By Ann Nichols
Staff Writer
Yuri Vnodchenko, an 83-year-old painter living in Voronezh, Russia, has received the title Honored Artist of the Russian Soviet Federal Soviet Republic three times during his career. His lifelong devotion to art, as well as his struggles to accomplish his goal, so impressed Lynn and Dianne Cline that the couple wrote a book about his life.
An exhibition of Vnodchenko's paintings and the book can be seen at L.P. Cline Gallery through December.
For about eight years, the Clines have been visiting artists' studios in Voronezh and acquiring Soviet-era works, as well as contemporary Russian art.
"Their concept of what they see is so different than what we see," said Lynn Cline. "They have such a deep understanding of their history and struggles that they find beauty in the most simple things."
The story of Vnodchenko, as chronicled in the Clines' book, is particularly poignant.
He was born into a poor peasant family in the Odessa region of Ukraine. His two brothers died of starvation, and his father was arrested and never heard from again when Vnodchenko was just a few years old. Forced to migrate with his mother to Moldavia, he was placed in an orphanage at age 6. Although he never had enough to eat, it was during these years at the orphanage that he discovered his life's passion: art. While foraging for food in bombed-out buildings during the German occupation, he found a set of oil paints. His childhood paintings and sketches caught the attention of a Romanian officer, who sold them and bought more art supplies for the budding artist.
After World War II ended, Vnodchenko attended art school and later an art academy in Kiev, where he studied with Tatiana Yablonskaya. Following graduation, he moved to Voronezh because of its rich cultural life and supportive environment for artists.
According to the Clines, Vnodchenko considers himself a realist but not a social realist. Nature has been his greatest influence. Through his paintings, he documented his people and country.
"We chose him as the first of three artists to profile because he was so dedicated to portraying the lives, spirit and work of the people," said Dianne Cline. "He truly wants the world to see who Russians really are."
Vnodchenko's portraits are stunning -- whether they be grieving widows, milkmaids, babushkas or peasants taking a rest after working the fields. Landscapes, livestock and genre scenes depict the everyday reality of Russian rural life.
The book accompanying the exhibit is written in both English and Russian. Vladimir Dobromirov, director of Voronezh Oblast Art Museum, provided the Russian text. In addition to the paintings, Vnodchenko's easel and paint box are on display at the gallery.
"Although he had painted every day for decades, his health has failed, and he cannot work any longer," said Dianne Cline. "We are so fortunate to have become friends with such a great artist and his family."
L.P. Cline Gallery, 508 Broad St., is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment on Saturday. Call 265-4786.
Contact Ann Nichols at annsnichols @aol.com.