Kanevskii, Aminadav

Born Mar. 17 (29), 1898, in Elizavetgrad, present-day Kirovograd, Ukrainian SSR. Soviet graphic artist. People’s Artist of the USSR (1973); corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1962).

From 1924 to 1930, Kanevskii studied under P. Ia. Pavlinov, N. N. Kupreianov, V. A. Favorskii, and D. S. Moor at Vkhute-mas-Vkhutein (State Higher Arts and Technical Studios-Higher Art and Technical Institute). His illustrations for children’s books are distinguished by their lively humor and comic exaggeration of situations and images. Kanevskii illustrated A. L. Barto and P. N. Barto’s The Crybaby (india ink, pen, and water-color; first version published in 1934), K I. Chukovskii’s Moidodyr (india ink, pen, and watercolor; 1950), Saltykov-Shchedrin’s The Pompadours and the Lady Pompadours (india ink and pen, published in 1935) and Abroad (india ink and pen, published in 1939), and V. V. Mayakovsky’s collection Satirical Poems (india ink, pen, and watercolor; published in 1964). He also illustrated several works by N. V. Gogol. His works also include caricatures, drawings, and posters. Kanevskii’s caricatures have appeared in the journal Krokodil (Crocodile) since 1936. He has been awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and various medals.