Yevgeny Vyacheslavovich Radchenko was born in 1936 in the city of Klin, Moscow Oblast. In 1961, he graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts of the Moscow Textile Institute, with a degree in production art in weaving. Among others, he was taught by the famous theater artist Raisa Vladimirovna Zakharzhevskaya and the art critic Lazar Vladimirovich Rosenthal.

Honored Artist of Russia and Honorary Citizen of the city of Kostroma, Yevgeny Radchenko belonged to the generation of the Sixtiers — the people who became the embodiment of the spirit of that legendary era. As children, they experienced the war, the fear of their parents during the years of Stalinist repressions, the Khrushchev Thaw and its end.

Radchenko’s art is unique to the Kostroma region. He was one of the originators of professional hand weaving in Kostroma. In his works — tapestries, panels, graphic sheets — the artist sought to preserve national traditions. In them he depicted the architectural landmarks of Kostroma, lyrical and romantic narratives inspired by the beauty of his native land.

Architecture was one of Yevgeny Radchenko’s favorite subjects in his works. His tapestries and graphic works depicted temples and fortresses, kremlins, towers and wooden buildings. His legacy as a graphic artist is represented by his bright decorative sheets made during the 1960s and 1970s. They embodied the spirit of the time as evidenced by the distinct style and artistic techniques.

The monotype “Ipatiy” is dedicated to one of the holy places in the Kostroma region — the Ipatiev Monastery. This is where the Trinity Cathedral is located. It was built under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1650–1652.

The north side of the building — or rather the richly decorated front porch — is depicted in the foreground on the right. Behind it is a part of the monastery wall with the Wax Tower. It was built at the end of the 16th century. Of the old city’s three towers with through-passages, only this one still stands.

When the artist created this work in 1967, this part of the Ipatiev Monastery looked exactly as it does in the picture. Later, the church of the Nativity of the Mother of God was rebuilt after being demolished during the Soviet period. It is located between the Trinity Cathedral and the tower depicted on the monotype.