Valentin S. Gorchakov

          (1920 – 2004)

          Member of the Russian Artists' Union

 

          V.Gorchakov was born in the Vladimir province in 1920. In the beginning of 1930th the family has moved to Moscow. Attended the art studio. In 1940 has been mobilized in Red Army. Within the Second World War Gorchakov fought for his homeland in units of 1 and 2 Ukrainian fronts. He has been hard wounded during Korsun-Shevchenko battles. A series of military drawings belongs to this period.

          Following the war he received a degree from the Moscow "Fine Arts College after the memory of 1905".

          In the end of 1940 - beginning of 50th Gorchakov travels a lot on the republics of USSR - to Baltic, Ukraine, Caucasus and Central Asia. During these trips he never left an easel. The etudes painted during travel became a basis of many pictures. To this time also belong portraits and still-lives executed in a traditional manner of "socialist realism”.

          The late 1950s and early 1960s were among the most romantic periods in Soviet art and the artists retained that romantic interpretation of life in their creative works. Ordinary art methods did not hinder individual development of the artists. They found their own format and expressive manner. Gorchakov, along with other artists enriched the Russian realistic school not only through the use of impressionistic art language of the 1950s, but also through adherence to postimpressionistic influences which Soviet artists had ignored since the 1930s. The artistic methods used by painters of this period were close to those of postimpressionists; however, the atmosphere that inspired their work was entirely different. Their paintings were less dramatic than those of postimpressionists.

          Per 1970-80 Gorchakov mainly worked in genre of landscape painting. Some image primarily presents the great interest for the artist, i.e. something, which seems the most peculiar and important. Gorchakov's works are inherent in sincerity and refinement of color solutions, plasticity of forms. His pictures of this time are lyrical, providing the impression of quiet, meditation. Every plot possesses the variety of nuances of mood. So these are the "landscapes of mood", which bear deep symbolic-philosophical sense. External chamberness of his works  is delicately combined with the large scale monumentalism of an image.

          V.Gorchakov was the constant participant of all-Union (USSR), the Russian and Moscow exhibitions. Abroad exposed in Finland (1972, 1989), Hungary (1984), France (1988), England (1990). Works of the author are in private collections in Russia, Europe and the USA.