Nikolai Vikulov

Nikolai Vikulov was born in 1936 in the village of Mikheyevo, Vologda Oblast. After graduating from the Yaroslavl Art College, he taught drawing at a secondary school and worked as set designer at the local TV channel. In 1989, Nikolai joined the Artists’ Union. He currently lives and works in Cherepovets.

Vikulov’s paintings are figurative and generally have a narrative. The artist portrays the life of the Russian village with its distinctive characters and everyday scenes. In his works, time seems to stand still and is hard to identify: these could equally be the 1960s or the present. The painter prefers a darker palette, opting for the natural shades of green, ochre, and sepia. This lends his canvases a sombre mood in tune with the life of his characters – people who earn their sustenance through physical labour. However, instead of glorifying them as did the Soviet artists of the so-called ‘austere style,’ the artist creates stylised, somewhat naïve imagery. This device frees Vikulov’s paintings from artifice and gloom, making them more accessible, ironic, and relatable. On the other hand, the stylised portraits are easily perceived as archetypes building the artist’s distinct mythology.