Portraits of the sun: painting by Anatoly Limarev

The artist Anatoly Limarev, whom art researchers call the Ukrainian Van Gogh, was born in 1929 in Amvrosievka. In the 40s he studied in Kyiv, at the art school. T. G. Shevchenko, and after graduation he entered the Kyiv State Art Institute. It was a time of creativity and experimentation. Together with his friends, sixties artists and representatives of the national underground, Limarev worked on unusual paintings that critics did not recognize for a long time. His thesis led to conflict because it ran counter to the official ideology of socialist realism. The master decided to stand his ground and in the future painted pictures the way he wanted.

The 70s became difficult for the artist: Limarev had to work hard on orders for the art fund. And each new picture turned out to be a kind of test because of the requirements set by the artistic council. However, in the late 70s he had his own workshop in Obolon in Kyiv. Pupils come to the painter, whom he helps to enter the institute. For Limarev, the most important thing is not to transfer theoretical knowledge, he mainly communicates with young artists, setting them up for a special spiritual atmosphere. People come to the teacher for inspiration, his opinion is highly valued, despite the fact that by that time Limarev still did not have a single solo exhibition.

The author was not limited to one genre, he painted portraits, landscapes, still lifes. Toward the end of his life, in the 80s, Limarev pays special attention to the sun, which sets the general mood of the picture, it pacifies, renews or causes anxiety and shocks with its scorching power. Such works can be safely called portraits of the sun. Limarev worked on some of them for many months, repeatedly returning to them and finalizing them. From year to year the collection of paintings grew, but the paintings got only a few exhibitions. In 1985, Anatoly Limarev committed suicide. And only three years after his death, the first solo exhibition took place, unfortunately, one of the few. You can get acquainted with the work of little-known artists in this section of our website.