Ivan Pavlovich Pokhitonov, a graphic artist, landscape painter and unique artist, is not very well known today. Although he was once admired by Pavel Tretyakov, who acquired more than 20 paintings by the artist. 
Pokhitonov was born in 1850 on the Matrenovka estate in the Kherson province. Lived in different cities and countries. And eventually he went to Europe to learn the technique from French masters. From there he sent Tretyakov miniatures, the size of which did not exceed a notebook sheet. 
To create them, he personally processed special planks of lemon and mahogany wood, and painted with the thinnest brushes, finally shaping the image and polishing it with the help of fish bones. The painter also came up with his own secrets, such as double glasses, which were simultaneously equipped with both magnifying and image-reducing lenses.
The technique of complex multi-layered oil painting, combined with talent, made it possible to create landscapes that emanate the freshness of greenery, the dust of the road on a hot day, the cold of melted water, and creaking crisp snow.
Repin called Pokhitonov a sorcerer. The example of this painter proved that academic education is not always a blessing, since it can erase an innate gift and make talent mediocrity. 
