Name George Malakov | ||
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Similar Volodymyr Patyk, Vladimir Strelnikov, Mykhaylo Khmelko Born 10 February 1928 (age 51), Kyiv, Ukraine Died June 14, 1979 (aged 51), Kyiv | ||
George Vasilyevich Malakov (Ukrainian:Георгій Васильович Малаков, Russian:Георгий Васильевич Малаков) (1928–1979) was a Ukrainian artist from Kiev, Ukraine (then the Ukrainian SSR.) He specialized in engraving.
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Early Life
George Vasyliovych Malakov was born on February 10, 1928, in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 1937, he began studying at the Kyiv Palace of Pioneers art studio.
In May 1942, during the fascist occupation of Kyiv, Malakov and his friend Kateryna Krychevska began working in art workshops. They were tasked with cleaning the bust statues of poet and political figure Taras Shevchenko.
After surviving the occupation, Malakov began studying at the Kyiv Art High School, which was named after Shevchenko, in February 1944. After he graduated, Malakov went to college at the Kyiv Art Institute under the Faculty of Graphics.
Creative Work & Inspirations
One of his favorite childhood books that drew him to art was Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson with artwork by Henry Matthew Brock Macmillan. Later, Malakov incorporated military and naval elements into his work, such as in the bookmark illustration he made for his childhood friend, former naval radio operator Mykhailo Kozlovsky.
During his second year in college, Malakov began actively working with Ukraine's leading book, magazine, and newspaper publishers. He designed artwork for novels, poems, and short stories by the country's most prominent writers.
Instead of working on large-scale projects like the leading masters around him, Malakov instead opted to work on more small-scale art ventures.
In 1957, he designed the artwork for Oles Berdnyk’s debut book, a collection of stories called Beyond Time and Space, which led to him forging friendships with several other science fiction writers who wanted him to create artwork for their novels.
He went on to illustrate more than 130 books in Ukraine. One of the more popular books he illustrated is Volodymyr Vladko's Argonauts of the Universe (first released in 1935 and revised in 1958), for which he composed more than 60 illustrations.
Among his other popular book illustrations include artwork for Walter Scott’s novel Quentin Durward, Giovanni Boccaaccio’s The Decameron, Charles De Coster's novel, The Legend of Thyl Uhlenspiegel, and Lamme Goedzak and Janusz Przymanowski’s Four Tankmen and a Dog.
In 1963, Malakov crafted a bookmark composition titled "KK" as a homage to his time with Kateryna Krychevska. The design featured an anti-tank "hedgehog" constructed from gypsum sourced from the streets of Kyiv in 1941.
Death
George Malakov died on June 14, 1979, in Kyiv, and was buried in Berkovets cemetery.