Kugach, Iurii

Kugach, Iurii Petrovich 

Born Mar. 8 (21), 1917, in Suzdal’. Soviet painter. People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1965). Corresponding member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR (1970).

From 1936 to 1942, Kugach studied at the Moscow Art Institute under S. V. Gerasimov and I. E. Grabar’. In his early period he painted portraits (for example, the portraits for the series Famous People of Moscow, 1949; State Prize of the USSR, 1950) and scenes dealing with historical and revolutionary subjects. In the early 1960’s, Kugach became principally concerned with the new life in the contemporary countryside. He sought to poeticize the traditional elements of Russian folk life (Before the Dance, 1961, Tret’iakov Gallery, Moscow; Haymaking in the Forest, 1967, Omsk Museum of Fine Arts; The Farewells, 1969, the collection of the Board of Directors of Art Funds and the Design of Monuments of the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR, Moscow). Kugach was awarded the I. E. Repin State Prize of the RSFSR in 1969.

REFERENCE

Abramova, A. V. Iu. P. Kugach. Leningrad, 1967.