Iakutovich, Georgii

Born Feb. 14, 1930, in Kiev. Soviet painter and graphic artist. Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1968).

Iakutovich studied at the Kiev Art Institute from 1948 to 1954. A prolific illustrator of books, he attempted to convey in his illustrations the general significance and the emotional and psychological features of a text. Iakutovich’s style evolved from the use of linocuts that were based on the contrast of black and white and that conveyed the spatial depth and volume of objects, such as the illustrations for M. Kotsiubinskii’s novella Fata Morgana (1957), to the use of flat ornamental compositions. His wood engravings, such as the illustrations for M. Kotsiubinskii’s novella Ghosts of Forgotten Ancestors (1965–66), are distinguished by a precision of line and stroke.

Iakutovich has also produced posters, sketches for films, and etchings, such as the illustrations for I. Franko’s novella Zakhar Berkut (1972) and the series Hutzul Life (1972).