Soviet Art

Holiday. 1952. Oil on canvas. Painting by Soviet artist Maria Savchenkova 1917-2017

Soviet artist Maria Savchenkova
Born in 1917 in Novocherkassk, Maria Vladimirovna Savchenkova (1917 – 2017) is a famous Soviet artist. First, she studied at the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions (1936-1937), workshop of Konstantin Yuon and M.S. Rodionov. Then, from 1937 to 1945 – at the Moscow State Art Institute named after V.I. Surikov. Her teachers were such famous masters as Grigory Shegal, Vasily Pochitalov and Dmitry Mochalsky. Her thesis was a painting “The Germans Caught” under the direction of no less famous master – Sergei Gerasimov.
While still a student, she met the artist Vasily Nechitailo, who for many years became her friend and partner in work and, later, her husband. They had a wonderful large and friendly family: in 1940 they had their firstborn – son Dmitry, in 1942 – daughter Ksenia, and after the war, in 1952 – son Sergey. All the children followed in the footsteps of their parents, became famous artists.
Read more »

Green house. 1966. Oil on canvas. Painting by Soviet artist Oleg Loshakov (born May 16, 1936, Moscow, USSR)

Soviet artist Oleg Loshakov
The communication of a person with nature, its cognition and creation in it are the main issues that interest the Moscow painter O. Loshakov.
The work of the institute era still did not portend the direction of his creative interests of a more mature period. Most often, these were modest landscapes made in the realistic traditions of the Moscow school of painting. It is difficult to say if Loshakov would have found his own path if, after graduating from the Surikov Institute, he had not gone to the Far East. There he had been a teacher at the Vladivostok Art School for two years. In fact, these years, this experience formed the personality of the young Soviet painter.
So far, Oleg Nikolaevich Loshakov is a teacher, professor, Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1982), and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Arts (2002). Also, he’s been a member of the USSR Union of Artists since 1967. In 1960 he graduated from the Moscow State Art Institute named after V.I. Surikov.
Even a student, in 1957 he began participating in republican, all-union and international exhibitions. Since 1993 he has been teaching at the State Specialized Academy of Arts, head of the department of painting and graphics (professor since 2002). Among his awards the Order of the Badge of Honor and a silver medal of the Russian Academy of Arts (1998).
Read more »

A woman in a black shawl. Sketch for the painting ‘Mother’. 1968. Soviet artist Vladimir Boborykin

Soviet artist Vladimir Boborykin

Born in 1922 in the village of Levkovo of Moscow region, Vladimir Mikhailovich Boborykin grew up in a family of a carpenter. According to the artist, he began drawing very early and already as a schoolboy was a recognized artist. Soon the family moved to Moscow. There the young artist became acquainted with the “peredvizhniki”, the popular artists of the time. In 1939 he entered Moscow Art school, where his teachers were such Soviet artists as Ye. Pochitalov, V. Dobroserdov and A. Khazanov. In 1941 Boborykin, like many of his contemporaries went to the front. After the war, in autumn of 1948 he became a student of Leningrad Art Instituite of Ilya Repin, workshop of Boris Ioganson. He graduated from the institute in 1954 with the thesis work “L.T. Kosmodemyanskaya at the Warsaw Peace Congress”. In search of characters for his paintings he went to Tadjikistan, where he found the heroes of socialist labor at the great construction sites. Among them are steel workers, builders, cotton growers and shepherds. For ten years, since 1954 to 1964 the artist taught art in Stalinabad (Dushanbe) art school and participated in exhibitions of Soviet Art.
Read more »

Work by Soviet artist K. Kazanchan. Expanse, 1955. 1950s All-Union exhibitions of Soviet Art

All-Union exhibitions of Soviet Art

The All-Union Art Exhibition dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution was held from November 5, 1957 to March 16, 1958 in Moscow at the Central Exhibition Hall. Also, at the USSR Academy of Arts, in the House of Artists, in the exhibition hall of the USSR Union of Artists and in several other halls of the capital. The exhibition became the largest event of the year in contemporary Soviet and European fine arts.
Republican exhibition committees, composed of the most respected experts carried out the direct selection of works for the exhibition. In total, they selected over 5500 works for exhibiting and published an illustrated catalog of the exhibition.
In total, 2142 artists from all republics of the USSR took part in the exhibition. Noteworthy, most of the works were previously shown at city, regional and republican exhibitions of 1957. Many of them subsequently ended up in the collections of art museums, as well as acquired by the RSFSR Art Fund, domestic and foreign galleries and collectors.
Read more »

Beautiful design of chess series match labels of 1966, the USSR. Soviet chess inspired matchbox labels

Soviet chess inspired matchbox labels
The popularity of chess in the Soviet Union was enormous, to which contributed the permanent world championships of the Soviet school. Chess populated in the media, it was a prestigious sport, with its intellectuality standing over and slightly over the rest sports. Champions and close to them in terms of level were known and revered. Accordingly, all chess subjects in philately, numismatics, and Phillumeny, too, enjoyed great interest. Fortunately, interest in collecting, which fell down after the collapse of the USSR, begins to revive again.
First of all, the Phillumeny clubs appeared in late 1950’s – early 1960’s, in the largest cities of the USSR. However, they were unofficial and worked as collectors’ clubs of philatelists, and supervised by the All-Union Society of Philatelists. The flourishing of Phillumeny in the USSR falls on the 1960s and 1980s, when the Balabanovskaya match factory printed labels for most match factories. In particular, they produced special sets for phillumenists (100 regular labels in a set and sets of souvenir gift labels). In addition, the Baltic factories printed similar sets.
Read more »

Konstantin Batyushkov monument. Work by Soviet Russian sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov (19 October 1939 — 2 June 2006)

The USSR State Prize laureate, Soviet Russian sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov (19 October 1939 — 2 June 2006)

Born into a peasant family, Vyacheslav Klykov grew up in the remote village of Myrmyzhi, Kursk Region. He studied at the construction college and the Kursk Pedagogical Institute. In 1968 he graduated from the sculpture faculty of the Surikov Art Institute, workshops of Nikolai Tomsky and Matvey Manizer.

According to Klykov himself, such sculptors as Alexander Matveev, Sergey Konenkov and Georgy Motovilov influenced him. The first work of Klykov was the composition “Youth”, depicting a boy with a foal.
Read more »

To school tomorrow. 1957. Oil on canvas. Painting by Soviet artist Mikhail Arkadievich Suzdaltsev (22 January 1917 – 9 January 1998)

Soviet artist Mikhail Arkadievich Suzdaltsev

Born 22 January 1917 in Sudogda, Vladimir province Suzdaltsev is a famous Sovie painter. He studied at the Odessa art school in 1935-38. Next, he studied (1938-48) at the Moscow art Institute, workshop of I. Surikov, Pokarzhevsky, A. A. Osmerkin, G. M. Shegal (diploma painting – “A.M. Gorky and Ya. M. Sverdlov on the Volga”).
Since 1948, he has been a regular participant in art exhibitions, specializing in thematic paintings and landscapes. Member of the USSR Union of artists, he was an Honored artist of the RSFSR. Noteworthy, in 1951 he became the winner of the Stalin prize of the II degree (1951) for the picture “Power to the Soviets – peace to the peoples” (1950, with co-authors).
Suzdaltsev lived and worked in Moscow until his death on January 9, 1998. His works are in the state Tretyakov gallery, the State Russian Museum, and the Saratov art Museum of Radishcheva. Also, Ulyanovsk regional art Museum, Sochi art Museum, Odessa art Museum and Alexandrovskaya Sloboda Museum-reserve. In addition, in private collections in Russia, Japan, USA, England, Germany and Norway.
Read more »