Mitriashkin, Mikhail Iakovlevich

Mikhail Iakovlevich Mitriashkin hailed from a former German colony on the banks of the Volga River. He began his artistic studies in the city of Samara, and after moving to Moscow, Mitriashkin attended the Moscow Secondary Art School (later, Moscow State Academic Art Institute named after V.I. Surikov). While a student, Mitriashkin worked in the poster studio of the artist Mikhail Cheremnykh. In the mid-1950s, Mitriashkin graduated from the Moscow State Academic Art Institute. After graduating, the artist concentrated on easel painting and etching and he designed posters for various state-owned publishing houses. Mitriashkin also served on the staff of the Visual Agitation Workshop of the Art Fund of the USSR.

Mikhail Mitriashkin participated in regional and all-Union art exhibitions during his career. Some of those exhibitions include: the “3rd All-Union Exhibition of Diploma Works by Art Students of the USSR” (Moscow, 1954) that was held in the USSR Academy of Arts, and the “All-Union Art Exhibition” (Moscow, 1955). In 1980, the artist was featured in a solo exhibition held in Moscow.

A number of Mitriashkin’s posters have agriculture themes. Specific titles include: "For 11 billion poods of grain a year!" (1956); "We'll harvest potatoes on time!" (1958); "We'll harvest the crop on time, without losses!" (1959; and "Agricultural workers! Use all available resources to further advance livestock farming!" (1961). Some additional posters the artist designed are: “Let’s achieve new sporting successes!” (1956); “Long live Czechoslovakian-Soviet friendship!” (1958); “Long live Soviet-Vietnamese friendship!” and "Get ready for exercise!" (both 1959); "Raise higher the banner of competition honoring the XXII Congress of the CPSU!" (1961); and "Sport is the property of the masses!" (1963).

Mitriashkin wrote a book of memoirs, "Pictures on the Clock: A book for students”. It was published in 1993 by the Russian firm of Prosveshchenie. Mikhail Iakovlevich Mitriashkin was a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR.