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An exhibition of works by fellow artist Stepan Fedorovich Nikolenko "The Art of Living on the Positive" to the 80th anniversary of the artist's birth has been opened.

On April 19, 2021, an exhibition of works by fellow artist Stepan Fedorovich Nikolenko "The Art of Living on the Positive" dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the artist's birth has been opened at the Art Museum

The presentation of personal, including anniversary exhibitions of fellow artists is a vivid illustration of the systematic and fruitful work of the Art Museum to promote the work of famous masters of the brush of our Steppe Greece. First of all, this is another opportunity to demonstrate that Kropyvnytskyi artists are not inferior to Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa and other representatives of the creative elite of large cities in terms of professionalism, which gives us an additional reason for pride. That is, in addition to the cultural and aesthetic education of the population, such exhibitions promote patriotic education, which is especially important in relation to young people who need to build a new European Ukraine.

Especially valuable in today's realities are the samples of fine arts, which fall under the definition of "Positive Painting". This fully applies to the hero of the anniversary exhibition Stepan Nikolenko, whose works radiate love for life, nature, people, charge with a positive perception of the world and create the appropriate mood. After all, the artist's creative credo: "We need to portray optimism, joy, so that people believe in the good, love people and the world." Needless to say, this is important when people living in a state that is just trying to get back on its feet are constantly under psychological pressure and stress from everyday problems, pandemics, the threat of a full-scale military invasion, and so on.

Stepan Nikolenko was born on April 19, 1941 in the Soviet Kirovograd region, in the city of Alexandria, which gave our region and the world a unique artistic constellation, prominent scientists and successful politicians. Since childhood, he became interested in drawing, attending a group at the city Palace of Pioneers. Therefore, it is natural that after serving in the army in 1964 he entered the art and graphic faculty of the Krasnodar State Pedagogical Institute, graduating in 1968. Since then, the pedagogical career of the artist begins, who after graduation remains to teach at the Institute at the Department of Drawing, while working as a teacher of composition at the Krasnodar Art School.      

In 1972, Stepan Nikolenko returned to his hometown and continued teaching. During the year he worked as a teacher of visual agitation at the Alexandria Cultural and Educational School, and in 1973 he accepted an offer to head the newly established Alexandria Children's Art School, becoming its founder and permanent leader until 2012 and giving birth to a galaxy of professional artists, many of whom also became well-known teachers.

Stepan Fedorovich himself has long successfully combined the work of a teacher at the Alexandria School of Culture with creative work. Since 1968 he has been a regular participant in numerous exhibitions of various levels, organizer of many solo exhibitions, three of which were presented at the Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum on the occasion of 65th, 70th and 75th anniversaries of the artist. His paintings have also often become part of thematic exhibitions of our museum.     

Stepan Nikolenko is a unique artist, thoughtful and emotional at the same time, with a wide range of creative directions (painting, graphics, sculpture, metal, heraldry) and a variety of techniques (watercolor, sanguine, ordinary graphite pencil). He works in the genres of landscape, portrait, still life, preferring a realistic manner using elements of Impressionism. For his landscapes, Stepan Fedorovich usually chooses rural or suburban motifs, which are a clear illustration of the harmonious coexistence of nature and man, complemented by the artist's personal reflections on the eternal issues of human life. In his genre works and portrait compositions, the artist often violates the laws of time and uses the language of symbols, which creates a unique uniqueness of his works, looking at which, you immediately guess their author.

An active, persistent, set up for daily self-improvement artist is a regular participant in various art events. In particular, in August 2006 he took part in the art open-air "Kirovohrad region - through the eyes of artists" in Oleksandriia district, dedicated to the 15th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, in 2011 he and his students participated in the Spring Open Air in the Arboretum. He participated in the Easter Charity Auction three times.

 

It is gratifying that the highly professional, positive and life-affirming work of the artist has received a wide range of fans and official recognition. Thus, in 2012 he was awarded the regional award in the field of fine arts and art history named after Alexander Osmerkin, and that is very symbolic - in the nomination "National Tradition".

To a large extent, Stepan Nikolenko’s creative passion was realized directly in his native Alexandria, which was lucky to become the object of active exhibition activity of the master. The fact that the artist became the author of the modern coat of arms and flag of the city of Alexandria deserves special respect. Together with another teacher of the art school Alexander Okhapkin Stepan Fedorovich made paintings and wooden and metal-plastic compositions for the Yuri Gagarin Children's Library, painted icons and panels for the Church of the Intercession and the Church of Saints Anastasia and Fedor in Alexandria, as well as icons and a panel for the Church of Peter and Paul in Kirovohrad (modern Kropyvnytskyi). He is also the author of a decorative and monumental panel at the House of Culture of the Svitlopilska mine. Therefore, receiving the title of Honorary Citizen of Alexandria in 2008 was a logical event and a well-deserved award for the artist for his service to his small homeland.

Today the artist's works are stored and presented in the Kirovohrad Regional Council Art Museum, in Art Memorial Museum named after Olexander Osmyorkin in Kropyvnytskyi, Alexandria Museum of Local Lore named after Antonina Khudyakova, in private collections in Ukraine, russian federation, Poland, Germany, Germany, Algeria, Venezuela, USA. Great geography, more eloquent than any epithets!

The fourth solo exhibition of Stepan Nikolenko in the walls of our museum with the eloquent title "The Art of Living on the Positive" presents the works of the master from the stock collections of two museums - the Art Museum and the Memorial Museum named after Oleksand Osmyorkin imbued with positive energy and zest for life of the artist landscapes, portraits, still lifes (including Easter, which is especially true on the eve of Easter) and makes a kind of journey into the wonderful art world of man, who, despite his respectable age, never tires of living in it all around.

 

Oleg Yurchenko - Head Tourism, Local Lore and Informational Work Department

Kropyvnytskyi Art Museum