Born 1900, Varlamovo village - Died 1973, Leningrad
Graphic artist, book illustrstor, painter, sculptor
Paintings Graphic Work Biography 
You may see additional work by this artist in the Circle of Artists group.
Unfortunately, for most of this artists's works I have been unsuccessfull to find the locations and dimensions. If you happen to possess a book or some other source stating this information - please pass it to me so I may add it to the page.
Paintings
Study for Mural "Circle Dance of Children of All Nations". 1929.
Watercolor on paper.
Study for Mural "Circle Dance of Children of All Nations". 1929.
Watercolor on paper.
Study for Mural "Circle Dance of Children of All Nations". 1929.
Watercolor on paper.
Study for Mural "Circle Dance of Children of All Nations". 1929.
Watercolor on paper.
Pioneers Visiting an Yedinolichnik (Independent, Non-Communal Peasant). 1931.
Oil on canvas.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
Portait of a Udarnitza (Record Worker) Milkmaid Molodtzova. 1931.
Oil on canvas mounted on cardboard, 55x33 cm.
The State Russian Museum, St.Petersburg.
A Student From The Northern Peoples Institute. 1934.
Oil on canvas mounted on plywood, 33.5x25 cm.
The State Russian Museum, St.Petersburg.
A Student From The Northern Peoples Institute. 1934.
Oil on canvas.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
The Red Oath. Mural design for Red Army barracks. 1923.
Charcoal on paper.
The Red Oath. Mural design for Red Army barracks. 1923.
Charcoal on paper.
Illustration for "From Sea to Sea" by I.Tikhonov. 1925-1926.
Illustration for "From Sea to Sea" by I.Tikhonov. 1925-1926.
Illustration for "From Sea to Sea" by I.Tikhonov. 1925-1926.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
Illustration for "From Sea to Sea" by I.Tikhonov. 1925-1926.
Cover for book "In Front of Everyone" by V.Kaverin. 1929.
Lithography.
Poster: "Children's Books Giza". 1929.
Watercolor on paper.
Poster Announcing Subscription to Journal "Yozh" (Hedgehog). 1930.
Lithography.
Cover for Journal "Yozh" (Hedgehog). 1931.
Watercolor on paper.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
Pioneer Line-up at the Summer Camp "Artek". 1931.
Chromolithography.
Illustration for "The Sixth Skorokhodovsky" by M.Blumberg, A.Martynov, F.Trifonov. 1931.
Pencil on paper.
Testing of the First Fifty-Thousand Turbine. 1932.
Watercolor and color pencils on paper.
Illustration for children's Book "How San'ka Was Brought to the Kindergarten" by L.Budogosskaya. 1933.
Lithography.
Illustration for children's Book "How San'ka Was Brought to the Kindergarten" by L.Budogosskaya. "Lenin - Our Great Leader". 1933.
Lithography.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
Illustration for Which the Children's Story "Our Unit" Was Written by A.Pakhomov, S.Marshak. 1936.
Pencil on paper.
Illustration for Which the Children's Story "Our Unit" Was Written by A.Pakhomov, S.Marshak. 1936.
Pencil on paper.
Illustration for Which the Children's Story "Our Unit" Was Written by A.Pakhomov, S.Marshak. 1936.
Pencil on paper.
Illustration for Which the Children's Story "Our Unit" Was Written by A.Pakhomov, S.Marshak. 1936.
Pencil on paper.
Illustration for "Retribution" by M.Zoschenko. 1935-1937.
Pencil on paper.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
Poster: Exhibition of Chidren's Books by "Detizdat" and the State Russian Museum. 1938.
Chromolithography.
Illustration for children's poem "What is Good and What is Bad" by V.Mayakovsky. 1938.
Pencil on paper.
Illustration for children's poem "What is Good and What is Bad" by V.Mayakovsky. 1938.
Pencil on paper.
Illustration for children's poem "What is Good and What is Bad" by V.Mayakovsky. 1938.
Pencil on paper.
Cover for Children's Poem "Story of an Unknown Hero" by S.Marshak. 1938.
Watercolor and pencil on paper.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
Illustrations for Children's Poem "Story of an Unknown Hero" by S.Marshak. 1938.
Watercolor and pencil on paper.
Illustration for Children's Poem "Story of an Unknown Hero" by S.Marshak. 1938.
Watercolor and pencil on paper.
Illustration for Children's Poem "Story of an Unknown Hero" by S.Marshak. 1938.
Watercolor and pencil on paper.
Illustration for Children's Poem "Story of an Unknown Hero" by S.Marshak. 1938.
Watercolor and pencil on paper.
Illustration for Children's Poem "Story of an Unknown Hero" by S.Marshak. 1938.
Watercolor and pencil on paper.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
Agit Poster: "Children, Lets Replace the Fathers and Brothers, Who have Gone to the Frontier! Let's Help Bring In the Harvest!". 1941.
Chromolithography.
Illustration for children's poem "The Story of Vlas, a Lazy Boy and an Idler" by V.Mayakovsky. 1941.
Pencil on paper.
Illustration for children's poem "The Story of Vlas, a Lazy Boy and an Idler" by V.Mayakovsky. 1941.
Pencil on paper.
Vasily Vasilievich. From the Series "Leningrad Under Siege". 1943.
Lithography.
Bringing the Prisoners of War. From the Series "Leningrad Under Siege". 1943.
Lithography.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
Fireworks (celebration of end of the siege). From the Series "Leningrad Under Siege". 1943.
Lithography.
Brick Layers. From the Series "In our City". 1944.
Lithography.
Plasterers. From the Series "In our City". 1944.
Lithography.
Soon a Light. From the Series "In our City". 1944.
Lithography.
The Opening of the Bronze Horseman. From the Series "In our City". 1945.
Lithography.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
A Solemn Oath. From the Series "In our City". 1945.
Lithography.
Nakhimovetz (student in the Nakhimov Military Navy School). From the Series "In our City". 1945.
Lithography.
Suvorovetz (student in the Suvorov Military School). From the Series "In our City". 1945.
Lithography.
Illustration for Story "How the Steel Was Tempered" by N.Ostrovsky. 1936-1948.
Pencil on paper.
Illustration for story "How the Steel Was Tempered" by N.Ostrovsky. 1936-1948.
Pencil on paper.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
Illustration for Story "How the Steel Was Tempered" by N.Ostrovsky. 1936-1948.
Pencil on paper.
Illustration for Story "How the Steel Was Tempered" by N.Ostrovsky. 1936-1948.
Pencil on paper.
Illustration for Story "How the Steel Was Tempered" by N.Ostrovsky. 1936-1948.
Pencil on paper.
Illustration for Children's Poem "What is Good and What is Bad" by V.Mayakovsky. 1951.
Color pencils on paper.
Illustration for Children's Poem "What is Good and What is Bad" by V.Mayakovsky. 1951.
Color pencils on paper.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
Illustration for Children's Poem "What is Good and What is Bad" by V.Mayakovsky. 1951.
Color pencils on paper.
The First Drive. KOLKhOZ "Krasny Partizan" (Red Partisan). 1958.
Lithography.
Paintings Graphic Work Biography Top of Page
Biography:
Alexei Fiodorovich Pakhomov was born October 2nd 1900 in a peasant family in the village Varlamovo, in the Vologda district. In his memoirs he describes how he was introduced to Russian art by his father:
Pakhomov, 1940s.
"Our peasant houses were being built large, three-four log-huts under a single roof. Our house had three log-huts: one for the family ti live in during summer; one for winter; and the third was gornitza (drawing room), where we did not live, it was for decoration. The well-lit gornitza was covered from floor to ceiling with old engraved and hand-painted lubok pictures.
"In the Spring, for Easter, the living hut would become festive and decorated: father would make an exhibition of contemporary Sytin lubok. He stored these pictures in the basement, in a large trunk, and once a year he would hang them all over the walls of our living hut for a wekk and more. Such "exhibitions" were held in other houses in our village, too, and the Easter week was a great holiday for me; I would wander from house to house and watch the pictures."
Pakhomov's father was elected for years as the head of the village, so the child Alexei had access to paper, and began to draw a lot, himself. People would come all over to look at this boy who draws, and soon the local landlord, Zubov, came to see him and invited him to come and visit. During those visits Zubov has given the boy drawing paper and crayons, showed him pictures of Surikov and Repin. And when the boy finished village school, Zubov has arranged for Alexei to study at the high school in the town of Kadnikov. Afterwards, in 1915, Zubov's father, the ex-actor and art lover Yu.Zubov, has collected money for Pakhomov for going to study in Petrograd at Stiglitz Art School, where his teachers were N.Shukhaev, S.Chekhonin, M.Dobuzhinsky, A.Savinov. Then after reorganization of the school into VKhUTEMAS in 1919 the young artist studied under V.Lebedev, N.Tyrsa, A Karev.
Due to the combined happenings of the October Revolution and the civil war, Pakhomov's studies have been drawn out until 1925, when he graduated in the VKhUTEIN, but he has quickly acquired a reputation of a mature artist. In 1921-1923 he joined the Circle of Artists movement.
He has made a number of colorful, monumental easel paintings, but was always, first and foremost, a graphic artist, renown for his huge contribution to the illustration of children's books. The warm glow of his childhood idyllic years has found its way into the images of the peasant children, the simple life he depicted with masterful ease. In 1920s he made trips to Pioneer summer camps, to study children and their special plasticity and expression in natural surroundings. The illustrators of the time had virtually revolutionized the whole approach to children's books illustration. The exquisite and exalted images of old were replaced with dynamic, colorful, emotional pictures which lived in the text instead of accompanying it. At the same time fonts and covers were also considered and designed.
Pakhomov at work, 1960s.
In the first half of the 1930s Pakhomov has found himself in a difficult situation in vew of the changing, stiffening, narrowing official view of art and the campain against "formalism". His paintings, where half-nude, young men and women are tanning in the sun are so unlike the acceptable, correct, powerful Social Realism, were made the object of severe criticism. The artist had to chose whether to give up his professional principles or some parts of his art altogether. He chose the latter, concentrating on graphic work and limiting himself even more by almost completely giving up color in his illustrations.
When WWII has reached the country, Pakhomov hurried to Leningrad to do what he could to help the war effort. The need was one of placards, posters, calling to aid in this or that way, and he went wholly into it. In July 1941 everybody went to dig anti-tank moats at Moloskovitza station. During the next three years Alexei Pakhomov remained in the besieged Leningrad, and has produced, in 1942-1944, the war series of lithographies "Leningrad Under Siege", where he strived to bring forward and lihgt the very real sense of these horrific days; the uniquness of this particular setting of place and time; the human suffering and strong spirit. His workshop was hit by a bomb which came through the roof went down through the floor and blew up two floor below, damaging that area the worst. A lot od his works and sculptures were destroyed then.
Pakhomov, 1960s.
The Institute for Blood Transfusions has asked him to cooperate, and there he met V.Konashevich, V.Dvorakovsky and D.Mitrokhin. V.Serov was at the time chairman of the Leningrad Union of Artists, and the artist received orders for poster-making from him.
Then after the war another series of works is created in 1944-1947, called "In our City", where the artist strives to reflect the momumentality of the after-war effort to rebuild the ruined Lenigrad, to reinstate the vibrant life. The presence of women-workers of every trade that is man's is a strong evidence and reminder of the recent war, taking away millions of lives. But life goes on.
For these two series the artist was awarded the prestigious State Award.
In the final period of his work, in the 1950s-1960s, Pakhomov has tried to revive his work after it has become a bit too dry, perhaps, too influenced by the strongly dogmatic requirements of post-war state. In the 1960s we even see the return of color, but the work is unexceptional except for the high drawing mastery that characterized Pakhomov from the very beginning.
The artist has died April 14th 1973.