Deregus Mikhail Gordeevich

Mikhail Gordeevich Deregus (1904–1997) was a painter and graphic artist, People's Artist of the USSR (1963), and Academician of the Academy of Arts of Ukraine. He graduated from the Kharkiv Art Institute in 1931, where he later taught. From 1956 to 1962, he served as the head of the Union of Artists of Ukraine. Deregus worked in easel and book graphics, primarily using etching, and also created monumental decorative works. He is well-known for his series on Cossack themes, such as 'Khmelnychchyna' and 'Pereyaslav Council', as well as his illustrations for classical literature by authors like I. Kotlyarevsky, T. Shevchenko, and N. Gogol. He was a laureate of the Shevchenko State Prize of the Ukrainian SSR (1965) and was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of Friendship of Peoples, and the Order of the Badge of Honor.