Vladimir Gorb

Vladimir Alexandrovich Gorb (Russian: Влади́мир Алекса́ндрович Го́рб; December 31, 1903, Odessa, Russian Empire – October 20, 1988, Leningrad, USSR) was a Soviet Russian painter, graphic artist, and art teacher. He lived and worked in Leningrad as professor of the Repin Institute of Arts, was awarded the title of Honored Art Worker of Russian Federation, and was member of the Leningrad branch of Union of Artists of Russian Federation. He is regarded as a representative of the Leningrad school of painting, most famous for his portrait paintings and Art teaching.

Vladimir Alexandrovich Gorb was born December 31, 1903 in the city Odessa, Russian Empire.

In 1920, Gorb enters the Odessa Art Institute, studied of K. Kostandi, P. Volokidin, T. Frayerman, M. Zamechek.

Women in Black Beret. 1934

In 1926, after graduation, Gorb came to Leningrad and entered the Leningrad Vhutein (Higher Art and Technical Institute, the name carried from 1922 to 1930). Studied under Alexander Savinov, Arcady Rylov, Alexander Karev, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Pavel Naumov, Dmitry Kiplik.

In 1930, Gorb graduated from Leningrad Vhutein. His graduate work was a painting named "Protection of Leningrad Building"(fragment of the monumental painting for the club hall).

In the years 1933-1935, Gorb engaged in postgraduate study at the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture under the leadership of Alexander Savinov.

At the house in Roslavl town. 1934

Gorb has participated in Art Exhibitions since 1925. He painted portraits, genre pictures, landscapes, still lifes. He worked in oils, watercolours, and pencil drawing. His personal exhibition was in Leningrad in 1967.

Gorb was most famous for portraits of his contemporaries, painted in the years 1920-1940, including prominent figures in science and art. The best of them distinguished laconic means of expression, depth and a special delicacy in the transfer of the character and spiritual world models, the desire to find and keep on canvas features of external appearance. In the years 1950-1980, Gorb also worked in landscape and still life painting.

Gorb became a member of Leningrad Union of Artists in 1937.

For more than half a century, Gorb spent his time teaching art, first in the Tavricheskaya Art School (1930–1931), then in the Secondary Art School at the All-Russian Academy of Arts (1937–1947, Director in 1942-1947), and in the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after Ilya Repin (1931–1979), professor of whom he had been since 1972.

In February 1942, Gorb supervised the evacuation of Secondary Art School from blockade Leningrad first to Tbilisi, and then in Samarkand. In 1944, after the liberation of the city from the enemy blockade, Gorb led the return of the students first in Zagorsk, and in July in Leningrad.

In 1970, for his work of many years of fruitful artistic and educational activities, Gorb was awarded the honorary title of Honored Art Worker of Russian Federation.

Gorb died in Leningrad on October 20, 1988, aged 85. His paintings reside in State Russian Museum, in Art museums and private collections in the Russia, France, in the U.S., Ukraine, Germane, England, and throughout the world.

• Portrait painting of 1920-1990s. The Leningrad School. Part 1