Uncle Vasya with a Red Balalaika from the Gorodets series

Evgeny Anatolyevich Rastorguev was a painter, graphic artist, sculptor, and Honored Artist of Russia. He graduated from the Gorky Art School (1940) and the V. I. Surikov Moscow State Art Institute (1951). He was a member of the "Group of 16." He is widely known for his "Gorodets Fantasies" cycle, in which he conveys the atmosphere of childhood and folk life through naive and bright imagery. His works are in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Kuskovo Museum, and many foreign collections.