Kolesnikov Ivan Vasilievich

Born in the Belogorodshchina in a rural area in 1923. Having lost his parents early, he leaves for Donbass and goes to work at one of the mines. But while working in the mine, he simultaneously studies in the art studio of the House of Culture, becoming familiar with the fine arts. At the age of eighteen he was called to the front. The Second World War for the young artist ended in Koenigsberg (now Kaliningrad), where he remained for many years. He painted signs, worked in art workshops, did design work, and also worked as an artist in the editorial office of a local newspaper. In 1958 he came to Lipetsk and firmly settled in this ancient city. Working hard to bring the industrial views of the Novolipetsk plant to life on canvas, Kolesnikov devotes a significant part of his work to lyrical landscapes. He admires the blue sky and the distant endless expanses of fields, quiet lazy rivers and copses, rifts and bends of the Don and Voronezh rivers. His landscapes inspire and delight, delivering true aesthetic pleasure.