This art exhibit commemorates two noted artists, Serhii Besedin and his pupil Viktor Tolochko. The pictures on display allow the viewer to learn more about their unique creative heritage.
Serhii Besedin (1901-96) specialized in easel painting, graphic arts, and was known as a top-notch portraitist. Each his work of art was preceded by painstaking research and countless sketches resulting in a creation that seemed to have grasped human traits reaching above common understanding, be it an academic or a simple worker.
Serhii Besedin, Ph.D. (Arts), rector, Kharkiv State Institute of Art, started by enrolling in what was then Kharkiv Art College. His diploma project was praised by Professor Sharonov, then in charge of the college, and the man joined the teaching staff. From then on, teaching and creative work combined successfully. He would write later: “My creative and teaching endeavors are like sisters; they live in accord, adding to each other’s effort, following the same road, determined to reach the same goal.” His pupils would scatter across the world, eventually making their names as artists. Viktor Tolochko was one of them.
VIKTOR TOLOCHKO’S CRIMEAN MOUNTAINS IN THE FALL
Viktor Tolochko (1922-2006) was conferred the prestigious title “Folk Artist of Ukraine.” He had to start studying the fine arts after the end of WW II, first at the Kharkiv Art College, then at the Kharkiv State Institute of Arts, under the able guidance of professors Besedin, Kokel, and Liubymsky. After graduation, he was appointed as curator of Yalta’s folk art museum in Crimea, with items on display on the premises of the famous Vorontsov Palace. Viktor Tolochko was an excellent painter, an honorary member of the Crimean Academy of Sciences. His every canvas is alive with the artist’s passion and life-giving energy. He would have celebrated his 95th birthday this year, but for his passing.
These two incredibly talented artists are no longer among the living, but their creative heritage will keep them alive in our hearts.
