Vasili Konstantinovich Kuklin was born August 22, 1924 in the village of Greater Boldino in the Nizhny-Novgorod region. In 1933 he and his family moved to Gorky where he entered the Gorky Art School in 1938. His teacher there was A.V. Samsonov. In 1941 the school was closed and he was sent to the Frunze military factory. In 1942 Kuklin became a student of the Murmansk Military School of Communications. After the war Kuklin continued his studies at the Gorky art school from 1948-1950. During that time his teachers included V.M. Olshevsky and M.V. Lisenkov. After graduation, Kuklin became the director of the art society in the Chkalov Pioneer Club and a member of the Communist Party. Kuklin also worked in museum and industrial aesthetics, designing workshop interiors, factories, offices, schools, and museums.

Kuklin focused his artistic energies mainly on painting landscapes, portraits, and still-lifes. His favorite theme is the village of greater Boldino, his home town, although he also depicted Gorky and its picturesque environs. The artist’s thoughtful attitude towards life and people can be seen in his portrait painting. The compositions of the portraits vary significantly. He painted workers, war veterans, creative workers and exquisite, small portraits of women and children. No matter who the model, they are overflowing with warmth and self-esteem. One of his later works - The Brigade Commander V.P. Chkalov Returns To His Motherland - uses monumental painting techniques. Compared with his early paintings one can see that Kuklin’s work had become more psychological over time.

Kuklin was increasingly active in civic work as his career progressed. He was a member of the Council of Veterans of the Great Patriotic War, Gorky Branch of the Union of Artists of the USSR, Gorky branch of the Artistic Federation of Russia, Council of War Veterans of the Gorky Region and the Council of Army Veterans of Gorky.

Vasili Konstantinovich Kuklin died in 1994.

A selective list of recent exhibitions follows:

1951 Exhibitions of the Works of Russian Artists, Moscow.

1978 One-man exhibition held in the Krinov Community Center.

1985 'We Won Peace, We Shall Defend It’, Moscow.

1985 One-man show in the Dzerzhinsky Community Center.

1986 One-man show in the Exhibition Hall of the Gorky Branch of the Union

of Artists of the USSR.

1987 ‘Monuments of Russia’, Gorky.

1987 One-man show in the Higher Communist Party School & the Club of the

Gorky Automobile Factory.

Vasili Kuklin

Girl at a Piano