Pyotr Gorban

Pyotr Gorban (1923–1995) was born in Stavropol. In 1951, he graduated from the Krasnodar Art College with a degree in painting and graphic arts.

Finding inspiration in human life and existence, technically he always gravitated towards figurative art which was officially recognised by the Soviet authorities. However, his inimitable version of reality and his metaphoric and tragic philosophy contravened the ideology of Socialist Realism. The more distinct was the artist’s trademark style, the more powerful his works became, the less often were they selected for group shows, and the stronger was the estrangement between Gorban and his fellow artists. In the 1990s, the artist started his Bible Series: every day, he created drawings illustrating stories from the Bible, as if keeping a journal. Each of them was supplied with verbatim quotes from the Old or New Testament. The Bible drawings became the pinnacle of his art, most fully and accurately encapsulating his worldview.