Rostislav
Fedorovich Cherepanov

Painter. Member of the Union of artists of the USSR.

Circumstances have developed in such a way that after world war II, in 1947, young, hungry for knowledge and experiencing an irresistible attraction to art, creativity Rostislav Cherepanov is a recent graduate of the Studio of Alexei Nikolaevich Liberova (1911-2001), arrives in Tashkent art school.

The school, located in the heart of the Uzbek capital. There were a few offices, and Rostislav Yanukovych has chosen the "art teacher".

Pedagogical system in Tashkent, the school was founded on the traditions of Russian realistic school, on the student's ability to work independently from life; also focused on the systematic reproduction of masterpieces. A huge role in the educational process is played by students visiting the Republican and city exhibitions, which were held in Tashkent regularly. This gave the opportunity to see works by masters of the older generation and to comprehend their techniques and crafts. Rostislav Fedorovich remembers major artists of Soviet Uzbekistan, whose art for the development of subsequent generations of artists have played a fundamental role, U. tansykbayev, A. N. Volkov, V. Ufimtseva, I., O. K. Tatevosian, N. V. Kashin, Z. M. Kovalevskaya, P. Benkov, N. G. Karahan and others.

The patronage and support it has a well-known artist and teacher Victor Ivanovich Ufimtsev (1898-1964), which Cherepanov is experiencing the most warm, sincere feelings.

In the works created at the end of the school - "Spring in Uzbekistan", "Peach bloom", "Spring in village" - poetically transferred to the spring awakening of nature. They attracted the attention of a delicate pink flowering fruit trees, through which appear the residential buildings and the outlines of an ancient tomb.

It becomes obvious that Rostislav Yanukovych is more inclined to the "urban landscape" as a genre, and, having from a young age a passion for history, reveals the desire to capture not just the expressive motive of the city, but considers paramount to include in the composition a monument of architecture, associated with a historic person or event.

The ancient cities of Central Asia - Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, the history of which is lost in the haze of the millennia are unique treasures of culture and art. They become objects of deep interest on the part of the artist. Cherepanov carefully examines not only the collections of local museums, but also considering the literature on aggressive campaigns of Alexander the great and Tamerlane, the study of the origin of the famous architectural complexes. In his landscapes – the mausoleums and mosques, madrasahs and minarets, the famous ensembles and certain types of famous cities.

Twelve years Cherepanov in Tashkent, certainly had an impact on his subsequent creative life. Studies at the renowned art institution, and trips to sacred places of Uzbekistan, a deep insight into the colorful and unique world of the East – all played a crucial role in his formation as an artist, and influenced the addition of its own painterly style, marked by love for bright color, high decorativeness.

Successfully graduated from College, Cherepanov in 1959 returned to Omsk.

In the following decades – 1960-1970-ies – he manages to make three trips to Central Asia and Kazakhstan: to drive through the steppes of Kazakhstan, to visit the lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan and travel with a group of students (at one time he taught at the art-graphic faculty of Omsk pedagogical Institute) at the famous places of Uzbekistan.

The East fascinates him with new force: Asian scorching heat of summer, the dazzling sunlight, the colorful clothes of Uzbeks, types of markets, with piles of watermelons and cantaloupes, the unfading beauty of ancient monuments is becoming the subject of creative inspiration.

Cherepanov works with unprecedented interest: writing studies in the late autumn high in the mountains and marketplaces of Samarkand, creates majestic images of Bibi Khanum mosque, and the tomb of Tamerlane – Gur-Emir, says the silent Kazakh steppe and Alpine pastures of Uzbekistan, admires the life of the Kazakh village and the unapproachable beauty of the mountain ranges of Kyrgyzstan. The artist paints with color highlights as a gentle, reverent as in nature – "Spring in village", "Autumn in the mountains" and a resounding major – "valleys of Uzbekistan", "Issyk-Kul. Mountains" and others.

As a result of trips, there are dozens of variety in content, developed in a unique "Asian series" paintings. Studying them, one can note the transition from soft planarize the middle of 1950-ies to the expressive decorativeness of the subsequent period. In the 1960-1970-ies it all the more attracted to colorful effects, decorative wide manner of writing, greater conventionality in the interpretation of the form.

Unpretentious genre scenes - "Drying tobacco", "Samarkand rugs", "Teahouse. Study with figures" (1960) - are the only reason for the decision by the artist beautifully-plastic problems. In their works Cherepanov convincingly demonstrates the talent of the colorist, and a rich color palette conveys a bubbling feeling of delight.

Ancient Samarkand, the world-famous creations of the architects, the master devotes a series of gorgeous landscapes, acknowledges that it "is my favorite city in Central Asia."

In Samarkand cycle Cherepanov captures the masterpieces of urban art: the famous ensemble of the Registan square, sung for centuries the cult complex, Bibi-Khanum and crowned with the glory of the tomb of Timur's mausoleum Gur-Emir.

One of the most attractive in the Central Asian series is the theme of "teahouse", which the artist develops in a number of beautiful songs. In Central Asia, teahouses are usually arranged in the shade of the trees near the reservoirs, or in open areas under canopies. They Uzbeks spend most of their free time; rest here for tea and leisurely discussing current Affairs. The basis of any teahouse is high, rising above the ground and wooden flooring covered with carpets, on which the decorum, observing the ritual, setting men.

Forever remembered Cherepanovo fairy-tale appearance of ancient Bukhara, which stores hundreds of unique monuments. For many centuries, Bukhara was famous throughout the East not only as a major center of caravan trade, but also as a center of skilled artisans – weavers, dyers, carpet makers, jewelers, potters.

Panorama of Bukhara shows Cherepanov with the height of bird flight. In the depths of the composition on many flat roofs of the houses rises a Grand Kalyan minaret, monumental construction began in the XII century next to the turquoise concise forms of the dome and the walls of the mosque Kalyan. In the foreground is the monumental fortress gates. At the top of the composition is completed a strip of white-blue sky with pink clouds.

The leading motive of the entire Asian series of paintings are the mountains: the mountain expanse, written in southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or in Uzbekistan striking energy of the masses, the richness of texture. Cherepanov often uses the technique of construction of the landscape on the alternation of the plans, submerged in shadow or bathed in the rays of the Asian sun, mountain ranges and green hills that animates the space of many paintings. A particularly beautiful Board "In the mountains of Uzbekistan" (1958), "Issyk-Kul. Mountains" (1964); the mountains and the earth is immersed in the evening twilight, when the paint possesses a special power. Tight writing and rich tones of red, lilac, ochre, green, violet - emphasize the expression of feelings of the artist.

Buoyant, cheerful on your mood pictures Asian cycle enthusiastically tell about the impressions received by Rostislav F. Cherepanov in the country bright sunshine and jubilant colors.

(article in the jubilee exhibition)