Alexei Tkachyov painted this Self Portrait in 2005. He was 80 years old when he worked on it. He depicts himself against a muted dark backdrop. This decision is typical for the creative process of the Tkachyov brothers. They often use subtle backgrounds in their portraits, which pulls all the attention towards the subject’s expression. In this portrait, the artist is portrayed with a paint brush lying in the palm of his hand.
This underlines his devotion to art.
As a teenager, Alexei Tkachyov won the union’s young artist competition. He was accepted into the Moscow secondary art school without taking the exams. This was an institution for only the most talented of children, and the selection of students took place across the country. Igor Grabar, Piotr Konchalovskiy and Dimitri Moor founded the school.
When the Great Patriotic War started, Alexei Tkachyov was 16 years old. He was on his summer holidays in Bezhitsa when the German army approached Bryansk. Alexei’s family was evacuated to Sverdlovsk, meaning that he had to forget about his studies for a while. In Sverdlovsk, he worked in the Uralmash munitions factory.
As a teenager, Alexei Tkachyov won the union’s young artist competition. He was accepted into the Moscow secondary art school without taking the exams. This was an institution for only the most talented of children, and the selection of students took place across the country. Igor Grabar, Piotr Konchalovskiy and Dimitri Moor founded the school.
When the Great Patriotic War started, Alexei Tkachyov was 16 years old. He was on his summer holidays in Bezhitsa when the German army approached Bryansk. Alexei’s family was evacuated to Sverdlovsk, meaning that he had to forget about his studies for a while. In Sverdlovsk, he worked in the Uralmash munitions factory.
