IOGANSON Boris Vladimirovich

July 13 (25), 1893 (Moscow) — February 25, 1973 (Moscow)

Painter, graphic artist

Boris Ioganson came from a family of an employee — accountant at railway station. He studied in the Studio of P. I. Kelin in Moscow (1912), and in Moscow School of painting, sculpture and architecture (MUZhVZ; 1913–1918), under the guidance of N. A. Kasatkin, K. A. Korovin, and S. V. Malyutin.

Ioganson lived in Moscow. In his early works he was under the influence of impressionism. He painted landscapes, portraits, genre compositions: At All-Night Vigil (1914), In Circus Ring (1914), Circus (1915), In the Garden (1916), Night (1916). Ioganson took part in Civil War.

After the October revolution, Ioganson started to paint in realistic manner. He was one of the founders of the socialist realism in art. In some works of 1920s (Students of Workers’ Courses, 1928), Ioganson was close to the artists of the Society of Easel Artists (OST).

In 1920s–1960s Ioganson depicted scenes of soviet life, industrialization, revolutionary history in his paintings, such as Restoration of Destroyed Bridge (1922), Building of the Zemo Avchala Hydro Power Plant (1925), Soviet Court (1928), Railway Junction in 1919 (1928), Search in Trade Union in 1905–1907 (1929), V. I. Lenin in Red Square (1932), Collusion at Kulak’s Place (kulak is a wealthy peasant; 1933–1934), The October Leaders (1948), Night before October (1962), Shooting of a Revolutionary (1932–1964) and others. Ioganson also painted a lot of portraits: the portrait of Bolshevik and statesman K. A. Mekhanoshin (1923), the portrait of dramatic actress D. V. Zerkalova (1947), of V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko (1948) of the academician A. I. Oparin (1962) and others. He painted many landscapes, such as Kama River (1919), Landscape with River (1932), Summer. Grey Day (1940), Skating-rink. Winter Sun (1945), In the Garden (1946), Lane in Abramtsevo (1955), Senezh Lake (1956), Frosty Day. Roofs (1963); several series Transcaucasia (1925), Italy (1956, 1964), Leningrad (1960); a lot of still lifes, such as Still life with Potatoes (1918), Field Flowers (1936), Globeflowers and Forget-me-nots (1939), Days of War (1942), Marigolds (1957), The Basket of Flowers (1959), Lilac (1960), Roses (1964); and a series of interiors.
In 1937 Ioganson was awarded Grand Prix at the World exhibition in Paris for his painting Interrogation of Communists (1933). His painting The Old Ural Plant (1937) brought to the artist fame; he was awarded for it the diploma of the 1st degree and the 1st prize at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (VSKhV; 1939), the State Stalin Prize (1941), and gold medal at the World exhibition in Brussels (1958). In 1951 the artist was awarded the State Stalin Prize for his painting V. I. Lenin at the 3rd Congress of Komsomol (Komsomol — the Communist Union of Youth; 1950; leader of artists’ brigade).

In 1934–1938 Ioganson headed the workshop Perekop; he also took part in sketch design for diorama Attack on Perekop. He worked on the panel Holiday at the collective farm named after Ilyich for the World exhibition in New York (1939).

Ioganson often drew with pastel, chalk and charcoal in his easel graphical works (portraits, landscapes, still lifes). He designed a lot of books for publishing houses Khudozhestvennaya Literatura (“Belletristic Literature”), and Sovetsky Pisatel (“Soviet Writer”). Ioganson drew illustrations for many books: Red Detective by A. S. Neverov (1924), I Like by A. O. Avdeenko (1933), Court by V. M. Kirshon (1933), Bruski (“Whetstones”) by F. I. Panferov (1934), Kuban Notes by V. P. Stavsky (1935), How the Steel Was Tempered by N. A. Ostrovsky (1936), The Mother by A. M. Gorky (1938), The Cherry Orchard by A. P. Chekhov (1944) and others.

Since 1914 Ioganson participated in many exhibitions; the first exhibition he took part was at Moscow School of painting, sculpture and architecture (MUZhVZ). He was a member and participant of the exhibitions of the Association of the artists of Revolutionary Russia (AKhRR) — the Association of the artists of the Revolution (AkhR) in 1922–1932. Ioganson exposed his works at the exhibition of works on revolutionary and Soviet themes (1929), the exhibition 15 years of the RKKA (RKKA is Workers’–Peasants’ Red Army; 1933), the All-Union Art Exhibitions (1939, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1967, 1969), the exhibition Great Patriotic War (1943), the exhibition of landscape (1944), the exhibition 30 years of the Soviet Armed Forces (1948), the exhibition 40 years of the Soviet Armed Forces (1958), the exhibition Soviet Russia (1960), the exhibition Landscape of Our Homeland in Moscow (1970), the exhibition Artists of the RSFSR for 15 years in Leningrad (1932) and others. Ioganson participated in many international exhibitions and the exhibitions of Soviet art abroad: in Cologne (1929), London (1932, 1961), New York (1936), Paris (1937), Warsaw (1951), Venice, Bucharest (both — 1956), Mexico City (1960), Delhi (1963, 1973), and Rome (1974). The personal exhibition of the artist was held in Moscow in 1969.

Ioganson taught at the courses under the Association of the artists of the Revolution (AKhR; 1931–1932), at Moscow Polygraphic Institute (1932–1935), at Moscow Institute of Fine Arts (MIII) — Moscow Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov (1935–1939, since 1964), at Leningrad Institute of painting, sculpture and architecture (LINZhAS) — I. E. Repin Institute of painting, sculpture and architecture (IZhSA) in 1939–1962 (professor since 1939). He headed art studios under the USSR Academy of Arts in Leningrad (1949–1962) and in Moscow (1962–1968). His students were M. K. Avetisyan, D. V. Belyaev, S. S. Vitukhnovskaya, I. S. Glazunov, I. D. Drize, M. Y. Kugach and A. A. Nenartovich.

Ioganson wrote articles and books on fine art: Mastership in painting. Collected articles and lectures (Moscow, 1952), The State Tretyakov Gallery — treasure house of Russian art (Moscow, 1953), About painting (Moscow, 1955), Comprehension of visual arts (Moscow, 1960).  Since 1939 Ioganson was a Doctor of Art history. Since 1962 he worked as an editor-in-chief of the encyclopedia Art of countries and peoples of the world.

Ioganson held several important administrative positions. In 1951–1954 he was director of the State Tretyakov Gallery. Since 1953 he was vice-president and in 1958–1962 — president of the USSR Academy of Arts. In 1954–1957 he was chairman of organizing committee and in 1965–1968 — the first secretary of the board of the Union of Artists of the USSR. Ioganson was awarded three Orders of V. I. Lenin (1953, 1963, and 1967); he was conferred titles of the Honoured Art Worker of RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) in 1942, the People’s Artist of the USSR in 1943, the full member of the USSR Academy of Arts in 1947, and the title of the Hero of Socialist Labour in 1968. He was also honorary member of German Academy of Arts in Berlin (1958).

Works by Boris Ioganson are in many museum collections, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, Kiev Museum of Russian Art and others.