Vasyl Shukhaiev worked in Saint Petersburg, Paris, and, when in 1935 he returned to the Soviet Union, he was immediately arrested and sent to a concentration camp in Kolyma. After 12 long years in 1947 Shukhaiev moved to Tbilisi, where he eventually earned the title of Honored Art Worker of the Georgian SSR.
The artist told that he managed to survive in the concentration camps only thanks to the help of his wife Vira Shukhaieva (Hvozdieva) who always inspired the artist with faith in happy future. She played the key role in life of the artist. Vasyl Shukhaiev met Vira on his trip to Italy in 1915. She was an intelligent, educated, and very talented woman and it was hard not to fall in love with her. In France Vira worked as fabric designer and it drew her even closer to her talented husband. Despite the softness and gentleness of character, Shukhaiev’s wife with all her fortitude and firmness always helped the artist overcome all challenges in life. By the way, in 58 years of married life Vira had been a model for Shukhaiev quite often. In his paintings she as if clearly demonstrated female spiritual power. The artist often mentioned her in his diary: “My Vira, sometimes it seems to me that she is not a human being, but an angel who has repeatedly saved me and continues to do so… Only two things keep me going – Vira and art. And maybe its faith in art?”
Shukhaiev was a supporter of classicism, which in the early 20th century became topical and was somewhat popular. Therefore, his contemporaries often called him neoclassicist. Later he combined exquisite traditionalism with portrait in his paintings.
The exhibition in “Gallery 15/5” features paintings and graphics made by the artist. His paintings once again prove the high skill and amazing versatility of Shukhaiev’s talent. Therefore, the paintings made by the artist depict most areas of human life. It is thrilling, that the artist did not just show certain moments, documents, or events, but he also conveyed the emotional side of what people are used to see as an image of a formality. And this, in fact, is the task of a true artist. Shukhaiev always reflects the atmosphere of the time in his canvases: be it dark or light, tragic or full of joy. Most importantly, he managed to show the atmosphere of human emotions and relationships.
Speaking about the exhibition of the works by Shukhaiev, art expert Natalia Hlushko said: “The real genius of the artist is the ability to produce a painting which would directly show the author’s personality, his style. Every painting made by Shukhaiev is marked with graceful traits of the artist’s personality, his true nature, and special attitude to life in general. The paintings reflect the character of a man who has a rare sensitivity to the small matter of time and psychology.”
Exhibition of paintings by Vasyl Shukhaiev will be open in “Gallery 15/5” until the end of December, 2012. Admission is free.
