KOSTYANITSYN Vasily Nikolaevich

1881 (Kalyazin, Tver province) — 1940 (Moscow)

Painter, graphic artist

Vasily Kostyanitsyn was born to a family of icon painters. He studied painting under the guidance of his grandfather. Till 1917 Kostyanitsyn worked in the iconic workshop. After the October revolution he was involved in poster art, lubok (Russian popular print), and design of  agitation trains. Kostyanitsyn worked on the instructions of the Industrial exhibition of the Supreme Soviet of the National Economy (VSNKh) in Donbass. He finished the first state courses of fine arts in 1922.

The artist lived in Moscow. He painted landscapes, portraits, paintings on revolution and scenes of everyday life. Kostyanitsyn showed his works at many exhibitions, including the exhibitions of the society Zveno (“Link”; 1917), the 1st and 2nd exhibitions of the professional union of artists (both — 1918), the exhibition of the art circle Sreda (“Environment”; 1918), the society Svobodnoye Iskusstvo (“Free Art”; 1918), the 2nd state exhibition of paintings (1919), the exhibitions of the group Ob’edinennoye Iskusstvo (OBIS, “United Art”; 1925), the exhibition Poster at the service of the five-year plan (1932), 15 years of the Red Army RKKA (Workers'–Peasants' Red Army) in 1933 in Moscow and many others. In 1922–1931 Kostyanitsyn was a member (since 1932) and participant of the exhibitions of the Association of the artists of Revolutionary Russia (AKhRR). His works were exposed at the exhibition of the Association of the artists of the Revolution (AKhR) in the section of fine arts at the exhibition of industrial art in Cologne in 1929.

In 1932 Kostyanitsyn made a trip in order to gather material for creative work to the new built regions of the Ural and Kuzbass. The works painted during this trip were shown at the exhibition in Sverdlovsk (1932).

Works by Vasily Kostyanitsyn are in many museum collections, including the State Museum of Contemporary History of Russia, the Central Armed Forces Museum, the Russian State Library, and Lugansk Regional Art Museum.