The magic of the "Van Gogh of our time"

Victor Makarov's creativity is a whole chapter in the cultural heritage of Ukrainian art. For more than 55 years, the master's brush has tirelessly created charming landscapes and still lifes, less often portraits. This is a true passion of the artist, which inspired him to create more than 2,000 paintings. Each one is original in its own way, the same subjects are presented to the viewer in Makarov's characteristic style - warm color scheme, soft oil strokes, enchanting play of light in every detail. 

Viktor Makarov's works can be attributed to the general style of modernism. This is a very broad notion and it is enough to accommodate the entire talent of the venerable artist. Some art historians consider his style Impressionism, some - postimpressionism, the rest - exclusively expressionism. That is why modernism as a unifying concept is ideal as all the creative periods of Makarov Victor.

Video dedicated to the personality and work of Victor Makarov:

The young artist showed remarkable talent when, in 1946, he joined the artists' workshop in Ternopil, where his whole family had moved to escape Stalin's repressions.

"Come on, draw a circle!" - After these words, Makarov V.V. began the path of a novice artist. Experienced artists took him as an assistant to their studio, and in 4 years he became an independent master of artistic decoration.

Having moved from his native Krivoy Rog, the novice artist drew inspiration from nature and conveyed all the joy of life in each landscape. As the master himself would later express - "Nature is my teacher".

Soon after, since 1955, he became a participant of collective (group) exhibitions in Kiev, Lviv, Ternopil. The future "Ukrainian Van Gogh" honed his skills, searched for his artistic handwriting, and since 1980 Makarov Victor held solo exhibitions all over Ukraine.

"Since he was 14 years old, Viktor Makarov lived in Ternopil and praised the land, as no one else did," notes Igor Duda, Director of the Ternopil Regional Museum of Art. - His landscapes and views are all dedicated to Ternopil, its surroundings, the river and the pond, because he saw and loved it. He is one of the few who could always be seen with a sketchbook on his shoulders, who painted from nature, creatively rethinking it. Despite the fact that Victor Makarov has no art education, he grew up with Post-Impressionism. His inspirations were Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin. These were the models to which he was drawn, and he grew up on that level of Post-Impressionism, which is characterized by a peculiar vision of nature, an expressionistic language, color, dynamics. He held firmly to this style, he found himself, so I cannot call him an amateur, he is a professional, a very strong artist."

For his works in 2000 Makarov Victor was awarded the title of People's master of painting. Also, the great master was a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, the International Professional Union of Artists and was recognized as a veteran of labor.

His work is a real find for connoisseurs of classical painting. Makarov's works are kept in the Ternopil local history museum, the Ternopil regional art museum, the Center of contemporary art and culture named after Kuindzhi, as well as in private collections in Ukraine, Croatia, Italy, Germany, Canada, Russia, America, Czech Republic and Poland.

Victor Makarov is the only artist who has been nicknamed "Van Gogh of our time" (also, "Ukrainian Van Gogh"). For each of his works the artist fished out the treasures of our nature and preserved its beauty for future generations.

Enjoy the beauty and tenderness of the paintings of the outstanding Ukrainian master in our online catalog. 

You can also buy a printed album-catalogue, which was released for the 80th anniversary of the artist.