Vnodchenko, Yuri Fedorovich

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Yuri Fedorovich Vnodchenko was born on October 8, 1927, in the town of Kasharka in the Odessa region of the Ukraine. He was orphaned at the age of six, when his father died. He went to a home in a peasant village, and in his artwork Vnodchenko honors the commoners who raised him. Although Odessa was a poor region, Yuri and the other children of the region were given art and music lessons. When Germany invaded the Ukraine during World War II, the children at the home were moved to Teraspol in Moldova. As in the rest of the Soviet Union, the German invasion was extremely hard on the people, and the children were forced to forage through bombed-out buildings in the city to survive. On one foraging expedition, Yuri found a set of oil paints. He began copying paintings he saw in books and museums and was able to sell some of these, providing a small income for himself. At the same time, and older artist who lived in the area allowed the boys to come to his home for instruction in art. Equally helpful was a Romanian officer stationed in Teraspol and involved in cultural affairs. He was able to take the boys’ works to sell, bringing them art supplies in return.

When the war ended, Vnodchenko’s formal art studies began at the newly opened art college in Kishinev, the capital of Moldova. He studied there from 1944 to 1950. From there he went to study at the Kiev Art Institute, studying under the famous artist and academician Tatyana Yablonskaya. Vnodchenko sites Yablonskaya as the greatest influence on his development as an artist. Yuri graduated from the Kiev Art Institute in 1956 and moved to Voronezh to live and work. He has participated in all Voronezh regional art exhibitions since then. He was encouraged to travel and work at the academic dachas, or country houses where talented artists were invited to live and concentrate on their work. (Only the more promising and proven artists were granted academic dachas.)

Vnodchenko has been a member of the Artists’ Union of the USSR since 1961 and participates in regional, zonal, republican and All-Union exhibitions. In 1976 he was awarded the extremely prestigious title of “Honored Artist of Russia”. He taught for many years at the Voronezh Art College.

His early works consisted of mainly figurative paintings, but he is now also well known for his landscapes, historical works, and paintings depicting the hard-working people of his homeland.

Important exhibitions include:

1957: Republican art exhibition: “Artists of the Regions and Areas of the Russian Federation”, Moscow
1958: All-Soviet Union art exhibition: “40th Anniversary of VLKSM”, Moscow
1960: Republican art exhibition: “Soviet Russian”, Voronezh
1964: Regional art exhibition: “The Black Earth Region”, Voronezh
1965: Second Republican art exhibition: “Soviet Russia”, Moscow
1967: Third Republican art exhibition: “Soviet Russia”, Moscow
1972: Exhibition of art by artists of the Russian Federation: “Throughout the Homeland”, Moscow
1972: All-Soviet Union art exhibition: “USSR: Our Homeland”, Moscow
1974: Regional art exhibition: “The Black Earth Region”, Oryol
1975: Fifth Republican art exhibition: “Soviet Russia”, Moscow
1977: Personal exhibition to celebrate the 50th birthday of the artist, Voronezh
1977: Art exhibition in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the 1917 October (Bolshevik) Revolution: “Great October”, Moscow
1980: Regional art exhibition: “The Black Earth Region”, Bryansk
1980: Sixth Republican art exhibition: “Soviet Russia”, Moscow
1984: Regional art exhibition: “The Black Earth Region”, Voronezh
1985: Seventh Republican art exhibition: “Soviet Russia”, Moscow
1987: Personal exhibition to celebrate the 60th birthday of the artist, Voronezh
1992: Regional art exhibition: “The Black Earth Region”, Voronezh

Translation of important awards and diplomas:

“Comrade Vnodchenko, Yuri Fedorovich, for your service in the field of Soviet visual arts the presidium of the Upper Council of the Russian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic, by directive of 6th August 1976, awards you the honorary title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.”
“The Ministry of Culture and Board of the Artists’ Union of the Russian Federation awards this diploma for participation in the Seventh Republican art exhibition to Vnodchenko, Yuri Fedorovich” (1985)
“Honorary Certificate. By decision of the Executive Committee of the Voronezh Regional Council of the people’s deputies, 24th September 1987, Vnodchenko, Yuri Fedorovich, a member of the Artists’ Union of the USSR, for service in the development of the visual arts, active participation in the communist education of workers and in connection with the 60th anniversary of his birth, is awarded this honorary certificate.”
“‘The October (Bolshevik) Revolution opened a new era in world history.’ V. I. Lenin. From the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Cabinet of Ministers of the USSR, the All-Soviet Central Countil of Trade Unions, and the Central Committee of the All-Soviet Lenin Communist Union Youth Movement: this honorary certificate for achieving highest results in the All-Soviet Socialist competition in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution is awarded to Vnodchenko, Yuri Fedorovich - Honored Artist of the Russian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic, 1987.”
“The Ministry of Culture and the Board of the Artists’ Union of the Russian Federation awards this honorary certificate to comrade Vnodchenko, Yuri Fedorovich, for artistic achievement and success.”
“The Administration of the Voronezh region awards this certificate to Vnodchenko, Yuri Fedorovich, and Honored Artist of Russia, for his large contribution to the development of the culture of the Voronezh region, and in connection with the 70th anniversary of his birth. (By decree of the Administration of the Voronezh region, #1028 on 6th October 1997.)”

Important works include:

“A Young Mother” 1964. Kramskoi Museum, Voronezh
“The End of a Working Day” 1972. Kramskoi Museum, Voronezh
“Portrait of the Herdsman Ovchinnikov” 1974. Kramskoi Museum, Voronezh
“In the Workers’ Hut” 1976. Kramskoi Museum, Voronezh
“Friends” 1977. Kramskoi Museum, Voronezh
“On the River Don” 1980. Kramskoi Museum, Voronezh
“Portrait of the Artist Matovilov” 1981. Kramskoi Museum, Voronezh
“Waiting for the Ferry” 1981. Kramskoi Museum, Voronezh
“The Old Boy Ignat Sherbashin” 1987. Kramskoi Museum, Voronezh
“The Season’s Opened” 1987. Kramskoi Museum, Voronezh
“Amongst One’s Own” 1957.
“The Year 1919″ 1964.
“Girl from a Collective Farm” 1965.
“With Russian Soldiers” 1965.
“On the Last Journey” 1968.
“On the Last Road (Burial of the Commissar)” 1969.
“A Village Wedding” 1969.
“The Farmer’s Wife” 1973.
“The First Commune” 1980.
“To the Defense of Ancient Rus” 1992.
“Last Spring” 1996.

Note: Because of the Russian system of selling important works directly to the regional Ministries of Culture, Vnodchenko, only knows the whereabouts of his works in the Kramskoi Museum in Voronezh.

His works can be found in the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Artists’ Union of Russia, the Mordovian Republican Museum of Fine Arts, the Kramskoi Museum in Voronezh, the Orel Regional Picture Gallery and the Lipetsk Art Museum, as well as in private collections in Russia and abroad.

His works have been published in numerous books and journals, including:

“A Dictionary of Twentieth Century Russian and Soviet Painters.” Matthew Cullerne Bown. Izomar Limited, London, 1998. (two paintings)
“Land and People”. Artist RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic), Leningrad, 1982.
“Russian Realist Art.” Russian Art, St. Petersburg, 1997.
“The Voronezh Artists’ Union.” A. V. Vashchenko. Voronezh, 2004.
“The Voronezh Artists’ Union.” Voronezh, 2006.