Mikhail Trufanov

Mikhail Pavlovich Trufanov (Михаи́л Па́влович Труфа́нов; November 22, 1921 in Nyzhnie Peny, Kursk Governorate, Soviet Russia – April 24, 1988 in Leningrad, USSR) was a Soviet Russian painter and Honored Artist of the Russian Federation. He lived and worked in Leningrad and is regarded as one of the brightest representatives of the Leningrad school of painting, most famous for his portrait paintings.

Biography
Mikhail Pavlovich Trufanov was born November 22, 1921, in village of Nyzhnie Peny, Kursk Governorate, Soviet Russia (now Rakityansky District, Belgorod Oblast) in a working-class family.



Soon the family moved to industrial city Makeevka located in eastern Ukraine within the Donetsk Province, 25 km (16 mi) from the Donetsk city. Here Mikhail Trufanov spent his childhood and teenage years. This time impressions influenced in the future on the formation of the young artist and choose the theme for his main paintings.

In 1937–1940 Michael Trufanov studied at the Odessa Art School, which ended only after World War II in 1945. In 1941-1944 Mikhail Trufanov took part in Great Patriotic War. He was wounded and has military awards.

In 1945 Michael Trufanov joined the painting department of the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after Ilya Repin. He studied of Boris Fogel, Leonid Ovsannikov, Alexander Zaytsev.



In 1951 Michael Trufanov graduated from Ilya Repin Institute in Boris Ioganson personal Art Studio. His graduation work was a historical painting named "In the headquarters of Kovpak", dedicated to partisan movement in the years of Great Patriotic War.

Since 1951 Michael Trufanov has participated in Art Exhibitions. He painted portraits, genre compositions, landscapes, worked in oil painting, drawing, printing. Widely known artist received for the painting "Furnaceman" (1954, Tretyakov Gallery). Solo Exhibitions by Michael Trufanov was in Leningrad in 1986.

The appearance of a new hero, a new image of working man in Soviet art of the 1950s was connected with painting "Furnaceman" and other works by artist Mikhail Trufanov. They embody a collective image of blast-furnace operators, miners, steelworkers, and brought the author a well-deserved recognition.

In 1951 Mikhail Trufanov was admitted to the Leningrad Union of Artists. In 1963 he was awarded the honorary title of Honored Artist of Russian Federation.

Mikhail Pavlovich Trufanov died on April 24, 1988 in Leningrad. His paintings reside in State Russian Museum, State Tretyakov Gallery, in the lot of Art museums and private collections in Russia, England, China, Japan, in the U.S., and throughout the world.