Teophil Fraerman (Ukrainian, 1883-1957)

Teophil Fraerman was a Ukrainian artist and teacher. He lived in Odessa with his family, from the age of 13 he worked in a painter's studio and attended courses at the Odessa Art College on Sundays. Following further studies at the Anton Ashbe Academy in Munich, Fraerman moved to Paris and settled on Montparnasse at La Rouche. To earn his living, the artist worked at sculptor's studios, first with Aronson and later with Rodin. In 1905 he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts, studying alongside Gabriel Ferrier and Leon Bonn.

In 1909 Teophil Fraerman's paintings were exhibited for the first time at Salon d'Automne. His debut was an overnight sensation, all his works were immediately purchased and a year later he became a permanent member of the Salon jury. His stay in Paris was brief as after the First World War he returned to Odessa to care for his mother. He was one of the founding members of the Odessa Society of Independent Artists, a counterpart to the more conservative Partnership of South Russian Artists. He taught at the Odessa Art Institute and was head of the department of painting. Fraerman's style did not fit with the principles of socialist realism. Accused of formalism, he was dismissed from the institute. 

This did not stop the artist's creative life and he continued to paint, but he preferred to not show his painting to the public as to avoid further charges.