Igor Barkhatkov

Artist Igor Barkhatkov is one of the most notable representatives of realism in modern Belarusian easel painting. He works in the landscape, portrait, still life and story-based thematic genre painting. Igor Barkhatkov's creative journey has been shaped by the fact that he is a member of an artistic dynasty. Igor's father is the famous Belarusian painter Anton Barkhatkov. The artist’s travels with his father to the Akademicheskaya Dacha and his conversations with F. Reshetnikov, V. Tokarev, V. Sidorov, and Y. Kugach left a great impression on the young artist, and they endowed the artist with a serious attitude to art. Each work by Igor Barkhatkov is a complex structure, which he organizes according to the rules of great art. The artist only paints from nature. He lets his composition and the other requirements of the picture guide his work. He takes a strict and measured approach to color. His desire for completeness, including even when he is working on small sketches, creates a sensation that even the air has some ponderous significance, and his impeccable use of tone allows even his most dense works to sparkle. By choosing to depict his landscapes at the very peak of each season, the artist is able to locate the ground plane and horizon line in space with incredible accuracy. He focuses the viewer's attention on the shape of the shadows that are cast by the sunset and the proportionality of the lines and the shapes of rural buildings. Igor Barkhatkov constantly seeks to improve his system of painting by creating a colossal range of interconnections using the color gray. The artist reveals the richness of the lyrical intonations of the Belarusian landscape, creating true-to-life images that are enriched by a deeply spiritual theme.

1958 born in Minsk

1974 - 1976 studied at the art studio of V. Sumarev

From 1975 regular visits to the creative studio complex Academic Cottage

1976 - 1985 attended the drawing studio of O. Lutzevich

1978 - 1984 studied at Belarusian State Theatre and Art Institute under P. Krochalev and M. Dantzig

1984 - 1987 studied at the workshops of the Fine Arts Academy of the USSR in Minsk under M. Savitsky

1986 studied at the Academy of Arts in Berlin

1986 studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden

1988 member of the Belarusian Union of Artists

2010 laureate of the "For Spiritual Revival" award

Permanent collections:

Tretyakov Gallery, Russia
National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus
National Center for Contemporary Arts, Belarus
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus
Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, Belarus
Mogilev Regional Arts Museum n.a. P. V. Maslennikov, Belarus
Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology, Belarus
Würth Collection, Germany
Justus Frantz Collection, Germany
Magli Collection, Italy
Memorial Complex on Poklonnaya Hill, Russia
Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation, Italy
State Literary Museum of Yanka Kupala, Belarus
State Literary-Commemorative Museum of Yakub Kolas, Belarus