Pavel Petrovich Sokolov-Skalya was born in Strelna the St. Petersburg Province (nowadays St. Petersburg) on June 21 (on July 3), 1899. In 1919 Sokolov added to the prefix ‘Skalya’ to his surname.
Pavel Sokolov-Skalya is known for his paintings on historical, revolutionary and battle themes (the triptych Shchors, 1938). Huge panels were created in his studio, with a whole crew of artists working on them (Taking of the Winter Palace, 1939). These paintings stood out with a bravura baroque style.
He died on August 3, 1961 and was laid down to rest at Novodevichy Cemetery (section No. 8) in Moscow.
His wife (from 1945) was the artist Lidiya Vladimirovna Popova (1903-1951).