The final exhibition of the XXVII International Plein Air “The Image of the Motherland in Fine Arts” - “Industrial Mogilev Region” opened at the Mogilev Regional Art Museum named after. P.V. Maslenikova.
The exhibition contains 45 works of art, as well as works by plein air artists of past years.
“This is not the first such plein air in our city, and in my life it has already happened at least two dozen times. It so happened that I head the organizing committee. What's impressive about this plein air is that we received such a diverse palette of works and themes. It seems like we limited the artists to the industrial landscape, but they accepted and understood this topic much more broadly. Among the works presented are labor veterans, the history of the development of our region, and the rich and diverse economy of the region. We see the future in these works both in the Mogilev region and throughout the country. It is very important that all this is done with high quality, with love for us. And all this reflects the mood that is now in the air in society,” said Deputy Chairman of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee Valery Malashko .
The chosen theme of the plein air draws attention to what is usually hidden from people’s eyes, but has a serious impact on shaping the lives of each of us. The regional art museum houses works that represent the production flagships of the region and the country, labor veterans. For residents of the regional center, it will not be particularly difficult to guess this or that enterprise in the canvases. Portraits of employees and labor veterans especially stand out. One of them was a portrait of labor veteran Tatyana Naumovna Sizorenko , the author of which was the artist Vladimir Gladkov . The woman came to the opening of the exhibition, because, she says, she could not miss such an important event.
“I worked all my life at the Mogilevkhimvolokno enterprise. Of course, the news that I would be posing for an artist came as a surprise to me. But during our work with Vladimir Gladkov we became friends. Time flew by with him,” she said. “I immediately felt like a little statue, I sat huddled. And then I somehow relaxed, in the company of such an artist everything went easily. For me, of course, it was a great honor. Moreover, my daughter is an artist, the whole apartment is covered in her paintings. So, Vladimir invited our family to Minsk to his workshop. I think this plein air gave us not only an unforgettable experience, but also friendship with such a bright and creative person.”
The author of the work, a Belarusian artist with extensive experience, Vladimir Gladkov, noted that he participated in such a plein air in Mogilev for the first time. “I came to Mogilev for the first time - I’ve lived in Minsk for 20 years and have never been here. “I was pleased to be here,” he said. - At the final exhibition I presented three works. I chose the hero for my portrait myself, based on historical photographs. The portrait turned out to be psychological and interesting. You can read your whole life in Tatyana Naumovna’s eyes. Another painting shows one of the workshops of the Mogilevkhimvolokno plant, and the third painting depicts a view of Mogilev from the town hall.”
Vladimir Gladkov shared that he liked the plein air. “Of course, there is not enough time to create three works, I would like more. But I hope that this is not my last participation in such an event,” he noted. - I couldn’t see the whole city. But the atmosphere itself was wonderful, thanks to the organizers we were even able to work on the landscapes. And we even agreed with some artists that we should come to Mogilev for about a month - there is something to capture in this city.”
Representatives of leading enterprises in the region were also present at the opening of the final exhibition. Among them is the Deputy General Director for ideological work and social issues of Babushkina Krynka OJSC - the management company of the Babushkina Krynka holding Svetlana Stashevskaya . This company and its employee are also depicted on the canvases of talented artists. “When we first learned that such a plein air was being launched, we were very inspired by its theme. On the one hand, this was unexpected. Of course, the question always arises: where do artists get their inspiration, especially when the theme of their work is clearly defined. We, ordinary people, see the end result of such a big and serious work,” she shared. - Today, when these wonderful works have been collected here, we see a variety of techniques by artists from different countries, I thought about how great it is that there is such a plein air. Our guests saw our incredible nature, our production facilities and the teams that work there, and they wrote it all so subtly and aptly.”
This year, 15 artists from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Uzbekistan took part in the plein air. Along with honored masters, young artists will also work on the future exhibition, which symbolizes the continuity of generations.
“In my opinion, the work of young people with already established artists provides certain advantages. Young artists acquire techniques, their colors become more saturated. First of all, the technical component is important. After all, completely different authors come to us. This is the value of plein air. They can all paint the same landscape, but for each it will be different and for each it will be good,” summed up Valery Malashko.
The international plein air painting “Image of the Motherland in Fine Arts” has been held in Mogilev annually since 1996. The creative event is traditionally dedicated to outstanding cultural figures or significant events in the history of our country. This year the plein air is dedicated to the Year of Peace and Creation. During the event, about 600 artists from 38 countries took part in it.
