Soviet Tuvan folk master Dongak Okaanchik 1896-1972

Red Army soldier figure. Work by Soviet Tuvan folk master Dongak Okaanchik 1896-1972. Photo – tuvaonline.ru

Soviet Tuvan folk master Dongak Okaanchik 1896-1972

One of the original Tuvan folk masters, the name of Dongak Okaanchik stands alongside such celebrated carvers and stone-cutters who glorified Tuva far beyond Russia, like Hertec Toybuhaa, Mongush Cherzy, Raisa Arakchaa, Kogel Saaya, and others.
Okaanchik lived a long life (1896-1972). Born in a country that was part of China, he saw the formation of the young state of the People’s Republic of China, and witnessed how a small republic became part of the vast country of the USSR. His works – a sculpture of small form of wood and traditional musical instruments – are well known to serious connoisseurs of applied art in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and other large cities of Russia. And one of the works of the Tuvan master, “Devig” is in the Kunstkammer in St. Petersburg.
In fact, in the 1960s, during the heyday of culture in the Tuva ASSR, his works repeatedly participated at major all-Union exhibitions of Soviet Art in Moscow and Leningrad. At present, the largest collection of works by the master Okaanchik is in the funds of National museum of Tuva.

Sculpture for the Centenary of the Unification of Tuva and Russia

Unique sculptural composition created by the Soviet Tuvan folk master Dongak Okaanchik for the Centenary of the Unification of Tuva and Russia

Meanwhile, the creativity of Okaanchik began with the imitation of his father and brothers’ works, who were also famous stone cutters, and worked in wood and metal. However, later the skill of Dongak Okaachik came to a new level, and already from the 1950s his works took part in republican and all-union exhibitions.

Undoubtedly, for modern stone-cutters and masters of national musical instruments, Okaanchik’s work is still a model of unsurpassed mastery, love and devotion to his work and high professionalism.