Portrait of the artist's wife was executed in 1947 by  Ukrainian painter and graphic artist Boris Ivanowitsch Krjukow ( 1895 Orgijiv/Ukraine - 1967 Buenos Aires/Argentina).  Ukrainian painter, graphic designer, mosaicist, theater decorator. Husband of the theater artist Olga Gurska -Krjukow. Our painting was executed by B.Krjukow in his Austrian period together with his wife Olga , theater painter and therefore it signed in German O. u.  B.Krjukow. ( Olga and Boris Krjukow).

He started drawing since childhood. He entered the art school of Fedor Krychevskyi in Kyiv, where he also studied under the teachers Mykhailo Boychuk and Georgy Narbut. In 1918, he finished his studies, went to Kamianets-Podilskyi, until 1923 he taught drawing at the art and industrial technical school. In 1923-1940, he worked at the Kyiv Opera and Ballet Theater.  In 1923-1940, he worked at the Kyiv Opera and Ballet Theater. In 1923–1941, he cooperated with the publishing houses "Kultura", "Derzhvydav", "Knygospilka", "Slovo", "Soviet Writer". In 1943, he moved with his family to Lviv, with the approach of the front - to Krakow, from there - to Austria, to the city of Gmunden. In 1948, he emigrated to Argentina and settled in Buenos Aires. He died in Buenos Aires on March 6, 1967. Boris Kryukov is buried together with his wife Olga Kryukova at the British Cemetery. Issued about 500 books. Illustrated books by Ivan Franko, Boris Grinchenko, Boris Antonenko-Davydovych, Grigory Epik, Leonid Pervomaiskyi, Natalya Zabyla, Petro Panch, Ivan Le, Oksana Ivanenko, Yuriy Smolich, Taras Shevchenko. From 1950 until his death, he was the only illustrator of the series "Unforgettable classics" (Clasicos inolvidables) of the Spanish publishing house "El Ateneo" ("El Ateneo"). He created a mosaic enthroned image of the Mother of God in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin, Buenos Aires (1967). He painted portraits of his wife (artist and wife of Olga Gurska) and daughter Lidia Kachurovska. Among his oil works are "Jokes of Bacchus" (Kyiv, 1942); "Zaporozhtsi" and "Visit" (Lviv, 1943). In the 1950s and 1960s, he illustrated about 80 Ukrainian books for the publishing houses of Mykola Denisyuk and Yulian Seredyak (in particular, Smikholina), drew caricatures for the Ukrainian satirical magazine Mitla (editor: Yu. Seredyak), illustrated youth magazines published in publishing house "Atlantida" (Atlantida).

 Exhibitions: During the Austrian period, his works were exhibited in the cities of Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Linz. In Buenos Aires, his works were exhibited in 1949, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1958 and 1965, also in Canada - 1956, Toronto, and in the USA - 1963, New York. In 1964 and 1965, his illustrations were awarded prizes: at the international competition in Madrid, for the drawings "Don Quixote" and "Don Segundo Sombra", based on the novel by Ricardo Gviraldes ("Codex" publishing house, Buenos Aires). In 1969, posthumous exhibitions were organized in the USA and Canada.

Literature: in Ukrainian: lexicon of Ukrainian painter; Gersimova " B.I. Krjukow ", Enziklopedia of history of Ukranian artists”; on-line Wikipedia.

Inscription: signed upper right O.(Olga) u.B. (Boris) .Krjukow .

Technique: framed oil on canvas, laid down on cardboard. Original period frame.

Measurements: unframed w 15 3/42 x h 23 2/3"(40 x 60 cm); framed 17 7/8" x 25 3/4"(45,5 x 65,5 cm)

Condition: very good.