Nikolai Baskakov

Nikolai Baskakov was a Soviet painter who lived and worked in Leningrad, and was a member of the Saint Petersburg Union of Artists. He studied at the Astrakhan School of Art and the Repin Institute of Arts in Leningrad, where he met his wife, who was also a painter. He graduated in 1951 and became a permanent exhibitor of the Leningrad Art exhibitions. He worked mostly as a painter in genre of portrait, landscape, and still life. He was especially fond of the nature and peoples of the Lake Onega region, where he created many paintings and sketches from life. He also painted portraits of famous people, such as composer Dmitry Shostakovich and folk narrator Irina Fedosova. His style was characterized by a broad painting, vigorous stroke, and intensified decorative effect. He skillfully used the techniques of plein air painting, subtly passing a variety of shades of mood and color relationships in the northern nature. He died in 1993 at the age of 75. His paintings are in art museums and private collections in Russia and other countries.