Valentin Viktorovich Volkov

Born Apr. 7 (19), 1881, in Elets, in present-day Lipetsk Oblast; died Nov. 8, 1964, in Minsk. Soviet painter; People’s Artist of the Byelorussian SSR (1955).

Volkov studied at the Penza Art School during 1901-07 under K. A. Savitskii and at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts during 1907-15 under V. E. Savinskii. Volkov created sketches of tableaux for the festive decoration of Petrograd (watercolor, 1918, Russian Museum, Leningrad) and a portrait of V. I. Lenin (1926, Academy of Sciences of the Byelorussian SSR, Minsk); he primarily painted portraits and topical pictures (University Students, 1947, Minsk on July 3, 1944, 1946-1955, both pictures at the Museum of Art of the Byelorussian SSR, Minsk). He taught at the Vitebsk Art Technicum (1923-29) and at the Byelorussian Theater and Art Institute (1953-64; professor, 1957). Volkov was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor and medals.