Art and Artists of the Soviet Crimea, 1957 -- 15 Paintings

Michael Laxer
Apr 10, 2023
2 min read

Published in 1957 in the USSR this folder of 15 cards looked at the art and artists of the Soviet Crimea. The works here were painted between 1946 and 1956.

Thematically they range from street scenes, to landscapes, flowers and, of course, Black Sea, coastal or maritime studies.

Among the standouts are The Feat of the Five Black Sea Men by Yuri Volkovis, a powerful look at the last stand of Soviet soldiers faced by a Nazi tank attack during World War Two; Seashore by K. A. Prokhorov and At the Pier, by S. G. Mamchich. Both Bathing and Yalta Cityscape are colorful and very charming.

The cards were originally in Ukrainian. I have translated the titles of every piece and, where possible, the names of the artists. In some cases I have provided brief biographical notes.

The Feat of the Five Black Sea Men, Yuri Volkov

Volkov, who became a renowned painter after the war, won medals for bravery as well as for participating in the liberation of Vienna, Budapest and Prague while serving in it. He was also awarded the Order of the Red Star.

Bathing

Yalta Cityscape

Riga Seascape

Ruins of the Assumption Cathedral in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Vladimir Yanovsky

Yanovsky (1876 - 1966 ) - born in the Crimea was a watercolorist who was named an Honored Artist of Ukraine in 1957.

Seashore, K. A. Prokhorov

Prokhorov was named an Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR in 1960.

In the Mountains, Fyodor Zakharov

Zakharov (1919 - 1994) was awarded the title People's Artist of Ukraine in 1978, and in 1987 the Shevchenko National Prize, the highest Ukrainian award for art and literature at the time.