The biography of the artist Vladimir Fedorovich Stozharov almost completely repeats the geography textbook. Over the course of his long creative life, the legendary painter visited the Russian North more than once, traveled to almost all the far corners of the Soviet Union, and more than once went on trips abroad. A number of leading critics in the field of world art recognize the master’s work as outstanding examples of the classical landscape.
Vladimir Fedorovich Stozharov for a long time was a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR, and after decades of creative work, he decided to take responsibility for the popularization of landscape art and become a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Arts.
The master has repeatedly won various awards and received a series of awards for his works created in the period 1970-1973.
Biography
The future famous artist Vladimir Fedorovich Stozharov was born on January 3, 1926 in Moscow. The boy’s family was not rich, and from an early age Vladimir tried to find additional income, trying himself in various crafts. Together with his relatives, he repeatedly visited various places in the Far North, where he studied with artisans in the ancient art of pottery, blacksmithing, wood carving and glaze painting. The acquired skills in working with various materials will later serve Stozharov a good service.
Even in early childhood, young Vladimir was shocked by the incredible gloomy beauty of Northern Russia. An indelible impression on the boy was made by his father and his trips to Arkhangelsk, Yaroslavl, Kostroma and Ryazan, where Vladimir first became acquainted with ancient Slavic architecture.
What he saw not only remained forever in the boy’s heart, but also significantly influenced his decision to become an artist and perpetuate this incredible beauty of nature and human life on canvas.
early years
The training of Vladimir Fedorovich Stozharov at the Moscow Secondary School of Art took place during the difficult war years. From 1939 to 1945, the young artist learns to masterfully use a brush, pen, tempera, gouache, pastel, watercolor and oil paints. Teachers noted the boy's amazing learning ability and innate talent. Even then, the work of Stozharov took first place at local art exhibitions. Mentors of the boy during his formation as an artist were such famous masters of the brush as P.T. Kosheva, S.P. Mikhailov, A.P. Shorchev.
After the war, Stozharov has the opportunity to study at Moscow State University. V.I. Surikova at the newly opened faculty of academic painting, the leaders of which were the famous G.K.Savitsky and V.V. Pochitalov, who became not only mentors, but also good friends of the future painter.
Expeditions
The craving for the discovery of a new, unknown, for fresh and vivid impressions did not leave Vladimir Fedorovich Stozharov while studying at the university. Having graduated with honors, the artist goes on his first professional expedition to the Yenisei, where he not only performed the duties of a full-time drawing artist, but also made a lot of sketches and sketches of nature, local residents.
This is followed by a long rafting along the same Yenisei, but this time the artist descends to Dixon himself, paying great attention to the settlements of the north of the USSR, carefully studying the life, customs and folklore of the northern Russian terrain.
During a short stop in Turukhansk Vladimir Fedorovich Stozharov writes several paintings, which later became his pass to the world of great art. The canvas "Turukhansk", "Rostov Yaroslavsky" and "To Kostroma" became the first major works of the artist, which attracted his eminent colleagues to facilitate Stozharov’s trip abroad to Romania.
Romania
In Romania, Stozharov will remain for almost two years, actively participating in the organization of the exhibition of paintings by Soviet artists "Russian North", at which, among others, many works of the master himself were presented. Stozharov devoted the rest of his time to traveling around the country, in which he made many sketches and sketches for that small part of the canvases dedicated to foreign countries and the southern regions of the world.
Exhibitions
Returning to his homeland, Stozharov immediately joins in the organization of his own traveling exhibition. The artist decides to smuggle his works on the Russian North into the cities of the USSR. A mobile gallery of 67 paintings by the master visited a huge number of cities and enjoyed great success among the local population, who often recognized themselves or details of their native life in the artist’s works.
Since 1955, paintings by Vladimir Fedorovich Stozharov are regularly exhibited in almost all major art exhibitions of the Soviet Union.
Creative travel
In 1959, the master continues the tradition of creative business trips, visiting Italy and France, then again embarking on a journey through the Russian North, leaving for two years in the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. It was here that the majority of the master’s canvases were created, who preferred to live and work in an atmosphere of northern nature and harsh life.
Vladimir Fedorovich Stozharov also paid great attention to river rafting, only in 1965 he traveled along the Mezen, HSE and Pysse rivers in the Komi Republic.
Then in the artist’s life begins a period of almost continuous five-year journey through the remote corners of the Russian North. He repeatedly visited the northernmost points of the country, created a huge number of paintings, sketches and developments, the work on which he continued in 1973, in Moscow.
Art style
The creative style of the master differs significantly from the classical school of pictorial art. Almost all landscapes and still lifes of Vladimir Fedorovich Stozharov are characterized by the solar brightness of the colors, a large color depth and a slightly rough technique for performing the work. The artist actively used the method of large strokes and created his work using color spots, rather than drawn lines or strokes.
Awards
During his long creative life, Vladimir Fedorovich Stozharov repeatedly became the winner and prize winner of various art contests, received the honorary title of “Honored Artist of the USSR”, and also became a laureate of the Ilya Repin State Prize, which was awarded to the master for a conceptual series of works dedicated to the inhabitants and everyday life of the town Udor in the north of the USSR.
Death
In mid-1973, the well-being of the artist began to deteriorate sharply. The master was forced to stop creative trips and participation in various exhibitions. November 22, 1973 the artist died in his apartment in Moscow. The cause of the death of Vladimir Fedorovich Stozharov was stomach cancer.