“Interior” (1966) by Anatoli Olkhovikov
A rare find from a former era has recently come to light — “Interior” (1966), the painters studio, an intimate impressionist oil painting by Anatoli Ivanovich Olkhovikov (1928–2001/active in Kursk). The painting is framed and still has spots of the painters materials on the canvas.
Trained at the Yelets Art School in the city of Yelets, Lipetsk Oblast (about 400 km south of Moscow) and a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR, Olkhovikov devoted his career to capturing the quiet poetry of everyday Soviet life. His works, often characterized by their muted tones and honest realism, portray the world not through ideology but through atmosphere.
In “Interior”, his simple studio/workshop becomes an impressionist stage for warmth and solitude. A red blanket draped across a cot, a typical radiator beneath a wide window, and scattered personal belongings evoke both austerity and humanity. Painted with thick, deliberate brushstrokes, the work reflects the restrained palette and introspective mood typical of mid-20th-century Russian realism.
Olkhovikov’s paintings are held in regional museums across Russia — Kursk, Yelets, Oryol, and Belgorod, as well as in private collections worldwide.