Nikolai and Aleksei Ushin

Born five years apart, Nikolai Ushin (1898–1942) and Aleksei Ushin (1903–1942) were brothers and artists, who sometimes worked together. What little biographical information is known about each is summarized below. The brothers’ lives were tragically cut short, when each died of starvation in besieged Leningrad: Nikolai on April 6, 1942, at the age of 44 and Aleksei on May 20, 1942 at the age of 39.

Nikolai Alekseevich Ushin (St. Petersburg 1898–Leningrad 1942)

Nikolai Ushin was a renowned graphic artist and theater designer. In 1921–26, he studied at the Petrograd VKhUTEMAS (Higher State Artistic Workshops) / Petrograd/Leningrad VKhUTEIN (Higher State Artistic institute) under the prominent Russian graphic artist Pavel Shillingovsky (1881–1942). In the 1920s and 1930s, Nikolai designed theatrical sets for various productions, displaying his talent for combining traditional and modern elements. He also created lithographs and book plates and worked as a book designer for the Academia publishing house.  

Nikolai’s illustrations for the Russian translation of Tales of One Thousand and One Nights, published in eight volumes by Academia in 1932–39 are among his most notable works. For this project, he was awarded a Gold Medal at the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (The world exhibition of art and technology), held in Paris from May 25–November 25, 1937.

During his creative career, Nikolai also created propaganda posters, such as Obshchestvo “Drug detei” po bor’be s beznadzornost’iu. Pomogaet detochagam i iasliam, organizuet detkomnaty (The “Friends of Children Society” for the Fight against Neglet. Helps Orphanages and Nurseries, Organizes Children’s Rooms) of 1927, and, together with his brother Aleksei, Da zdravstvuet XXIV godovshchina Velikoi Oktiabr’skoi Sotsialisticheskoi revoliutsii (Long Live the 24th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution) of 1941.   

Nikolai’s artistic style was influenced by medieval Russian painting and Palekh lacquer miniature, which he creatively adopted in his designs conveying images of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. His graphic works are found at the Gosudarstvennyi istoricheskii muzei (State Historical Museum) in St. Petersburg, Gosudarstvennyi muzei istorii Peterburga (State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg), and the Gosudarstvennyi muzei politicheskoi istorii Rossii (State Museum of the Political History of Russia).

Works by Nikolai are often identified by the monograms above.

SOURCES:

A.A. Ushina. Peterburg v grafike. Dynastiia Ushinykh (St. Petersburg in Graphic Arts. The Ushin Dynasty). St. Petersburg: Logos, 2003.

Yu. I. Kazimov. Khudozhniki pechatnoi grafiki. Sankt-Peterburg. Petrograd. Leningrad. XX vek. Biobibliograficheskiislovar’ (Artists of the Printed Graphics. St. Petersburg. Petrograd. Leningrad. 20th Century. Biographical and Bibliographical Dictionary). St. Petersburg:Znak,” 2021.  

Nikolai Ushin: Maquette to Printed Matter

Nikolai Ushin: Maquettes

Nikolai Ushin: Printed Proofs and Book Covers

Aleksei Alekseevich Ushin (St. Petersburg 1903–Leningrad 1942)

During his prolific artistic career, Aleksei Ushin designed over five hundred books. He received his initial education at the school of the Church of St. Catherine, located on the Bolshoi Prospekt of the Vassilievsky Island in St. Petersburg. In the Fall of 1918, after the disbandment of the St. Catherine School, he enrolled in the fifth grade of the prestigious Real’noe uchilishche K. Maia (Karl May vocational school), where he studied until 1919. Like his older brother, Nikolai, Aleksei demonstrated his artistic talents from his childhood. In March 1920, he applied for employment in the theater department of the city of Petrograd, but a month later he transferred to the office of the architect of the first district. As an artist, he was close to the Mir iskusstva (World of art) circle in his work.

Aleksei helped to develop the art of Soviet typography, including his creation of an original typeface in the form of three-dimensional lead letters with side lighting, used for one of the first sound feature films in the USSR: Vstrechni (Counterplan) of 1932, directed by Friedrich Ermler and Sergei Yutkevich.

Works by Alexei are often identified by the monogram above.

SOURCES:

TsGIA SPb (Central State Historical Archive, St. Petersburg), fond 144, opis’ /inventory 2, delo /file 140, list 182;

TsGA SPb (Central State Archive, St. Petersburg), fond R-2551, opis’/inventory 1, delo/file 2046.

Aleksei Ushin: Maquette to Printed Matter

Aleksei Ushin: Maquettes

Aleksei Ushin: Printed Proofs and Book Covers