Selected dates:
1900
Born in the village of Mikhalava, Smolensk province (Russian Empire, now the Republic of Belarus) into a wealthy peasant family.
1921—1926
He studied at the St. Petersburg Higher Institute of Art and Technology.
1920s
He taught in secondary schools in Leningrad.
Since 1931
He taught at the Vitebsk Art School.
November 4, 1938
Together with his older brother Peter, an art critic and art historian, he was shot.
March 12, 1961
He was rehabilitated posthumously.