Intuitive-energy perception of outer space of the universe. Anniversary exhibition of Peter Lesovoy

The Creative Union of Russian Artists invites Lavrushinsky`15 to the Hall of Fine Arts of the Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts for a personal anniversary exhibition of the Chairman of the Belgorod Regional Branch of the TSHR Peter Lesovoy.

The exposition presents various types of visual activity of the artist, inextricably linked and inseparable from his work. A wide temporarily and creative range of exhibited works makes it possible to trace the evolution of the painting style, to reveal the little-known facets of the author’s artistic expression. What P. Lesova shows cannot be called the result of a certain period. It is rather a mirror in which the viewer will see the master, his soul, his path, where points are not set.

Having given “his heart to watercolors”, Lesovoy with all his being goes into her mysteries. Recognizes the amazing richness of the material. At the stage of study and cognition, a realistic approach was the only acceptable for a young artist. The harmony of color and form in nature, the search for beauty pushes him on a journey around the country. In the 80s, Lesovoy made a number of creative trips to the North, to Belarus, to Central Asia, Siberia, and Kazakhstan. The first trip to the North in 1983 in the Arkhangelsk region identified the main line of the creative path at an early stage. This line is associated with attachment to the nature of the Russian North, its wooden architecture, simple and expressive. The transparency of the air, the clarity of the silhouettes, the tonal contrast inherent in the North charmed the artist and outlined the technical techniques of watercolors of those years. His sheets “Barns and Mills” and others are qualitatively heterogeneous, but all of them are characterized by lightness, transparency, careful study of details, compositional attachment to a motive and a romantic tendency in color, which became dominant in subsequent works.

Impressions overwhelming the soul, dissatisfaction with their implementation prompt Lesovoy to a new meeting with the North next year. This meeting was very productive, the key to his understanding of beauty appeared. Watercolors "Lesotundra", "Evening Song" and others, incorporating the discoveries and mistakes of previous works, give a way to a qualitatively new level. Compositions become whole, free from naturalism, the drawing is accurate without emphasis on distracting details. The beauty of the motifs, the poured silence and peace are organic with a relaxed style of writing. Lesovoy works with a wide brush, fills. The predominant cold, almost monochrome color scheme, combined with a subtle sense of tone, give the sheets a romantically harsh orientation. It should be noted the genre of his landscapes. Even when there is no direct human presence in the works as in the Northern Bath, Kimzhi Village, it is felt in wooden streets, moorings, churches, in sloping evening fields, in neatly cleaned haystacks, in the emotional excitement of the author. The following creative trips, single and as part of all-Union watercolor groups convince of the fidelity of the intended path. Work with nature, change of impressions, deepening in the technical capabilities of watercolors, their use in the figurative embodiment of the form improve mastery. The mastery that has come easily responds to the movements of the soul, which were not previously claimed. Central Asia Lesovoy is a significant layer in his work, inextricably linked with a certain pictorial system of the Northern cycle, but already bordering on the author’s current worldview. An artist who seeks his own in art, working with nature, seeks to compose impressions, emotions, brought to life by the beauty of nature. Central Asia, a place where no artist will remain indifferent. But you can see your beauty and convince the viewer of it only by abandoning the usual angle, changing a number of ideas, the point of view on them. To show the area recognizable, real, but at the same time new, mysterious, the task is not easy. But Lesovoy solves it. Compositions of the best works of this cycle are exquisite. The specificity of the plot is not tied to nature, but is in a bold but thoughtful organization of space. This organization is so natural externally that the thoroughness of measuring each empty area seems to remain “behind the scenes”. The visible “vitality” of the compositions is an indicator of high professionalism. Watercolors “Mountain village”, “Dastarkhan and aksakals”, “Urgut brides”, “Ferghana valley” and others are not just genre scenes. This is Central Asia with its nature, architecture, lifestyle, with its wisdom and mystery. The drawing is concrete, but not detailed, in separate sheets (“The Birth of a Son”) summarized, brought to grotesque expressiveness. An important role in the work is played by compositional rhythm. Often, smooth, rounded lines of adobe buildings intersect the verticals of human figures, making the architecture auxiliary, background in the main idea of the work. Another thing is nature. She acts as an actor, and carries a decorative element.

In 1989-1990 at regional exhibitions, watercolors appear at first glance unexpected, but quite logical in the work of Lesovoy. A philosophical understanding of reality, a feeling of something vague, deeply internal, unrealized, haunts the artist. He is looking for new ways of expression. Among the works of this period, a group of watercolors stands out. The sheet “Farewell to the owner” is very expressive in its semantic and color scheme. With merciless nudity, a dramatic scene of the farewell of a huge animal to its master is shown. Doom, obedience to the fate of the characters led to the tension of color and compositional rhythm. Thoughts about death, the destructive power of evil find their development in subsequent works "The Chernobyl mutant abducts Ukraine", "The end of the twentieth century. Chernobyl. " The first is a complex idea of the Chernobyl tragedy, expressed in an equally complex composition, in the language of symbols and metaphors. In another watercolor about Chernobyl, the artist again resorts to the language of images, seeing in it new means of expressing his understanding of space. From this moment, the knowledge and reflection of the world in Lesovoy goes beyond the scope of subject-specific depiction.

The departure from subject painting made it possible to realize that vague, inner, sensation that had been going on for a long time. Reflections on the cosmos, on the place of man in it, on the ecological catastrophe, on harmony with the environment spilled out into the large series “In Outer Space”. The works of this cycle are free from genre dependence and represent a world of signs, symbols and color associations. Through the analysis of the chaos of signs and spots, an understanding of harmony is achieved, contact is felt with the deep hidden essence of the world. “In outer space” is a theme that the artist is working on today. The creative evolution of philosophical saturation, the energy content of the picturesque space is what Lesovoy’s style is at this stage.

His art is alive, intense, searching, breathing beauty. And in it everything that the artist creates is important, be it watercolor, graphics, sculpture. His art foresees, predicts, cognizes.

Petr Lesovoy was born in 1948 in the Zhytomyr region. Drew since childhood. At the end of the school, contrary to the wishes of her parents, she enters the Kiev Art and Industrial College, an artist-designer at the department. After serving in the army, he continued his education at the Kharkov Art and Industrial Institute. In Kharkov, Lesova pays great attention to painting, sculpture, and improves drawing. In the fourth year, the Lesovoy Institute is admitted to the youth association under the Union of Artists of the USSR, after defending his diploma, he teaches at the Department of Design.