From the press

Today, March 13, an Exhibition of Watercolors by Vladimir Kuznetsov Opens in Izhevsk

At the Gallery Exhibition Center, visitors will be able to experience a winter blizzard, a spring flood, a stormy summer, and a golden autumn—all at the same time.

The highly demanding "a la prima" technique (Italian for "at the first attempt" or "in one sitting") requires an artist to complete a watercolor painting within just 15–20 minutes, before the paper dries. Once finished, the work can hardly be altered or refined. This technique demands extraordinary concentration, precision of observation, a steady hand, and exceptional artistic skill. Flowing pigments, delicate color blooms, soft feathered edges, subtle tonal transitions, transparency, and luminous purity—these are the elements that create the magic of "a la prima" watercolors.

The collection of 30 of Vladimir Kuznetsov's finest watercolor landscapes is more than a window onto nature—it is a true portal. It transports viewers directly to the edge of a forest or the shore of a quiet lake. You seem to step into wet snow, feel tiny snowflakes from a blizzard brushing your cheek, turn away from the gust of an approaching thunderstorm, or breathe in the crisp, exhilarating air with a full breath. Your eyes water in the dazzling March sunlight. One of the paintings is aptly titled "Bright March."

Vladimir Petrovich Kuznetsov was born with the soul of an artist and devoted his life to nurturing and developing his gift. Throughout his relatively short life, he remained in his native settlement of Uva. Immediately after finishing school, the gifted young man traveled to Izhevsk and enrolled in the university's Faculty of Fine Arts, earning top marks in all entrance examinations for the artistic disciplines. However, at the age of nineteen, following the death of his father—a World War II veteran—Vladimir became the eldest man in a large family. He returned home to Uva, where he worked as a decorative artist at the "Yunost" House of Culture, married, raised his children, continued to develop his artistic talent, and enriched the cultural life of his community.

His creative legacy is remarkably diverse. It includes stage sets and costumes for the Youth Theater, artistic designs for district sports and cultural events, portraits of local residents, landscapes of his native region, and even the iconostasis of the church in Uva.

Although Vladimir Kuznetsov never became a member of the Union of Artists of Udmurtia and received no honorary titles, he was highly respected among fellow artists, museum professionals, and art historians. His first solo exhibition took place in 1971 at the Saratov House of Officers, while he was serving his compulsory military service. His final lifetime solo exhibition opened in Uva on October 17, 2000. Because of serious illness, Vladimir Petrovich was unable to attend the opening and saw it only later on a video recording.

Since 2010, Uva has hosted the annual Interregional Festival and Exhibition "To the Sounds of Watercolor", dedicated to the memory of Vladimir Kuznetsov. Today, his paintings can be found in museums and private collections in Izhevsk, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Ulyanovsk, and Moscow.

The most comprehensive catalog of the artist's works is available on his official website: https://vpkuznetsov.ru

News of the Udmurt Republic
https://izvestiaur.ru
13.03.2024

The Legacy of a Beautiful Soul

His paintings are not merely a "window onto nature"—they are a portal. You step onto wet snow, feel tiny flakes of a snowstorm against your cheek, and sense the gusts of wind that precede a thunderstorm. Your eyes begin to water beneath the generous sunlight captured in watercolor.

Bright March

This is the title of one of the paintings featured in the newly opened exhibition "Vladimir Kuznetsov. The Nature of Udmurtia in Watercolor" in Izhevsk. A delicate haze surrounds the trunks of birch trees; the first spring grass dazzles with its vivid green, while a patch of calm, clear sky is reflected in a puddle. That mirrored fragment of the heavens captivates the viewer and holds the gaze for a long time. Take a few steps to the side, and suddenly you find yourself on a windy summer day. The artist calculated the flow of watercolor on wet paper so precisely that the paint's natural runs convey the swaying of treetops before a storm. The pale gray of a moonlit midnight, the glowing copper of a summer sunset, the rich lilac of deepening twilight—each time, a dominant color catches your eye from afar, drawing you closer, where countless subtle shades gradually reveal themselves. As you study these watercolors, they quietly study your soul in return.

The extraordinarily demanding "alla prima" technique (Italian for "at the first attempt" or "in one sitting") requires a watercolor painting to be completed within fifteen to twenty minutes, before the paper dries. After that, the work can scarcely be corrected or refined. Landscapes painted "alla prima" are difficult to create outdoors and even more challenging to paint from memory. A series of preparatory sketches may help—but it may just as easily spoil the spontaneity. In wet-on-wet watercolor, the illusion of improvisation, of a virtuoso sketch capturing a fleeting impression, must always remain intact. Such painting demands exceptional concentration, perfect visual judgment, a steady hand, and remarkable professional skill. The flowing washes of pigment, soft feathered edges, delicate tones, subtle color transitions, transparency, and purity are precisely what give "alla prima" watercolors their magic.

This collection of Vladimir Kuznetsov's finest watercolors, created during the last ten years of his life, serves as a kind of artistic testament. He once said:

"We lived on a beautiful land, we knew how to feel the glow of the early dawn, we loved the Russian birch—and let our grandchildren know this as well."

Moonlit Path

Vladimir was born with an artist's perception of the world, and throughout his life he preserved and nurtured this gift. Just as the moon leaves a shimmering path of light across the water, so the artist's work illuminated the place he occupied in this world.

Vladimir Petrovich Kuznetsov spent his entire, all too brief life (1950–2000) in the settlement of Uva. He absorbed the surrounding forests, streets, houses, people, and atmosphere of his homeland not merely as memories but as subjects worthy of careful observation and constant drawing. Even as a teenager he became the school's principal artist, creating posters, wall newspapers, display boards, and event banners.

Many years later, his future wife, Lyusya, who was five years younger than he was, showed him a school photograph of herself with a friend. Vladimir smiled and remarked, "The portrait of Maxim Gorky on the stage behind you—that was painted by me."

After graduating from secondary school, the gifted young man traveled to Izhevsk and enrolled in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Udmurt State University, earning top marks in every entrance examination related to art.

Yet at the age of nineteen, after the death of his father—a veteran of the Second World War—Vladimir became the eldest man in a large family. He returned to his native Uva, worked as an artist and stage designer at the "Yunost" House of Culture, completed his military service, married, raised two children, and devoted himself to hard work. At the same time, he never stopped learning, striving to become a true professional and constantly refining his artistic skills.

He would rise at five or six in the morning to complete a sketch before going to work, or finish a painting late at night when everyone else in the house was asleep. On weekends, regardless of the weather, he would set off into the countryside carrying his easel.

The artist's widow, Lyudmila Petrovna, recalls:

"Sometimes he would set an alarm clock and wake up in the middle of the night just to catch the beauty of the moon. He loved returning to the very same spot in the forest and painting it in different seasons. He was in love with sunsets and sunrises. Every spring our house filled with the fragrance of bird cherry and lilac blossoms. Volodya would bring home armfuls of flowering branches because he loved painting them. He simply couldn't live without it."

Whatever Kuznetsov undertook, he mastered. He became skilled in wood carving, linocut printing, repoussé metalwork, and furniture making. He painted icons and crafted their decorative covers himself. Everything that came from his hands was solidly made and marked by artistic taste. He possessed a rare sensitivity to beauty and wanted others to experience it as well.

Day after day, year after year, this remarkable man enriched the world around him. His legacy includes stage scenery and costumes for the Youth Theatre, artistic designs for district sporting and cultural events, portraits of local residents, landscapes of his native countryside, and the crucifix and icons that still adorn the Church of St. John of Kronstadt in Uva.

Spring Flood

Like the rivers overflowing their banks each spring, Vladimir Kuznetsov's paintings spread far beyond the borders of his native settlement during his lifetime. Today, his works can be found in museums and private collections in Izhevsk, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Ulyanovsk, and Moscow. His first solo exhibition was held in 1971 at the House of Officers in Saratov, while he was serving his compulsory military service in the Soviet Armed Forces. He organized his first exhibition in his hometown in 1976, the year he married.

Over the years, Kuznetsov participated in numerous republican art exhibitions and was awarded a First Degree Diploma at the All-Union Festival of Amateur Artistic Creativity of Working People, as well as a Bronze Medal from the USSR Exhibition of National Economic Achievements (VDNKh).

His last lifetime solo exhibition opened on October 17, 2000, in Uva. Nearly sixty watercolor paintings, carefully arranged into a thoughtfully curated exhibition, revealed the true scale of his artistic talent. Vladimir Petrovich himself, however, was too ill to attend the opening and could only watch a video recording afterward. During the final weeks of his life, he was no longer able to hold a paintbrush. He simply sat in front of his paintings, looked at them, and reflected. It seems that he had poured all his emotions, all the energy of his life, into his beloved watercolors.

There is hardly a person in Uva who does not remember—or at least know of—the artist Kuznetsov. His works are permanently displayed in the local art gallery. Since 2010, the Uva Children's School of Arts has regularly hosted the interregional watercolor biennial, the festival and exhibition "To the Sound of Watercolors," dedicated to Vladimir Kuznetsov's memory.

Among the watercolors currently exhibited at the Gallery Exhibition Center in Izhevsk are several works that the artist's family is presenting to the public for the very first time. The most comprehensive catalogue of Vladimir Kuznetsov's works is available at https://vpkuznetsov.ru

Although Vladimir Petrovich Kuznetsov never became a member of the Union of Artists of Udmurtia and received no honorary titles, he was widely respected among fellow artists, museum professionals, and art experts. Art historian Valentina Gartig once wrote about him:

"Without complaining about fate, far from the major cultural centers, burdened like everyone else with the routine of everyday work, he still found time for what he loved most—creating on paper a world of his own, piercingly luminous and profoundly serene."

Elena Obidina
"Let's Go to the Museum" Portal
https://idemvmuzei.ru
15.03.2024