Anatoly Shumkin

Teaches at Valley Art Workshop

Anatoly Shumkin was born in Chimkent (Kazakhstan) in 1984. He attended junior art school before going to the Department of Graphic Design at Chimkent Art College. Since 2003 he has been living in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 2012 he graduated from the prestigious Russian Academy of Arts. He studied easel painting in the studio of V.S. Pesikov and under the guidance of teachers: N.N. Repin, N.S. Lysak and N.D. Blokhin.  The painting for his diploma "Rembrandt in the studio", was awarded a distinction from the Academy's Commission.   Anatoly's paintings are brilliantly executed for example psychological portraits and large canvases of narrative painting in the style of the Old Masters. Having received invaluable experience in Classical painting at the Academy, Anatoly has gone on to combine his training in Russian realism at the Academy with the Western European tradition of fine art.  His work is inspired by the paintings of Francisco Goya, Rembrandt van Rijn, El Greco, Gustave Courbet, Corneliu Baba, Théodore Gericault, Ilya Repin, Nikolai Ge and other famous artists. Anatoly's paintings demonstrate his knowledge and excellent technique and his talent captures the psychological features of the sitter.  His rigorous and disciplined approach to painting conveys a style which leaves a lasting impression.