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Victor ZaretskyUkrainian Soviet artist, teacher, public figure
Date of Birth: 10.02.1925
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Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Artistic Career and Political Activism
- Artistic Style and Influence
- Pedagogy and Influence
- Artistic Evolution and Recognition
- Legacy and Awards
- Recognition
Early Life and Education
Victor Zaretsky was born on February 8, 1925, in Belopolye, Ukraine. His father, Ivan Antonovich, worked as an accountant, while his mother, Maria Andreevna (née Kolomytseva), was a pianist and music teacher. During the events of 1918-1919, Zaretsky's parents' families supported General A. Denikin's Volunteer Army. Fearing persecution, the Zaretsky family moved to Donbass in 1925.
Victor's childhood and adolescence were spent in the industrial towns of Horlivka and Stalino (now Donetsk), where his father worked as an accountant for a newly established chemical plant. From 1943-1945, Zaretsky served in a reserve regiment. After his demobilization, he briefly lived with his parents in the village of Obidimo, Tula Oblast. There, he took private lessons from painter L. Orekhov.
In 1946, Zaretsky enrolled in the art school at the Kyiv State Art Institute, where he studied under Gennady Titov. His teachers at the Kyiv Art Institute, which he entered in 1947, included K. Eleva, M. Sharonov, and S. Grigoriev. He received scholarships from Repin and Stalin. His graduation painting, "Queue in Lenin's Mausoleum," earned him the highest grade.
Artistic Career and Political Activism
After graduating in 1953, Zaretsky remained at the institute as a faculty member. In 1953, he married his classmate Alla Gorskaya, and their son Alexei was born in 1954.
Together with his wife, Zaretsky became an active member of the Sixtiers movement. As the liberal reforms of the 1960s were curtailed and government pressure intensified, Zaretsky replaced Les Tankyuk as chairman of the youth club "Contemporary" in 1963. This transition was coordinated with Tankyuk. As a war veteran, member of the Communist Party, and member of the Artists' Union, Zaretsky was seen by the leadership as a compromise figure. However, the club's direction remained unchanged, and it was soon dissolved. Alla Gorskaya was tragically killed on November 28, 1970, under mysterious circumstances that many believed were suspicious. In 1977, Victor Zaretsky married his teacher's daughter, Maya Grigorieva.
Artistic Style and Influence
Zaretsky's artistic practice was characterized by a multi-vector approach to styles, constantly seeking novelty within tradition. His early paintings demonstrated expressive composition, rhythms, silhouettes, and an exploration of national character. From 1955, Zaretsky worked in Donbass, where in the magazine "Ogonyok" his piece "Miners. Shift" was published. Among his works produced in Donbass are "After the War," "Hot Day," "Mine Yard," and "After the Shift." The latter received a first-degree diploma at an exhibition in Moscow and was nominated for a medal at the World Youth Festival in Moscow. For 30 years, the painting remained in Zaretsky's studio before being acquired by a Swiss collector in 1990.
In Zaretsky's monumental-decorative works, created in collaboration with his wife, the influence of folk art is evident. They are characterized by their vibrant, life-affirming artistic style. Notable monumental works include the mosaics in the experimental secondary school in Donetsk (with G. Zubchenko, G. Sinitsa, and G. Marchenko, 1965-1966), the mosaics in Zhdanov (now Mariupol, 1966-1967), and the mosaic panel "Banner of Victory" in the Young Guard Museum in Krasnodon (with B. Plaksiy, A. Limarev, V. and A. Smirnov, 1968-1970).
Pedagogy and Influence
Victor Zaretsky created a gallery of portraits of Ukrainian figures, including Oles Honchar, V. Kasyan, M. Yatskov, L. Mironova, I. Zaslavskaya, A. Gorsky, R. Nedashkovskaya, and A. Zaretsky.
In 1978, he opened his own art studio. Zaretsky developed an original pedagogical system entitled "Reflections by the Canvas," which was published by his son A. V. Zaretsky in the journal "Obrazovtse Mystetstvo" (Fine Arts, #1-2, 1993). Over 200 students were trained in Zaretsky's art studio, including renowned artists such as Arsen Savadov, Olesya Avramenko, Konstantin Kuntsevich, Oleksandr Kuryneko, Larysa Pisha, Marina Sochenko, Taras Loboda, and Mykola Shkaraputa.
Zaretsky also wrote and partially dictated concise and vivid memoirs. His legacy includes notes, essays, and epistles. These texts were published periodically in the early 1990s and were compiled into a book entitled "Artist Victor Zaretsky. Search for Roots" in 2009.
Artistic Evolution and Recognition
In the early 1980s, Zaretsky's work began to reflect the influence of the Art Nouveau style. The aesthetic became dominant in his later works, while elements of Socialist Realism and ideology receded. Zaretsky's neo-modernist style is distinguished by vibrant folk colors, diverse ornamental stylization, and the use of fantastical gold and ruby hues. Action, plot, and the human figure play a secondary role to decorative composition.
After the fall of the "Iron Curtain," Zaretsky's work gained international recognition. Around 30 of his paintings were presented at a Christie's auction. In 1994, he was posthumously awarded the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine for his later works "Soldier's Wife," "Summer," "Tree" ("Art Lessons"), "Oh, Kum to Kuma Wooed," and "Spring Chores."
Victor Zaretsky's creativity is one of the most well-researched among Ukrainian artists of the second half of the 20th century. His work has been the subject of numerous articles, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral dissertations. Notable monographs have been published, including "Master Doomed by the Epoch" by Lesia Medvedeva (Smyrnaya, 2006) and "The Scales of Fate of Victor Zaretsky" by Olesya Avramenko (2008 and 2011).
Legacy and Awards
Victor Zaretsky died on August 23, 1990, after a long and serious illness. He is buried in the City (Berkovets) Cemetery in the grave of his mother and father, next to his wife.
Recognition
- Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine (1994 - posthumously) for the paintings "Soldier's Wife," "Summer," "Tree" ("Art Lessons"), "Oh, Kum to Kuma Wooed," and "Spring Chores."
