Kokel, Oleksii

Kokel, Oleksii [Кокель, Олексій; Kokel', Oleksij], b 13 March 1880 in Tarkhany, Simbirsk gubernia, Russia, d 4 February 1956 in Kharkiv. Painter. A graduate of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts (1912) where he studied under Ilia Repin, he settled in Kharkiv in 1916 and lectured at the Kharkiv Art Tekhnikum and later became the first rector of the Kharkiv Art Institute. He was a founding member of the Association of Artists of Red Ukraine. Kokel’s style evolved from impressionism to realism. His works include landscapes such as Izium: A View of Kremianets Hill (1936), still lifes, portraits, and depictions of Soviet life such as The Collective-Farm Market (1934).

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 2 (1988).]