Sergei Vasilkovsky - Sun artist

[SergeiSK]

In 1887, in the artistic life of Paris there was an unprecedented event - the famous salon allow young painter from the faraway Russia, Sergei Vasylkivska, exhibit their works in any quantity, bypassing the jury. For many artists of that time was a cherished dream to see at least a couple of his works in the Salon, exhibiting the same, bypassing the jury - a rare privilege, which honors a few acknowledged masters of painting.

What captivated discerning Parisians graduate of St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, which, by and large, more education and something is not finished, since it was in Europe in the pensioner's trip? The answer to this question have given themselves members of the jury, selected paintings for exhibition at the Salon, calling the work of Russian painter "remarkable". Such a successful start to the creative career destiny of the few. Sergei Vasilkovsky and all their creativity further confirmed that the Parisian success was not a fluke for him.

The future artist was born on 7 (19) October 1854 in a small Ukrainian town of raisins. Rhode Vasilkovsky had Cossack roots, and in the town all literally breathed the history of the Cossacks. Since childhood, Sergei love freestyle Cossack steppe with its violent, sunlit grasses and rare beams, overgrown and impassable bushes at the bottom of which trickle trickle of cold, crystal clear water.

The boy soon got carried away drawing. In many ways, this helped his father, served as clerk and had a beautiful calligraphic style than Ivan Vasilkovsky always been proud. In 1861 the family moved to Kharkov, where Sergei soon went to study in school. The boy is lucky, drawing in high school taught fine artist and a gifted teacher Dmitri Ivanovich Bezperchy, in his time who studied together with Taras Shevchenko University in St. Petersburg Karl Briullov.

Читать дальше... 

Bezperchy immediately identified Sergei Vasilkovskaja among other students, realizing that the boy has undoubted talent. Apparently, he inspired his student, that the current art education can be obtained only in the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Admission to the academy seemed to Sergei pipe dream, the family lived a wealthy life and could not allocate money for the trip to the capital of his son, although it supports the desire of a boy becoming an artist.

After high school at the insistence of her father Sergei went to study in the veterinary school, engaging in parallel in a private art school in Maria's Raevskaya-Ivanova. Financial problems forced to interrupt their studies in college and joined a junior clerk in the Treasury Kharkiv, then briefly to go to Kiev, hoping to save money for education. Service petty official did not give specific salary, and Sergei returned to Kharkov, where he became an apprenticeship in painting. Under the leadership Bezperchigo he, together with Peter Levchenko (future famous artist) worked on painting the iconostasis of the church in Stone Jaruga.

In 1876 Sergei ventured to go to St. Petersburg, hoping to realize a dream and enter the Academy of Arts. Just do not succeeded, but Vasilkovsky not despaired and began to engage volnoprihodyaschim student. Academic teachers noted undoubted successes of the young shy Ukrainian, Sergei, and soon enrolled in the academy and even allowed to live in the attic of the academic buildings, where poor students were allocated a special room.

Academic teachers Vasilkovskaja were excellent landscape painter Mikhail Petrovich Klodt and Vladimir Orlovsky Donatovich. Especially the custody of a talented student Orlovsky, who was born and received basic training in art in Kiev. It is strongly advised to Sergei write vivid and original Ukrainian nature, for which more travel, to explore folk art and everyday life.

Sergei did not let down our venerable teachers, already in 1879, he received her first award - a small silver medal for a sketch from nature. For academic rules, completing the next stage of training, students have provided their work for consideration by the Academic jury that for the best works awarded the medal. Soon the "piggy bank" Vasilkovskaja add two small and two large silver medals. A summary of graduate work, the painting "Morning", in 1884 he received a small gold medal, giving the right to participate in the contest for a gold medal. Awarding of a large gold was cherished dream academics, as accompanied by a four-year pensioner travel abroad for further education.

In 1885, Sergei Vasilkovsky presented an academic competition program now "on the Donets, for which the jury and awarded him the medal as desired, and the right to travel abroad at the expense of the Academy. In addition, this award gave him the right to the title of classroom artist of the first degree and obtaining the rank of titular counselor (Grade 9 Table of Ranks) comply with rank army captain.

The following year, Sergei Vasilkovsky to travel. He visited art museums and galleries in England, Germany, Spain, Italy, traveled to North Africa. But most of the time spent in Paris, studying the works of French landscape painters. At that time it was France became the recognized center of European artistic life, where the source of new schools. With great interest Vasilkovsky acquainted with the paintings barbizontsev who were close to him in the artistic perception of nature. He certainly learned a lot from them, as it is in the French period, his paintings became brighter, juicier, and significantly enriched the palette paintings. His canvases are filled with sunlight, they rippled the air, there was a mirage. So to write at that time were few, not for nothing that my friends started to call Vasilkovskaja "solar artist.

In Paris, SI Vasilkovsky met the Russian artist Ivan Pavlovich Pohitonovym, who invited him to try to put the work in the Salon. It is worth noting that he Pokhitonov was well-known French art-lovers, and of the Russian artists of that time only had the right to exhibit at the Salon bypassing the jury. What was surprising Vasilkovskaja when such a right granted to him.

Pictures Vasilkovskaja in Paris sold well, which enabled him to accumulate a decent amount of money. In 1888, finding that in terms of artistic perfection Europe him nothing more can not give, Sergei returned to Russia. Success in Europe opens up good opportunities for a career in Petersburg, but Vasilkovsky decided to settle in the Ukraine, to display the pictures in its history and nature.

Sergei settled in Kharkov, where made for himself a good shop. Many traveled to Ukraine several times traveled to the Crimea and the Caucasus. To effectively work, showing his paintings at various exhibitions, where they have always enjoyed the interest of the audience. In 1900 in Kharkov was successfully held his first major solo exhibition, which featured more than 120 works.

Vasilkovsky a lot of time to the study of Ukrainian antiquities and history of the Cossacks, resulting in a large series of "Cossacks" series of paintings and several drawings. But the main thing in his works still remained a landscape, an artist with a passion wrote vast Ukrainian steppe and grazing in the ravines herds, small farms and picturesque cottages, holy places and types of monasteries. Sometimes he painted portraits, created for the building of the Poltava zemstvos three large panels.

We are pleased to participate in the cultural life of Kharkov. He became one of the founders of the local literary and artistic circle, and then the first in Ukraine a public art museum, which at the end of life bequeathed a large sum of money and 1340 his works.

Beautiful Ukrainian artist Sergey Vasilkovsky lived most creative life, he died in 1917 in Kharkov, not having lived a few days before the next birthday. Much of the artist's works are in museums and private collections in Ukraine. Unfortunately, many of them died or were stolen by the fascists during the Great Patriotic War.

Nowadays, the wizard is exhibited in museums and galleries in many countries, retained the interest of spectators, helping them better understand the history of Ukraine and feel the unique beauty of its nature.
Vladimir Rogoza