Boris Gladchenko began his art education in the town of Leninsk, in the Volgograd region, and went on to study at the Savitsky Art School in Penza. He graduated in 1957 and initially returned home to work as a graphic designer, but a few years later settled in Penza, the town he knew from his student years. “Art such as his, once it finds its way into your home, will stay in your heart forever,” the popular Soviet magazine ‘Ogonyok’ wrote about Gladchenko in 1966. Despite his recognition in the official Soviet press, Gladchenko continued to follow the tradition of Russian Impressionism. His favourite theme (Gladchenko preferred to paint en plein air) was the humble and enchanting urban landscape. At its core, his art was a celebration of the town where he lived. Gladchenko lived a long, even life, and enjoyed a career that may be considered successful, with a number of solo exhibitions taking place in his native Penza. Unlike other artists, who found themselves pushed aside when the Soviet Union broke up at the beginning of the 1990s, Gladchenko enjoyed international recognition, with his works exhibited in Frankfurt, Berlin, London, Sharjah (UAE), and Paris.