Laktionov Aleksandr Ivanovich
(1910-1972)
Born in Rostov-on-Don 1910.
Studied at Rostov-on-Don Art School 1926-29; Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture 1932-38, as post-grad. 1938-44. Active in Leningrad until 1940; Zagorsk, Moscow reg., 1944-48; Moscow thereafter. Began exhibiting 1929. Important shows include "Twenty Years of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army", Moscow, 1938; "Industry of Socialism", Moscow, 1939; "All-Union Art Exhibition", Moscow, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1955; "Soviet Russia", Moscow, 1960. Well-known works include "Hero of the Soviet Union N.V.Yudin visiting KomSoMol Tank-Troops"(1938; Academy of Arts Museum, St.Petersburg); "A letter from the Front" (1947; Tretyakov Gallery; later versions in various collections). Taught at Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture 1936-44; Moscow Correspondence Teacher-Training Institute 1967(66?)-70(72?). Became a Soviet academician 1949. Awarded Stalin prize 1948. The favourite pupil of I.I.Brodski(q.v.); arch-exponent of the highly-finished post-war style of socialist realism. Died in Moscow 1972.
