Kryukov studied from 1913 to 1917
at the Kiev Art School under Fedor Krichevskii and later taught painting
and drawing at the same school. He mainly worked as a graphic artist
illustrating over 500 books. In 1943 he moved to Lvov and in 1944 over
Cracow to Austria, where he painted under the name Ivan Usatenko. In
1948 he settled in Buenos Aires where he worked as the main illustrator
for the publisher Ateneo