Nikolai Nikolaevich Galakhov (; 29 May 1928 – 1 March 2022) was a Russian artist. He was an Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, a member of the Saint Petersburg Union of Artists (before 1992 the Leningrad branch of Union of Artists of Russian Federation).Directory of members of the Leningrad branch of Union of Artists of Russian Federation. Leningrad, Khudozhnik RSFSR, 1987. P.28. Living and working in Saint Petersburg, he was regarded as one of the representatives of the Leningrad School of Painting,Sergei V. Ivanov. Unknown Socialist Realism. The Leningrad School. Saint Petersburg, NP-Print Edition, 2007. P.9, 19, 20, 24, 359, 372, 389–407, 445. and is most famous for his landscape paintings.
Biography Nikolai Galakhov was born on 29 May 1928 in Kazan city, Tatar Republic, USSR, on the Volga River. In 1942 he entered the Kazan Art School, graduating in 1947. In the same year he moved to Leningrad and was admitted to the first course of Department of Painting of the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after Ilya Repin. He studied of Leonid Ovsannikov, Joseph Serebriany, Piotr Belousov, Yuri Neprintsev.Nikolai Galakhov. This is my Motherland. Saint Petersburg, Art-Centre, 2009. P.7, 11.
In 1953 Nikolai Galakhov graduated from the Repin Institute of Arts in Rudolf Frentz workshop. His graduation work was a genre painting named "Poet Nikolai Nekrasov on the Volga River", dedicated to Nikolai Nekrasov, a prominent Russian poet, writer, critic and publisher of the 19th centuryAnniversary Directory graduates of Saint Petersburg State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture named after Ilya Repin, Russian Academy of Arts. 1915–2005. Saint Petersburg, Pervotsvet Publishing House, 2007. P.69. (painting now resides in the Museum of the Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg).Чегодаева М. Искусство как классовая идеология // Диалог искусств. № 4, 2010. С.39.
In 1954–1956 Galakhov continued his postgraduate study in the Repin Institute of Arts. Since 1951 Galakhov had participated in Art Exhibitions,Выставка произведений ленинградских художников 1951 года. Каталог. Л., Лениздат, 1951. С.10. mostly as a master of landscape and genre scene. He worked in the techniques of oil painting, tempera, pastel, watercolor and pencil drawing. From 1953 Galakhov also started painting pictures on contract. In 1955 for series landscapes of the Volga River he was admitted to the Leningrad Union of Soviet Artists.
In the 1950s the leading place in Galakhov's art belonged to landscapes of the Volga River. He traveled on the Russian rivers Volga, Vetluga, Vyatka, where he painted a lot sketches from the life. His paintings are sustained in the strict, almost classical, tradition of Russian landscape painting. This is indicated by the work shown in exhibitions, such as "Landing stage on the Volga River", "Evening. Kama mouth"Весенняя выставка произведений ленинградских художников 1954 года. Каталог. Л., Изогиз, 1954. С.9. (both 1954), "July" (1955), "Port on the Volga River. Evening", "Blooming meadows on the Volga River"Осенняя выставка произведений ленинградских художников. 1956 года. Каталог. Л., Ленинградский художник, 1958. С.9. (both 1956), "The Storm under the Volga River", "On the Volga River"1917 – 1957. Выставка произведений ленинградских художников. Каталог. Л., Ленинградский художник, 1958. С.12. (both 1957), "Construction of the Kuibyshev Hydroelectric Station"Всесоюзная художественная выставка, посвященная 40-летию Великой Октябрьской социалистической революции. Каталог. М., Советский художник, 1957. С.19. (1957), "Autumn on the Volga River"Осенняя выставка произведений ленинградских художников 1958 года. Каталог. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1959. С.9. (1957) and others.
In the late 1950s Galakhov traveled to Siberia and Baikal Lake. This led him to new experiences, embodied in numerous sketches from the life and landscape paintings, such as "The Village in Siberia" (1959), "On the shore of Baykal Lake",Выставка произведений ленинградских художников 1960 года. Каталог. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1961. С.13. "At The crossing",Выставка произведений ленинградских художников 1960 года. Каталог. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1963. С.8. "Siberian Village"Республиканская художественная выставка "Советская Россия". Живопись. Скульптура. Графика. Плакат. Монументально-декоративное и театрально-декорационное искусство. Каталог. М., Министерство культуры РСФСР, 1960. С.24. (all 1960), "Soon alloy"Художник. 1962, № 1. С.10 (1961), "Construction in Siberia"Осенняя выставка произведений ленинградских художников 1962 года. Каталог. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1962. С.10. (1962) and others. These travels helped him to diversify his palette and to understand the plastic characteristics of different places, gave new impetus to picturesque searches and preparing for a meeting with Karelia, which became a turning point in his work.
In the 1960s Galakhov discovered Karelia. He painted numerous sketches and paintings devoted to the nature and the present day of this region. Although Galakhov created a lot of genre paintings (among them "On the roads of Karelia",Выставка произведений ленинградских художников 1960 года. Каталог. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1961. С.13. "Yuma lumber station in Karelia",Выставка произведений ленинградских художников 1961 года. Каталог. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1964. С.14. "Forest Weekday",Вторая республиканская художественная выставка "Советская Россия". Каталог. М., Советский художник, 1965. С.14. "Forest Master",Третья Республиканская художественная выставка "Советская Россия". Каталог. М., МК РСФСР, 1967. С.22. and others), most of his work was still landscapes. He was particularly attracted to the wild parts of northern nature, untouched by civilization. He knows how to show us her fragile beauty and majesty. Among the famous works of this period were "The Village of Umba"Весенняя выставка произведений ленинградских художников 1969 года. Каталог. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1970. С.9. (1969), "Karelia. The beginning of winter"Весенняя выставка произведений ленинградских художников. Каталог. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1974. C.6. (1973), "White Night in Karelia"Пятая республиканская выставка "Советская Россия". М., Советский художник, 1975. С.10. (1974), "Northern Summer"Выставка произведений ленинградских художников, посвящённая 60-летию Великого Октября. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1982. С.13. (1977), "Kem. Winter is coming"Осенняя выставка произведений ленинградских художников. 1978 года. Каталог. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1983. С.7. (1978), "Old Church in Kem"Sergei V. Ivanov. Unknown Socialist Realism. The Leningrad School. – Saint Petersburg: NP-Print Edition, 2007. P.270. (1982), "Northern Spring"Nikolai Galakhov. This is my Motherland. Saint Petersburg, Art-Centre, 2009. P.96. (1984) and many others.
In his works Nikolai Galakhov consistently advocated the principles of picture-landscape, with well-developed plot basis and elements of the genre. His methods of realization of pictorial ideas are near to the works of known Russian landscape painter Arcady Rylov.
In 1984 Nikolai Galakhov was awarded the honorary title of Honored Artist of Russian Federation. Solo Exhibitions by Nikolai Galakhov were in LeningradНиколай Николаевич Галахов. Выставка произведений. Каталог. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1987. (1988) and Saint PetersburgNikolai Galakhov. This is my Motherland. – Saint Petersburg: Art-Centre, 2009. (2010, 2013).
Paintings by Nikolai Nikolaevich Galakhov reside in State Russian Museum, State Tretyakov Gallery, in the lot of Art museums and private collections in Russia, China, England, in the U.S.,Vern G. Swanson. Soviet Impressionism. Woodbridge, England, Antique Collectors' Club, 2001. Р.21, 122. Japan, and in other countries.Sergei V. Ivanov. Unknown Socialist Realism. The Leningrad School. – Saint Petersburg: NP-Print Edition, 2007. P.6-7.
Galakhov died on 1 March 2022, at the age of 93.
See also Fine Art of Leningrad Leningrad School of Painting List of Russian artists List of 20th-century Russian painters List of painters of Saint Petersburg Union of Artists List of the Russian Landscape painters Saint Petersburg Union of Artists
References
Exhibitions
1951 (Leningrad): Exhibition of works by Leningrad artists of 1951, with Piotr Alberti, Vsevolod Bazhenov, Piotr Belousov, Piotr Buchkin, Rudolf Frentz, Nikolai Galakhov, Vladimir Gorb, Tatiana Kopnina, Nikolai Kostrov, Anna Kostrova, Alexander Lubimov, Evsey Moiseenko, Mikhail Natarevich, Yuri Neprintsev, Vladimir Ovchinnikov, Sergei Osipov, Alexander Pushnin, Ivan Savenko, Gleb Savinov, Alexander Samokhvalov, Vladimir Seleznev, Alexander Shmidt, Nadezhda Shteinmiller, Nikolai Timkov, Leonid Tkachenko, Mikhail Tkachev, Yuri Tulin, Igor Veselkin, Nina Veselova, Rostislav Vovkushevsky, Vecheslav Zagonek, and other important Leningrad artists. 1954 (Leningrad): Spring Exhibition of works by Leningrad artists of 1954, with Evgenia Antipova, Nikolai Baskakov, Sergei Frolov, Nikolai Galakhov, Vladimir Gorb, Maya Kopitseva, Boris Korneev, Elena Kostenko, Anna Kostrova, Gevork Kotiantz, Valeria Larina, Boris Lavrenko, Ivan Lavsky, Gavriil Malish, Alexei Mozhaev, Nikolai Mukho, Samuil Nevelshtein, Yuri Neprintsev, Sergei Osipov, Lev Russov, Ivan Savenko, Vladimir Seleznev, Arseny Semionov, Alexander Shmidt, Elena Skuin, Victor Teterin, Nikolai Timkov, Mikhail Tkachev, Leonid Tkachenko, Vecheslav Zagonek, and other important Leningrad artists. 1956 (Leningrad): Autumn Exhibition of works by Leningrad artists of 1956, with Piotr Alberti, Taisia Afonina, Vsevolod Bazhenov, Irina Baldina, Nikolai Baskakov, Yuri Belov, Piotr Belousov, Piotr Buchkin, Sergei Frolov, Nikolai Galakhov, Vladimir Gorb, Abram Grushko, Alexei Eriomin, Mikhail Kaneev, Marina Kozlovskaya, Tatiana Kopnina, Maya Kopitseva, Boris Korneev, Alexander Koroviakov, Elena Kostenko, Nikolai Kostrov, Anna Kostrova, Gevork Kotiantz, Yaroslav Krestovsky, Ivan Lavsky, Oleg Lomakin, Dmitry Maevsky, Gavriil Malish, Alexei Mozhaev, Nikolai Mukho, Samuil Nevelshtein, Sergei Osipov, Vladimir Ovchinnikov, Lev Russov, Ivan Savenko, Gleb Savinov, Vladimir Seleznev, Alexander Semionov, Arseny Semionov, Yuri Shablikin, Boris Shamanov, Alexander Shmidt, Nadezhda Shteinmiller, Victor Teterin, Nikolai Timkov, Mikhail Tkachev, Mikhail Trufanov, Yuri Tulin, Piotr Vasiliev, Igor Veselkin, Rostislav Vovkushevsky, Vecheslav Zagonek, Ruben Zakharian, Sergei Zakharov, and other important Leningrad artists. 1957 (Leningrad): 1917 – 1957. Leningrad Artist's works of Art Exhibition, with Evgenia Antipova, Vsevolod Bazhenov, Irina Baldina, Nikolai Baskakov, Piotr Belousov, Piotr Buchkin, Zlata Bizova, Vladimir Chekalov, Sergei Frolov, Nikolai Galakhov, Abram Grushko, Alexei Eriomin, Mikhail Kaneev, Engels Kozlov, Tatiana Kopnina, Maya Kopitseva, Boris Korneev, Alexander Koroviakov, Nikolai Kostrov, Anna Kostrova, Gevork Kotiantz, Yaroslav Krestovsky, Boris Lavrenko, Ivan Lavsky, Oleg Lomakin, Dmitry Maevsky, Gavriil Malish, Alexei Mozhaev, Evsey Moiseenko, Nikolai Mukho, Mikhail Natarevich, Samuil Nevelshtein, Dmitry Oboznenko, Lev Orekhov, Sergei Osipov, Vladimir Ovchinnikov, Nikolai Pozdneev, Alexander Pushnin, Lev Russov, Galina Rumiantseva, Ivan Savenko, Gleb Savinov, Alexander Samokhvalov, Arseny Semionov, Alexander Mikhailovich Semionov, Boris Shamanov, Alexander Shmidt, Nadezhda Shteinmiller, Galina Smirnova, Victor Teterin, Nikolai Timkov, Mikhail Tkachev, Leonid Tkachenko, Yuri Tulin, Ivan Varichev, Nina Veselova, Rostislav Vovkushevsky, Anatoli Vasiliev, Lazar Yazgur, Vecheslav Zagonek, Ruben Zakharian, Sergei Zakharov, Maria Zubreeva, and other important Leningrad artists.