It awakened early childhood love of the fine arts. He painted slate lovely heart corners of native wildlife, the types of the village, the local church. While studying at the local school he liked to redraw illustration with textbooks. After his brother he went to Simbirsk Chuvash teacher's school. However, the study here it prevented the disease. After the cold had begun tuberculosis of bones. Coquel had a beautiful voice, so the village priest identified him in the church choir. Here he is interested in painting icons. Later, he began to write their custom. With the money his father bought him a book, illustrated by the bestartists of the time. In 1902–1903 he studied at the Normal School of Drawing at the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, in 1904 he entered the Imperial Academy of Arts. In 1905 he changed his name from Afanasiev to Coquil. During the competition painting "The tea" was awarded a trip to Italy. From 1916 A. Coquel has lived and worked in Ukraine, he participated in the development of higher art education. He taught at KharkivArt College and the Kharkiv Art Institute. In 1956 he died and was buried in Kharkiv.
The artistic heritage
Major works
"The tea", "Family Portrait", "On Guard", "Awarding of shock troops", "Educational program", "Cooperative Market" Self-Portrait, "Winter". Coquel's collection is located in the Chuvash State Art Museum. The main ones are:
"Portrait of the Chuvash Women"
"Ural Plants"
"In the tea"
"Italians"
"Family Portrait"
"From the Chuvash Suite"
"The driver"
"Wedding. Chuvashia "
"Old Worker"
"On Guard"
"Rewarding shock troops"
"Cooperative Market"
"Likbez"
"At the salt mines"
"Winter"
"Donets".
Literature
Выставка произведений профессора Алексея Афанасьевича Кокеля. Каталог. На украинском и русском яз. Харьков, 1960. Составители Ю.Ф. Дюженко, А.А. Кокель. На обл.: О.О. Кокель.
Алексей Афанасьевич Кокель: Воспоминания современников и учеников. — Чебоксары: Чуваш. кн. изд-во, 1980.- 104 с.
Кокель А. А. Алексей Афанасьевич Кокель: Выст. произведений, посвящ. 100-летию со дня рождения худож.: Каталог / А. А. Кокель.- Чебоксары; Киев; Харьков, 1980. — 30 с.
Садюков Н. И. Алексей Афанасьевич Кокель // Халӑх шкулĕ=Народная школа. — 2004. — no. 6.
Кушманов Н. Кокель: Поэма. — Чебоксары: Чуваш. кн. изд-во, 1992. — 128 с.
Арская, И.И. Кокель Алексей Афанасьевич // Энциклопедия русского авангарда. Изобразительное искусство. Архитектура. В 3 тт. Т. 1. А-К. Биографии. Авторы-сост. Р.И. Ракитин, А.Д. Сарабьянов. М., 2013. С. 430–431.