Serhii Novikov belongs to the representatives of the Donetsk cultural environment who with their personality destroy the stereotypical image of a Donetsk resident rooted in people’s consciousness. The artist passed away in the early 1990s that is why he is not well-known in Ukraine. However, his work is known abroad, where Novikov presented his paintings on various occasions, including solo exhibitions. The artist’s solo exhibition never took place in Ukraine. He died a week before its opening in 1995.
Novikov worked with a unique technique called figurative symbolism. Today his paintings are stored in private collections of European collectors, in museums in France, the US, Germany, and Sweden. Several of his paintings are presented in Donetsk and Horlivka Art Museums. The biggest part of the collection belongs to Novikov’s family. Sculptor and an Honored Artist of Ukraine Petro ANTYP told The Day about his friend Novikov in more details:
“We met some time around 1987-88 in graphic studio in Lenin Community Center in Horlivka [Novikov’s native town. – Ed.]. He worked there. I drew a portrait and showed it to Novikov. He liked it. We kept in touch since then and soon our communication grew into a friendship. We helped each other, made compositions. In 1989 together we founded the group Art-Skhid, which was later joined by a few other artists and graphics. At that point the group was pretty impressive, we had exhibition in the Ukrainian Home in Kyiv, but later it broke apart. Novikov died, the rest of the artists went abroad, and I stayed in Horlivka.
“The manner of our painting was called figurative symbolism [objective art. – Author]. Color, scope of the painting, and light spots defined the image. Novikov was a unique artist and his technique was unique too. He had no special education, but he had his special vision. Kobzar by Taras Shevchenko inspired him greatly. He always painted and always read Shevchenko. He once showed me his illustration for Haidamaks – it was a different vision, different Cossacks, and different bloomers. With this painting he was accepted to the Moscow Manezh. At that time it was prestigious for any artist, especially a young one to get there.
“He learnt a lot while being in Paris. He did not watch other artist work there, instead he watched nature, stones, ornaments, and butterflies. Novikov liked butterflies a lot, he was interested in everything: structure, patterns. He went to Paris many times. He first got there in 1989: I was invited to an exhibition and I suggested Novikov would go with me. He sold a few of his painting there. The next time we went to Paris was in 1991 when in Ukraine the referendum on independence took place. We were the first to hang Ukrainian flag in Horlivka, in 1988 and 1989 we distributed leaflets, but happened to be in a different country when Ukraine gained its independence.
“Novikov was a decent, cheerful, and honest man. In the 1980s he was often disturbed by police because he did not work. But he was constantly painting, writing poems, and making etchings. He liked to paint abstractions, symbols, he loved the patterns of Ukrainian traditional Easter eggs, he also drew vytynankas (decorative paper cutting patterns). His last piece of art Ikar was made in a new technique. Some consider it symbolic.
“In 2008 the magazine of Ukraine’s National Museum Museum Alley published an article about Novikov called ‘The One Whose Road Leads into The Day After Tomorrow.’ This magazine does not feature stories about many artists. I am glad that people think about Novikov and remember him.”
