Although Oleg Vassiliev was not a prolific printmaker, he did make several series of prints, two of which are featured here.
This series of 30 lithographs is loosely based on the Anton Chekhov story, “The House with an Attic,” written in 1896. The first part of the portfolio illustrates the Chekov story. The second part is Vassiliev’s response to the Soviet political climate. The prints were completed in 1991, at the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. For more information about these prints, please see 'The Chekov Project, 1988-2013', published by Oivind Johansen.
This series of linocuts reflects the importance to Vassiliev of the ideas and teachings of Vladimir Favorsky, a key figure in 1920s avant-garde art, whose studio Vassiliev visited in the late 1950s. The works in this series were condemned by the authorities as “formalist” and prevented Vassiliev from joining the official Artist’s Union when he applied after graduation from art school.
