Anokhin National Museum of the Altai Republic 46 Choros-Gurkina str., Gorno-Altaisk, 649000, Russia E-mail: musey_anohin@mail.ru The article introduces G. I. Choros-Gurkin's expedition sketches, which he made in the early 20th century during his travels in the Altai Mountains, Mongolia, Khakassia, and Tuva. The graphic heritage of G. I. Choros-Gurkin - the first professional artist from the indigenous peoples of Siberia, a student of I. I. Shishkin, a writer, public figure, educator-includes more than 2 thousand sheets. This is a kind of artistic encyclopedia of the Altai people. Among the sketches of archaeological sites are burial mounds, stone sculptures, petroglyphs, some of which are now lost. In his ethnographic drawings, the artist accurately documented the life and everyday life of his fellow tribesmen, their beliefs, and appearance. In the course of the present-day search for historical roots by indigenous ethnic groups in Siberia, an interest in the fate and creativity of those cultural representatives who were at the origins of the study of national heritage was aroused. An outstanding figure. Grigory Ivanovich Choros-Gurkin (1870-1937) was a remarkable artist who made a great contribution to the study of Altai. An Altaian from the Choros family, a graduate of the icon painting workshop of the Altai Ecclesiastical Mission, a disciple of I. I. Shishkin, a writer, public figure, and educator, he was able to fully express the spiritual aspirations of his people, the beauty and richness of the ancient Altai land (Fig. 1). The elements of archaism, pagan worldview, and ethnographic authenticity that live in the figurative structure of picturesque and graphic works of the master, determined the unique originality of his artistic heritage. The formation of the creative credo of G. I. Choros-Gurkin was promoted by the interest in folklore, history and culture of the peoples who inhabited the vast territory beyond the Ural Range, which was born in Russian academic ... Read more