Valery
Vasilevich Pimenov

Died 28 February 2008.

Buried at the Smolensk cemetery of Vasilievsky island, Saint Petersburg

Painter, Creator of historical and revolutionary paintings, portrait painter, landscape painter. People's artist of Russia (since 1994), member of the Russian Academy of arts. The participant of Republican, all-Union (from 1940), foreign exhibitions (since 1977). PhD (1955), Professor of the Department of painting and composition at the Institute of painting, sculpture and architecture.And.E.Repin.

Valery Pimenov was born in 1920 in Cherepovets in the family working. After graduating from high school in 1936 he moved to Leningrad, where he began his career at the plant of polygraphic machines. At the same time young people engaged in the art Studio at the Palace of culture named after S. M. Kirov, which is led by great masters I. I. Brodsky and S. M. Kopeikin. As a student, Pimenov began to show his works at art exhibitions, and two of them "Meet tank" and "the feat of the hero" – were exhibited at all-Union exhibition "defense of the USSR" (1940). In 1941, after graduating from preparatory classes, Pimenov became a student of the Leningrad Institute of painting, sculpture and architecture named I. E. Repin. At the end of 1942, together with the Institute he was evacuated to Samarkand, then transferred to Zagorsk. During the great Patriotic war, he worked in the military-poster brigade on the instructions of the Western front and in the "Windows TASS", Moscow. Classes at the Institute resumed only after the war, where his teachers were I. E. Grabar and V. M. Oreshnikov.

In 1949, Valery graduated from the Institute course diploma work "the Supreme command" and continued his studies in graduate school. For the painting "Lenin's words" the young artist was awarded the degree of candidate of arts (1955). Manifested in the early years of interest in historical-revolutionary themes and, no doubt, the influence of teachers has further defined the path the young master. In 1957, he paints a picture of "workers' control. 1917", and in 1963-1965 he works on the composition of the "Leninists". Applying in practice the lessons of the academic teachers, Pimenov carefully collects the field material, which helped him to create reliably compelling images, among them portraits of the old Bolsheviks – A. Boleskine and M. E. Erofeev, surrounded by pioneers. From the first steps in the art of the professionals noted his remarkable progress in painting, drawing and especially the composition. So he enthusiastically works on historic paintings, including "Before the storm" (1965), "Sleepless night of October" and others, exhibited at prestigious exhibitions in Moscow and Leningrad.

Talking about the initial stage of creativity of V. Pimenov, not to mention internal, root out his artistic language with the traditions of Russian school of painting 1940-1950-ies, based on the achievements of Russian realism of the previous time. During this period, when all the individual virtues V. Pimenov acted as a typical figure of his time. His historical-revolutionary paintings can not help remind of staged pictures of his teachers oreshnikova and Grabar, contributed to the "Soviet Leniniana" and claimed his artistic method and principles of the approach to the picturesque material to the construction of paintings based on the "lifelikeness".

The 1960s in art of Russia were a period of rejection of the existing stereotypes of the software. Any aesthetic platform, wrote one of the researchers of socialist realism, though clearly neither was minted, its principles, historically transient and limited to along with the ideas it generated. And wisdom of the creative personality is expressed primarily in the fact, not to miss this change of orientation, not to remain on the margins of the artistic process. The end of the 1960s, for V. Pimenov became a new stage when it began to unfold his true talent as a brilliant painter, master of landscape and portrait. This does not mean that the artist has abandoned the realistic method. But the changes taking place in the art, the movement of the benchmark from "General" to "special", ie, personal, and clearly read in the works of Vladimir Pimenov.

The development of his pictorial talent, no doubt, contributed to numerous trips around the country. He visits the North and Middle Asia, enthusiastically working on sketchy material. During these years, he makes several trips abroad, visiting Romania, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia. Particularly fruitful was a trip in 1965 to Cuba. In sketches, brought from the "Islands of freedom" dominated landscapes with motifs of the Caribbean, white quays of Havana, peasant huts and roads, going deep into sugar cane plantations.

Not surprisingly, Pimenova-painter special event was a trip to Italy in 1966 As a Russian master visiting the country, Pimenov discovers the beauty of nature in Italy. Devoting his landscapes small and large Italian towns and villages, he is not afraid clean uncomplicated colors, contrasting color combinations. Perhaps it is this new, opened to travel the world "provoked" by the artist for coloristic freedom. One way or another, but this living material that is not associated with the usual pictorial tradition, seen as if with a fresh eye, adopted the position of the author and opened up new horizons of his creativity.

The next three years (1968-1970) V. Pimenov spends in Cambodia, where he was sent by the Ministry of culture of the USSR as a Professor at the Royal University of fine arts. Here he enthusiastically works not only as a teacher but also as a landscape painter. Among Cambodian landscapes stand out the cycles on the ancient monuments of Khmer culture and contemporary life of the country. The temples of Angkor monuments X–XIII centuries lost in the jungle, amaze the viewer with its special mysterious beauty. But the artist refuses the temptation to thoroughly convey all the details of this unusual architecture. The main expressive means to create the image he chooses the color ("Bayon Temple", "Bayonne"). On the banks of the Mekong and Bosak Pimenov writes fisherman's stilted houses, floating village on the water. The originality of life and nature in this country the artist dedicates painting "Vietnamese fishermen" (1969). The impressions of stay in Phnom Penh, he had written and one of the best portraits of this time, "Portrait of Indian teacher" (1969).

In the 1970s, continue trip to Europe. He visits France, Germany, Hungary, Holland. With more desire travels to his native country. In these years appear the artist's works devoted to Leningrad. Among them are landscape motifs with famous monuments and portraits of cultural figures (O. F. Berggolts, V. I. Strzhelchik, I. P. Vladimirov). In 1971, the achievements of Vladimir Pimenov was highly appreciated and he was awarded the title of honored artist of the RSFSR, and in 1994 – people's artist of Russia.

A mandatory element of creative activity of V. V. Pimenov is teaching at the Institute of painting, sculpture and architecture named after I. E. Repin (since 1950), where he holds the position of Professor of painting and composition (1971). Often, now accompanied by his pupils he comes home in Cherepovets. Here in the Cherepovets Museum Association was held not one personal exhibition, adequately represented his work is in Museum collections in the city.

Literature:

Exhibition of works by Leningrad artists-fellow countrymen of the Vologda region. Directory. – L., 1977. – Pp. 12-13.

Valery Pimenov. Exhibition of works / compiler of the catalogue of G. G. Makarov. – L., 1983.

Pimenov V. V. Directory / Author-compiler N. G.Moses. – SPb., 1999.

Source: L. G. Sosnina. Outstanding people: Biographical essays, Ed. the Council "Vologda encyclopedia". -

Vologda, VSPU, publishing house "Rus", 2005. - 568 p. - ISBN 5-87822-271-X