Slovokhotov Valery

SLOVOKHOTOV Valery Pavlovich (1948, Kiev region) - artist, scientist, traveler

He was born on January 24, 1948 in the village of Novye Sokolov in Kyiv region.

"Saw the world," the family moved often. Childhood memories: river, berries, mushrooms in the Vologda region, winter fishing on the Neva, boating in the Gulf of Finland... And again, the Kiev land, Borodyansky district, the village of Klavdiyevo - Tarasovo.

The high spirituality was passed down from a famous relative, the Ukrainian poet Pavel Tychina (Valeria's grandmother was his cousin). It was difficult to study in a village school. Not only because of his poor knowledge of the Ukrainian language, but also because of a natural modesty, bashfulness, which prevented him from communicating with teachers and peers. Often he remained alone with nature, studying, drawing as he could with a pencil and paints. His love for nature, fauna and flora influenced his choice of profession - he was educated as a biologist. He worked his way to the Kiev Research Institute of Zoology. With enthusiasm he draws insects from life (naturally under the microscope, greatly enlarged) for scientific papers of researchers.

A passion for traveling appeared. Travel routes: White Sea coast, Kandalaksha Bay. Novgorod, Arkhangelsk regions, Armenia, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan. Everywhere he travels he makes sketches, draws. Here he reveals himself as a historian who appreciates the achievements of ancient cultures, as a philosopher who sees the world in its deepest colors. He pays attention to ancient architecture and sees the harmony with which architects have blended their creations into the surrounding nature.

The turning point in the development of Valery Slovkhotov as a professional artist was his meeting in the summer landscapes (1970) with Fyodor Zotikovich KONOVALYUK (1890-1984), the "grandfather" of the old realist school of painting. A venerable artist and graduate of the famous Fyodor Krichevsky master for many 12 years became the first and only teacher, creative mentor of the 20-year-old amateur artist. From him Valery Pavlovich learned lessons of skill, studied the subtleties of picturesque "kitchen", learned to see nature more deeply and accurately, to highlight the main thing and omit the secondary, to catch the nuances of natural changes and skillfully transferred the mood of every moment of life to sketches.

Such a school, of course, is worth a lot, and the lack of a special art education was more than made up for by the great artist's precepts. However, having become a true professional, the self-critical Valery Pavlovich is not afraid, along with strong, "competent" things, to show the viewer his earlier unskilled landscapes and those works that have mistakes.

«I can see where I screwed up, - says the artist, - but I'm not going to fix it.». He does not work in the studio at all, etudes, made in plein air, keep in themselves direct "live" impressions. "I want to show the greatness and beauty of the land on which I live as it is, otherwise I will tell a untruth about it, something that does not exist in nature." An example of this approach is the painting "Summer on the Teterev", where in the foreground of the canvas put a very bright yellow paint - coastal sand. It was this "deception of vision" that told what was seen and perceived then, at work.

The artist does not paint people and animals, his element is landscape, here he reveals himself as an attentive, "scientific" researcher, as a traveler who studies the natural world not from the window of the studio, and as a subtle and skillful painter. Nor can he give titles to his works, and if he does designate a picture somehow, he can easily change the title.

Throughout his life, the author works on the theme "Flowers of Ukraine". This cycle brought him a name. Valery Pavlovich has already had more than ten solo exhibitions (eight of them in the city of Kiev, two - in the village of Klavdievo). Among them - to the centenary of Pavel Tychina, and the spiritual mentor of the artist - Fyodor Konovalyuk.

A special love for the nature of Polesie. Valery Pavlovich Slovkhotov is a prolific artist, he is a success among connoisseurs and art lovers. Twice he was invited to Poland to paint landscapes on demand, and today in Wroclaw 230 of his works are located. So each one is special and one of a kind.

His works are in the Shevchenko Museum in Chalet (France), the Central Scientific Library of Kiev, Tychina Museum, Munich Picture Gallery, in many private collections in Ukraine and abroad - in Austria, Australia, USA, Canada, Poland, the former Soviet Union, in total over 20 countries worldwide. More than 1000 works are the property of Kiev citizens. During his life he created more than 3000 works. The list can be continued, but it is clear - we get acquainted with the original talented master, whose pictures were exhibited next to the landscapes of the venerable Georgy Melekhov, Tatiana Yablonskaya, Alexei Gritsai.

SEE THE ONLINE CATALOG OF SLOVOKHOTOV'S WORKS