Biography

He was born on November 10, 1950, in the settlement of Uva, as the second child in a large family. His father, Pyotr Prokopyevich Kuznetsov, was a war veteran and worked for many years at a bakery. His mother, Anna Mineyevna, was a homemaker. Volodya attended School No. 1 for first grade and completed grades 9 and 10 at School No. 4 in the settlement of Uva. From an early age, he loved drawing. The covers of his notebooks, books, and diaries bear witness to this. His love of drawing was inspired by his older brother Pavel, who initially drew better than Volodya, but after some time the younger brother surpassed the elder one. Pavel became interested in music. Volodya also had a good ear for music. He even played percussion instruments in a vocal and instrumental ensemble. At school, Volodya was a good student, earning mostly grades of “4” and “5.” His favorite subjects were art, algebra, geometry, and technical drawing. He always took part in decorating and designing various school events. For example, in the 10th grade he painted a large portrait of Maxim Gorky for the stage. In 1968, Volodya graduated from school and entered the Faculty of Fine Arts at Udmurt State University, having passed all the specialized entrance examinations with excellent marks.

In 1969, Volodya had to abandon his studies because of family circumstances: his father died, and his mother was left to care for his four-year-old brother and sister. In March, he was hired by the Department of Culture as the head of a mobile cultural club and was later transferred to the position of graphic designer and decorator at the District House of Culture. For the first time, he took part in an exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, which was held at the Vostok Cinema. The exhibition featured graphic works, linocuts, and watercolors. In 1970, Volodya was drafted into the army. He served in the city of Saratov in the construction troops. Later, he said that the army had been for him not only a school of life but also a school of artistic mastery. He worked creatively and extensively, painting portraits of his fellow soldiers, making sketches and studies, and participating in an exhibition of military artists’ works at the House of Officers. It was there that his first solo exhibition was also opened.

In December 1972, Volodya returned home, and already in January he began working at the art workshop of the Yunost House of Culture. In 1975, he was promoted to the position of Senior Graphic Designer and Decorator. In January 1976, Volodya got married, and in the same year he became a father with the birth of his son Oleg. A year later, his daughter Marina was born. During the years of stagnation, he had to design numerous posters and display boards. At times, it was monotonous and uninteresting work. Volodya found fulfillment in his creative pursuits: he experimented with repoussé metalwork, painted in watercolor and oils, and worked in graphic art. He wanted to master everything, but it was watercolor alone that captured his soul. In 1976, Volodya's first solo exhibition in the settlement of Uva was opened. His fellow countrymen appreciated the artist's talent. Many kind words were spoken and published about him, inspiring the artist. Life was not easy for him at that time—he had to provide for his family. He often had to work on weekends as well, yet amid all these everyday concerns, Volodya always found time for creativity. He would go out to paint studies early in the morning or, in the evening and even at night, get up to see the moon. He could not live without it. He loved painting sunsets, sunrises, and winter landscapes. Every spring, the house was filled with the fragrance of bird cherry and lilac, bouquets of which Volodya especially loved to paint.

He often went out into nature, and when he was at home, he spent his free time painting portraits of his children, his wife, and other relatives. He especially loved portraying elderly people. Unfortunately, at that time it was very difficult to obtain good paper, paints, and brushes. He had to paint on the reverse side of wallpaper, prepare his own paints, and make his own brushes. Volodya was also interested in painting and restoring icons. He was reprimanded by the authorities for engaging in the “wrong” kind of propaganda. Later, however, the country entered a new era, and he was able to paint icons openly and without concealment. The iconostasis and the crucifix in the Uva church were created by Volodya. He also made many icons decorated with repoussé metalwork.

Volodya was born an artist. He had an innate sense of beauty and wanted to be surrounded by it everywhere. He mastered woodcarving and decorated his apartment and his garden house with ornamental designs. Whatever he undertook, he did well—even furniture making. Everything was crafted solidly and with artistic taste. One of his passions was mechanical tools and devices. He assembled several machines and electric jigsaws himself. Yet he never forgot watercolor painting. In 1989, he began experimenting with the wet-on-wet technique. It is an extremely difficult method: the artist has only fifteen to twenty minutes to work, before the paper dries. In essence, it is an improvisation, and afterward nothing can be corrected. His watercolors became softer and more lyrical. For eleven years, the artist refined this technique and achieved a high professional level. He participated in all district and republican exhibitions of amateur artists, organized four solo exhibitions in the settlement, and in 1977 was awarded a First Degree Diploma at the Exhibition of Udmurt Amateur Artists for seven watercolor paintings he presented. He also received a First Degree Diploma at the First All-Union Festival of Amateur Artistic Creativity of the Working People of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in 1975–1977. He was awarded the Bronze Medal of the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy of the USSR. Two television reports about Volodya were broadcast on Udmurt Television. From 1991, he worked as Head of Production for the Youth Theater at the Yunost House of Culture. He designed the sketches himself, created the stage sets, and installed them. He participated in the decoration of all public celebrations, election campaigns, and sporting events in the district. He often had to work on holidays and weekends. He particularly remembered the republican competition “Who Among the Twenty-Five?”, to the preparation of which he made a major contribution. On that occasion, the Uva District won first place in the republic. From 1997, Vladimir Petrovich worked at the Uvinskoye Municipal Housing and Public Utilities Enterprise. During these years, he created many oil paintings. He often painted commissioned portraits and made beautiful frames for them himself. The artist’s works can be found in the homes of residents of Uva, as well as in Izhevsk, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, Ulyanovsk, Tatarstan, and Germany. Signs, information boards, advertising panels, and murals created by the artist still adorn Uva. Vladimir Petrovich was also well respected among Udmurt artists—many knew him personally, including Kononov, Russkikh, Tagirov, and others. Because of his modesty, he never joined the Union of Artists and held no official titles. The most important thing in his life was creativity.

In February 2000, Vladimir Petrovich fell ill. During the summer, sensing that he was growing weaker, he hurried to prepare for the solo exhibition that he had dreamed of opening for his jubilee. He painted more than twenty watercolor works and made the frames himself. The artist’s strength was leaving him, and his hands no longer obeyed him. Then he would sit and look at his watercolors, retreating into his own world, where he felt so at peace. The solo exhibition opened on October 17, 2000. It featured fifty-eight watercolor paintings created during the previous years. The artist was unable to attend the opening, but he watched a video recording of it. Everything was wonderful: the organization and the warm words spoken in his honor. He was satisfied that his long-cherished plan had been fulfilled. Yet many of his ideas and wishes remained unrealized. The illness proved incurable. In his forty-nine years of life, the artist managed to accomplish a great deal. He created around two thousand works of art in such media as watercolor, oil painting, graphic art, repoussé metalwork, and woodcarving. He gave people joy, beauty, and a love of nature. The art historian V. Gartik called the artist “a true natural talent” for his professionalism, extraordinary capacity for work, and the nobility of his spirit. Vladimir Petrovich left behind a tremendous legacy—his beloved watercolors, which will outlive many generations and continue to bring joy to people. He said that future generations would also understand and appreciate his paintings. These were his words: “We lived on a beautiful land, we knew how to feel the ardor of the early dawn, we loved the Russian birch, and let our grandchildren know this as well.”

Lyudmila Petrovna
the artist’s wife