Nikolay
Fedorovich Lapshin

It is believed that the artist was born in 1888, not 1891, as indicated in the biography. Source: full New biographical dictionary of Russian artists, the author E. G. Konovalov. Moscow EKSMO 2008

(A. M. Kolesnikov)

Pet of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, had no formal artistic education. He studied at the Central school of technical drawing of Baron A. L. Stieglitz, at the drawing school Society for the encouragement of arts WACH (1919 - 1922). Taught at the polygraphic technical school, and in 1929 the graphic Department of the higher art – IZHSA the Russian Academy of arts (Institute of painting, sculpture and architecture). In 1910-ies he participated in radical futuristic associations, associate of Mikhail Le-dantyu, Vera Ermolaeva, in начале1920-x - head of the Museum of Artistic Culture. Lapshin was one of the most active theoreticians of modern art, participated in the legendary exhibition of Russian art of the left currents in Berlin in 1922.

Known for his easel painting, watercolor, colour autolithograph. With great success was engaged in book graphics. Since the mid-20th years collaborated with the Department of children's and youth literature Gosstatistiki. Lapshin created the original system of illustration books tiny picture directions. In the 1930-ies together Lapshin V. Lebedev and N. With wood dust worked in renowned journals "Hedgehog" and "Siskin", which became a haven for many outstanding masters of the Leningrad school. Lapshin entered the history of Russian art as one of the three pillars of children's illustration, master of fine, soulful landscapes of Leningrad and its environs. In 1932, at the competition of the new York publishing house, the artist has won four of its competitors – the best book of charts of the world, having issued the book "the travels of Marco Polo". Only the artist created 150 illustrations for publication. Largely under his influence he formed the Leningrad school of landscape painting 20 – 30-ies, the work of members of the Association "Circle of artists". Unfortunately, this extremely talented artist, who was called "mystery", suffered a tragic share in the 1930-ies Lapshin has almost lost his eyesight, so he made it particularly hard to survive starvation in besieged Leningrad in February 1942. Most of the papers managed to keep friends of the painter, but the works were irretrievably lost.