young Communist League, founded in July 1936. The magazine introduced its readers with the best works of world and national classics, taught an understanding of professional subtleties, held various competitions of children’s drawings. The 1991 art contest, the “Colors of friendship” was a special, and the last – it was the year of the collapse of Soviet Union. Under the terms of the competition were taken pictures from all the republics of the USSR and edges, made in different techniques, as well as works of decorative – applied art. At the end of the competition were organized exhibitions in Moscow, cities of the Soviet Union and abroad. The participants were awarded diplomas, winners – prizes. In the competition could participate young artists aged from 6 to 16 years. Political ideals can fade, economic concepts can crumble, but moral values ​​are eternal. Love, friendship, good human relationship are alive and strong ties bind people of different nationalities. Especially children.
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The hostess. 1970. Oil. Soviet artist Yuri Kugach

Soviet artist Yuri Kugach (1917–2013) – Winner of the Stalin Prize of the second degree (1950), People’s Artist of the USSR (1977), member of the USSR Academy of Arts (1975). In 1936 he graduated from Moscow art school of memory of 1905, in 1942 – the Moscow State Academy of Fine Arts named after Surikov; in 1945 – post-graduate studies. In 1948-1951 he taught at the Academy. His works are kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the art museums of Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov, Omsk, Kiev, Kharkov, Lvov and others. Kugach had excellent teachers: Nikolay Krymov, Igor Grabar. Kugach was one of the favorite students of Sergei Vasilievich Gerasimov.
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Che. Soviet poster artist Igor Aksenov

Few people know that the Lenin Komsomol Prize award in the arts, among hundreds of professional artists, its winners, was once given to a non-professional artist from Siberia. This artist was Igor Aksenov – representative of the Novosibirsk State University. Alongside with the Lenin Komsomol Prize, he was awarded the highest award of the Soviet Peace Committee – an honorary medal “Fighter for Peace”, as well as a silver medal of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition of the USSR (1985, 1986) and the Medal of Honor of the World Peace Council (1984). Soviet poster artist Igor Aksenov was a member of the Soviet Committee for Solidarity with Latin America. His posters are really very popular. They have become collectors’ items among the wide range of fans around the world. The number of exhibitions of his work has been enormous. To name the exact number and venue is not possible, especially abroad, as along with a few officials, there was a set of spontaneous, organized by fans of his work. They are devoted to topical political issues – the issue of disarmament, the fight against the aggressive aspirations of the imperialist forces and solidarity with the peoples fighting for their national and social liberation.
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The Family of Vasily Shukshin. 1976. Painting by Soviet artist Elena Romanova (1944-2014)

Soviet artist Elena Romanova was born in 1944 in Moscow, the USSR. She graduated from the Moscow State Art Institute named after Surikov. In 1975 she became a laureate of the Moscow Komsomol for creating portraits of contemporaries, and later was awarded a diploma of I degree of the USSR Academy of Arts for her work “Portrait of a family of Vasily Makarovich Shukshin.” Pictures of Elena Romanova are kept in the Tretyakov Gallery, in the collections of different cities and countries. She worked on a series of graphic works dedicated to the workers of Tajikistan and Baikal-Amur Mainline.
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