Tikhomirov, A. N.

Grekov Mitrofan Borisovich, 1882-1934 [Mitrofan Borisovich Grekov, 1882-1934]

Moscow: Iskusstvo, 1944. Item #911

18 pages: illustrations, plates; 16 cm. Text in Russian. Cover title “Grekov”.

An illustrated monograph, published shortly after the Siege of Leningrad, is dedicated to Mitrofan Borisovich Grekov, the pioneering figure in Soviet battle painting, whose work largely defined and influenced the genre. As of April 2024, this title is notably scarce, with its only copy available in microfilm format housed at the New York Public Library, as cataloged by OCLC.

Mitrofan Borisovich Grekov (originally Mitrofan Pavlovich Martyshchenko, 1882 – 1934), renowned as the "father of Soviet battle painting," embarked on his artistic journey at the Odesa Art School and later at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts under the mentorship of Ilya Repin and Franz Roubaud. His early academic successes were highlighted by his awarded work "Oxen in the Plow" in 1911. A participant in the First World War, Grekov served in the Life Guards Ataman Regiment and later volunteered for the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. In the 1920s, he produced a significant body of work that included a series of battle paintings glorifying the victories of the Red Army, thus solidifying his legacy as a pivotal figure in the genre of Soviet battle art.

Price: $70.00