Ivan Riznich
/1908-1998/
Ivan Riznich, a renowned artist, excelled in various artistic domains, including animal painting, porcelain artistry at the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory (LFZ), sculpture, and book illustration. Born in St. Petersburg, he completed his artistic education at the art school in Pavlovsk near Leningrad in 1926. Throughout his career, Riznich dedicated most of his life to the Leningrad Porcelain Factory, where he achieved exceptional mastery in the techniques of overglaze and underglaze painting. His expertise extended to both unique artworks and designs for mass production.
In 1975, Riznich was bestowed with a significant government commission: creating a hunting-themed service as a gift for Leonid Brezhnev, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Such a task required an artist of unparalleled skill, and Riznich was the perfect candidate. While his favored subjects revolved around hunting and the animal and plant worlds, his works with an agitational or social focus were comparatively rare and did not define his artistic portfolio. Nonetheless, a few such compositions are known to exist.
Alongside his work at the factory, Ivan Riznich engaged in book illustration starting from 1929. He showcased his talent in various international exhibitions, including Milan (1927), Paris (1937), and New York (1939). His contributions were recognized with honorary diplomas in Milan and Paris.