Nicolas Tarkhoff Enter a
feeling, not
a gallery.
Choose a mood and the room itself answers — the light cools or warms, the air changes pace, and only the works that carry that feeling step forward from the dark. Everything else recedes into shadow.
Nicolas Tarkhoff
Early Life and Artistic Awakening Nicolas Alexandrovich Tarkhoff, born in Moscow on January 20, 1871, emerged from a family of prosperous merchants—a background that initially seemed destined for commerce rather than canvas. However, the young Tarkhoff possessed an innate artistic inclination, described as a “fervent desire to be a painter.” Tragedy marked his childhood; he lost his mother at age three and his father eight years later,
experiences that perhaps fostered a sensitivity reflected in his later work. Despite this early loss, his passion for art persisted, though it faced initial resistance from his family who favored more conventional paths. He briefly fulfilled military obligations before finding employment with the Brest-Litovsk Railways—a period of deferment before fully embracing his artistic calling. In 1894, he bravely attempted entry into the Schoo…
