Blast Furnace Worker L. Lykov at the “Azovstal” Plant

Oleksandr Havrylovych Kechedzhi is a Ukrainian painter and a member of the Union of Soviet Artists of Ukraine from 1970. He was born on March 26, 1918 in the city of Mariupol (now Donetsk region, Ukraine). During 1937-1941, he studied at the painting faculty of the Odesa Art School, studying under Yevhen Bukovetskyi and Danylo Krainiev. Starting in 1941, he participated in World War II, defended Odesa, and was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree. Kechedzi worked in the field of easel and monumental painting, creating portraits, landscapes, and still lifes in a realistic style. He participated in regional (starting in 1957) and republic (starting in 1960) art exhibitions. Among his works are "Girl in a Red Kerchief" (1960s), "Farmers" (1970), "Children and the Sea" (1978), "Steelworker Shepel" (1980s), "In the Steppes of the Azov Sea" (1991), and others. Some of his works are kept in museums of Ukraine. He lived and worked in Mariupol and died on January 20, 2006.