Valentin Popkov, an Honored Artist of the RSFSR and People’s Artist of the Mordovian ASSR, began his career in the mid-1960s. A young graduate of the Kazan Art School adhered to the aesthetic principles of the “severe style” — one of the trends in Soviet realistic painting. The characteristic features of the “severe style” were the completeness of themes, unembellished reflection of reality, heroism of everyday work, and monumentality of a generalized artistic image.
The development of the spiritual and moral line in Valentin Popkov’s works started with the exemplary canvas “Our Grandfathers”. While still a very young man, he turned to the theme of elderly people which was “unfashionable” in art at that time. The choice of the topic reflected his views on traditions, continuity of generations, and historical memory.
In the painting “Our Grandfathers”, the artist seeks to convey the idea that the future stems from the experience of the past, and all the best achievements of the present are based on the traditions established earlier. Monumental images of the heroes of the canvas emerge as the basis of unwavering human values of the present.
In fact, there is no narrative in the picture. The veterans of collective farming have gathered to smoke and talk at the walls of a new village log house. Behind their shoulders, each of them has had hardships and seen the war, and lived his own unique destiny.
Valentin Popkov established a psychological characterization for each hero of the painting. At the same time, the characters share common features, like simplicity, dignity and courage. The figures of the heroes are as close as possible to the viewer, which allows to communicate with them, to become part of their history.
In Popkov’s painting, the veterans, like legendary heroic bogatyrs, seem to “grow” out of the ground. They are likened to mighty, thickset oaks deep-rooted in their native soil. The artist perceives his heroes as guardians of folk wisdom and moral ideals.
In this work, the painter uses a frieze composition, in which the image is built as a long horizontal strip. Thanks to this technique, the composition acquires monumental stability and is filled with a majestic rhythm that affirms the artwork’s objective.
The development of the spiritual and moral line in Valentin Popkov’s works started with the exemplary canvas “Our Grandfathers”. While still a very young man, he turned to the theme of elderly people which was “unfashionable” in art at that time. The choice of the topic reflected his views on traditions, continuity of generations, and historical memory.
In the painting “Our Grandfathers”, the artist seeks to convey the idea that the future stems from the experience of the past, and all the best achievements of the present are based on the traditions established earlier. Monumental images of the heroes of the canvas emerge as the basis of unwavering human values of the present.
In fact, there is no narrative in the picture. The veterans of collective farming have gathered to smoke and talk at the walls of a new village log house. Behind their shoulders, each of them has had hardships and seen the war, and lived his own unique destiny.
Valentin Popkov established a psychological characterization for each hero of the painting. At the same time, the characters share common features, like simplicity, dignity and courage. The figures of the heroes are as close as possible to the viewer, which allows to communicate with them, to become part of their history.
In Popkov’s painting, the veterans, like legendary heroic bogatyrs, seem to “grow” out of the ground. They are likened to mighty, thickset oaks deep-rooted in their native soil. The artist perceives his heroes as guardians of folk wisdom and moral ideals.
In this work, the painter uses a frieze composition, in which the image is built as a long horizontal strip. Thanks to this technique, the composition acquires monumental stability and is filled with a majestic rhythm that affirms the artwork’s objective.
