Soviet graphic artist Gennady Dmitrievich Yepifanov

Soviet graphic artist Gennady Dmitrievich Yepifanov
Born August 4, 1900 in Rostov the Great of Yaroslavl Province, future graphic artist illustrator Gennady Dmitrievich Yepifanov grew in the family of a bookbinder of the local printing house. Interestingly, aged 21, Gennady Yepifanov taught singing at the Rostov Gymnasium (1921-1922). In 1923 he entered the Yaroslavl Art College and at the same time, worked at the Rostov Museum of Antiquities (1922-1924). After graduation from the art school in 1925, he studied at the Leningrad Institute of Art and Technology. At first, it was the fine art workshop of Konstantin Petrov-Vodkin, and then the graphic faculty of VD Zamirailo, Dmitry Mitrokhin, Vladimir Konashevich, YS. Kruglikova, and PA Shillingovsky. Under the guidance of Konashevich, he completed his thesis work – illustrations for children’s tales of S.Ya. Marshak, awarded the title of graphic artist.

After graduation from the institute the artist lived and worked in Leningrad. He worked mainly in the techniques of woodcuts and color woodcuts. Yepifanov designed books for various publishing houses. In particular, Goslitizdat, Academia, “Soviet writer”, “Art”, “Young Guard”, etc. Developed projects of ex-libris. He was a participant of international exhibitions in France, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Turkey, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. In the period of 1932-1940 he took part in 9 collective exhibitions.

He completed illustrations for such books as: “The South and North” by E. Sinclair (1930), M. Servantes’s “Teacher’s novels” (1934, 1955), “The Brothers Karamazov” by FM Dostoevsky (1935), “The Great Expectations” by C. Dickens (1941), “Mikhailovsky Castle” by OD Forsh (1946), “Poor Liza” by NM Karamzin (1947, 1950), “Queen Margot” by A. Dumas (1951, 1955), “Selected poems and poems” by A.A. Blok (1955), The Collection of Works by G. Ibsen (1956-58), The Irish Saga (1961).
In the Great Patriotic war of 1941-1945 he worked in the “Boyevoy Karandash” (“Battle Pencil”), and created the design of interiors and the exposition of the Military Medical Museum.

Repeatedly awarded with diplomas and medals at contests and book exhibitions for the design of books. Among them – Homer’s Odyssey (1958) – a diploma at the All-Union Contest “Best Books of 1958”, a silver medal at the International Exhibition of Art and the Book of Socialist Countries in Leipzig (1959). Also, “Goya” by I.M. Levina (1958) – diploma at the All-Union competition “Best Books of 1958”; “The Queen of Spades” by Alexander Pushkin (1966) – diplomas of the third degree at the International Book Exhibition in Moscow (1967) and the 1st degree at the All-Union Contest “Best Publications of 1966-1967”. In addition, Album “Drawings of Western European Artists” (1970) – Diploma of I. Fedorov at the All-Union competition “Best Publications of 1970”.

In addition to book illustration, he worked in easel graphics. Among the works of the artist a number of landscapes, for example, series: “Leningrad, Views of the City” (1953), “Rostov the Great” (1960s), and portraits.
Participant of international exhibitions (“The Art of the Book” in Paris and Lyon), since 1931 he permanently exhibited his works on engravings and lithographs, and easel graphics of Leningrad artists “(1955),” Soviet book sign “(1964),” 50 years of Leningrad book graphics “(1969) in Leningrad, Soviet illustrations for fiction for 5 years (1936), engraving and etching (1953) , “Soviet Russia”, “50 years of Soviet power” (both – 1967) in Moscow, etc. Participant of many international exhibitions and Exhibitions of Soviet art abroad: in Kosice (1933), Athens, Istanbul (1934), Copenhagen, Oslo (1936), Paris (1937), New York (1959), Bucharest, London (1961), Dresden (1964), Prague (1974). Conducted solo exhibitions in Leningrad (1947, 1972).

Gennady Dmitrievich Yepifanov, an outstanding Russian Soviet graphic artist, illustration master, Honored Artist of the RSFSR, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, Professor of the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture of I.E. Repin.

An outstanding Soviet artist, Gennady Dmitrievich Yepifanov died September 4, 1985 (Leningrad). His works are in the State Russian Museum, the Research Museum of the Russian Academy of Arts, the Pushkin Museum of Alexander Pushkin, the State Museum-Reserve “Rostov Kremlin”, in public and private collections in Russia and abroad.

Soviet graphic artist Gennady Dmitrievich Yepifanov

source:
KS Kravchenko “Gennady Dmitrievich Yepifanov”. Leningrad. Publisher “Artist of the RSFSR”, 1982