Kozlov Engels Vasilyevich (on March 24, 1926 - on November 20, 2007) the Russian, Soviet artist, the painter, the portraitist, the national artist of the Russian Federation, the member of the St. Petersburg Union of artists. I was born on March 24, 1926 in the ancient Komi the village of Troitsk Pechorsk in the Komi ASSR. In 1947 — 1949 I studied in the Yaroslavl art school, in 1949 — 1950 in the Leningrad art normal school.
In 1950 I have arrived on the first course of picturesque faculty of the Leningrad institute of painting, a sculpture and architecture of I.E. Repin. I was engaged at Vitaly Valtsev, Ivan Stepashkin. In 1956 I have graduated from institute on Yury Neprintsev's workshop with assignment of qualification of the artist of painting. The thesis — the picture «Will Live!»
I participated in exhibitions since 1956. I painted portrait, genre and historical paintings, portraits, landscapes, still lifes. In 1957 has been accepted in members of the Leningrad Union of artists.
The leading subject of creativity of Engels of Kozlov — an image of the contemporary — has found the embodiment in a genre of a thematic picture, a portrait and a portrait picture, reflecting inclination of the artist to plots of big public and civil sounding. Among the works of the picture «Ship Repairers», «Collective farmer» (both 1960) created by Kozlov, «Soon examinations» (1961), «Girl Komi» (1962), «Home ground», «A portrait of the electrician B. Belenkov», «A portrait of the drifter S. Belyak», «The portrait of N. Kalistratov, operator of the coal combine» (all 1964), Mashenka (1965), «Bread», «In miners» (both 1967), «The architect's portrait» (1969), «A portrait of the admiral N.M. Kulakov, Hero of the Soviet Union», «The portrait of V. Kurbatov, foreman-machine operator» (both 1971), «A portrait of the philologist V. Malyshev», «A portrait of the national artist Yu. Neprintsev» (both 1972), «The wife's portrait» (1973), «A portrait of working Kirov Plant To. Govorushina» (1976), «Portrait of the student I. Shepelina», «Portrait of the composer P. Chistelyov» (both 1977), «Appeal» (1980) and others.
The manner of the artist is distinguished by the wide generalized letter, an ukrupnennost of details. Painting is based on sonorous light-and-shade contrasts. The color is saturated, with prevalence of favourite combinations of blue-green and yellowy-brown tones.
Kozlova has taken an important place in Engels creativity a subject of industrial development of the North. The rich etude material brought from numerous trips to oil industry workers of Ukhta (1961 — 1963), Inta (1961—1963, 1964, 1966, 1987—1989) miners to Pechora (1965, 1968, 1969), to petrointelligence agents of Usinsk (1971, 1973) became a basis of works which have brought to the artist popularity. These are, first of all, the pictures «In Miners» (1967), «Black gold» (1969), «On Pechora», «Drillers on Kolva» (both 1971), «Watch begins», «Oil industry workers of Pechora» (both 1975).
Engels Kozlov was a delegate II, III, IV, V congresses of artists of RSFSR (1968, 1971, 1975, 1981), V and VI congresses of artists of the USSR (1977, 1982), was repeatedly elected the board member of the Leningrad office of the Union of artists of RSFSR. In 1978 to Engels to Kozlov the honorary title the Honored artist of RSFSR, in 1987 — the National artist of the Russian Federation has been given.
Engels Vasilyevich Kozlov has died on November 20, 2007 in St. Petersburg on the eighty second year of life. His works are in the State Russian Museum, in the numerous museums and private collections in Russia, Japan, China, the USA, Korea, Holland, Switzerland, Italy, France, the USA and other countries.
