Life and Professional Path
Michail Ščigol was a painter and architect of Ukrainian origin. Born in Chelyabinsk, Russia, his family was evacuated from Odessa during the war and later returned to Kyiv, Ukraine, in 1948. After completing his seventh grade, he attended a construction vocational school between 1958 and 1964. Following his studies, he worked at the Kyivprouekt design institute. From 1964 to 1970, he studied at the Kyiv Institute of Architecture, where he was a student of Jurij Chymyč. In 1975, he completed an internship at the Moscow Institute of Urban Planning.
His professional career included work at the Academy of Architecture of Ukraine and later at the Chudožprojekt enterprise. In 1990, he first visited Czechoslovakia, eventually receiving permanent residency in 1992. He settled in Hradec Králové and later moved to Prague in 1996. In 1999, he became a citizen of the Czech Republic. He established the Ščigol Atelier, which served as a studio, exhibition hall, and chamber theater. He also founded the Jičín International Painting Plenair.
Artistic Work and Exhibitions
The artist's painting style underwent significant development starting in 1968, though he took a hiatus from painting between 1977 and 1990. His work is characterized as figurative art, often described as poetic symbolic figurativism. His catalog includes works such as Untitled (1968) and Traffic Sign (1970). Other notable cycles and works include On the Way Home (1969–1995), Horses (1990–1996), Tristan and Isolde (1993), and Nights in Železnice (2001).
His exhibitions have been held in various locations, including:
