7 Крепак Б. А. Виталий Цвирко / Б. А. Крепак. — Минск : Беларусь, 1985. — 427 с.: ил. 18 ностью содержания («Натюрморт с вазой. Осенний мотив», «Натюрморт с зеркалом», «Натюрморт с нарциссами», все — 1982). В них В. Цвирко утверждал поэзию повседневности и восхищался ею, усмотрев в обыденном Вечность. Мастер в равной степени владел разными техниками: акварелью, темперной и масляной живописью. Безусловно, предпочтение он отдавал последней. Однако его акварельные этюды заслуживают отдельного рассмотрения. Природа этого материала была очень созвучна творческому темпераменту Виталия Константиновича. Акварельные пейзажи В. Цвирко отличаются необыкновенной свободой владения техникой и образной неповторимостью. В таких акварелях художника, как «Поздняя осень», «Оттепель» (обе — 1975), «Логойщина», «Первая зелень», «Талый снег», «Церковь в Заславле» (все — 1980), ощущается особое состояние воздушной среды белорусской природы. Нередко мастер использовал акварель для создания зимних пейзажей. Девственная белизна бумаги просвечивает сквозь прозрачный слой водяных красок в картине «Костел в Ракове» (1980). В данной работе В. Цвирко, путем легких размывок и тончайших цветовых нюансов, добился эффекта переливов света на пышной поверхности снега. Уже современники понимали значение творчества В. Цвирко для национальной школы живописи Беларуси и оценили его заслуги: за особый вклад в развитие белорусского искусства ему было присвоено почетное звание «Заслуженный деятель искусств БССР» (1955), кроме этого художник был награжден орденом Трудового Красного Знамени (1971), медалью Франциска Скорины (1993) и др. Не стало маэстро 11 июня 1993 года. Он ушел из жизни на 81-м году и был похоронен на Восточном кладбище в Минске. В. Цвирко из тех художников, кого безошибочно узнаешь не по подписи, но по авторскому почерку. Своим творчеством Виталий Константинович во многом заложил традиции, по которым продолжает развиваться белорусская пейзажная живопись. Он воспитал целую плеяду 19 учеников, многие из которых впоследствии внесли значительный вклад в развитие отечественного искусства. «Моими настоящими последователями являются те художники, которые учились у меня, но их произведения совершенно непохожи на мои. Это — Л. Щемелев, Д. Алейник, Б. Аракчеев, Н. Казакевич, Г. Поплавский, И. Рей и многие другие», — говорил В. Цвирко8. Произведения В. Цвирко находятся в Национальном художественном музее Республики Беларусь, фондах Белорусского союза художников, Музее современного изобразительного искусства в Минске, Белорусском государственном музее истории Великой Отечественной войны, краеведческих музеях Беларуси, Третьяковской галерее в Москве и других музеях Российской Федерации, а также частных коллекциях Беларуси и зарубежных стран. На сегодняшний день собрание картин Виталия Цвирко в Национальном художественном музее Республики Беларусь — 156 произведений — является одним из самых крупных в мире. Коллекция в полной мере отражает основные этапы творчества мастера. Наталья Сепицкая 8 Крепак Б. А. Виталий Цвирко / Б. А. Крепак. — Минск : Беларусь, 1985. — 427 с.: ил. У reative work of Vital Kanstantsinavich Tsvirka divided the existence of the genre of landscape in Belarus in two — the genre that had existed before Tsvirka and the way it is developing now. Belarusian nature had always been depicted in misty pearl-silver hues typical to painting of V. Byalynitsky-Birulya. V. Tsvirko discovered bright, contrasting and expressive beauty of the native land. He is rightfully considered a pioneer in the creation of a special type of epic, lyric and heroic landscape unknown to Belarusian art before. Vital Kanstantsinavich Tsvirka was born on the 1st (14th) of February, 1913 in the village of Radzeeva, Gomel district, Magileu province (now Buda-Kashaleva district, Gomel region) in the family of village teachers. Since the childhood Vital had imbibed the artistic atmosphere of his home. The parents possessed a good library, his father was interested in art and there were a lot of reproductions of the Itinerants (V. Perov, I. Repin, I. Kramskoy) at home. No wonder that the boy in time began to draw himself. Destiny favoured the development of V. Tsvirka’s talent. He met great artists-teachers who influenced the artistic growth of the boy with their professional qualities, authority and world outlook. While at school V Tsvirka took private lessons from M. Stanyuta and A. Tychina who were originators of Belarusian art of the Soviet period. With great pleasure Vitaly communicated with family friend Kandrat Atrahovich (Krapiva), the Belarusian writer, poet and play writer who was a frequent guest at their home. Afterwards V. Tsvirka said: “Kandrat Kandratovich has deepened significantly my knowledge of 21 drawing. It is not widely known that he had an outstanding talent of a painter. I regard Krapiva as one of my first teachers in art...”1 After the graduation of a Minsk school V. Tsvirka continued his education at Vitebsk Art Training College (1929—1932). There he was lucky to study at classes of famous Belarusian artists: I. Ahremchik, L. Leitman, V. Rutsay, V. Hrustaleu, F. Fogt, M. Ende. At that time the budding artist formed a firm art position according to which he strived himself (and later he would try to pass this attitude to his numerous students) not to paint constantly in the same way but to express diversity of the world through the prism of his own soul. Having returned to Minsk after the studies, Vital Kanstantsinavich taught drawing and drafting at the pedagogical college and at comprehensive school number 25 from 1932 to 1935. In 1933, V. Tsvirka was elected member of the Organizational Committee of the USSR Union of Artists. In 1935 he entered Moscow State Art Institution where his teachers were famous Russian landscape painters S. Gerasimov, G. Ryazhsky, P. Pokarzhevsky, B. loganson, A. Deineka, I. Grabar. All his life V Tsvirka remembered words of professor P. Pokarzhevsky: “I see landscape as a source of connection with Nature, interpret it as music and poetry”2. S. Gerasimov was another outstanding artist and teacher who influenced the development of the talent of Vital Kanstantsinavich. He cultivated “persistent diligence, the urge towards integrity, clarity and simplicity”3 in his students. Gradually rich experience of Moscow Institution transformed into his own artistic vision. Already at the Institution V. Tsvirka chose the genre of landscape as his priority in art. While in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) where Moscow State Art Institution had 1 Виталий Цвирко. Каталог выставки произведений / Авт. вступ. статьи О. А. Сур-ский. — Москва, 1983. — 32 с.: ил. 2 Віталь Цвірка. Выстаўка твораў народнага мастака БССР, прысвечаная 75-годдзю з дня нараджэння. Каталог / Склад.: I. В. Назімава. — Мінск: Беларусь, 1988. — 24 с.: іл. 3 Виталий Цвирко. Каталог выставки произведений / Авт. вступ. статьи О. А. Сур-ский. — Москва, 1983. — 32 с.: ил. 22 been evacuated to in 1942, V. Tsvirka created a series of sketches. The artist depicted peculiarity of southern nature in them (Morning in a Kishlak, On a Donkey, Uzbek Courtyard; all 1943). However, among the works of the 1940—1950s there were paintings unavoidable to any Soviet artist of the time who did not want to be left behind the framework of official art. His graduation work The First Arrest of I. V Stalin (1942) became the first painting of the kind. Afterwards he created such large-scale composition with historical topic as The Unsubdued (1947), Uprising of Fishermen on Lake Naroch (1957), etc. However, multifigured canvases on historical and revolutionary themes formed a very brief period in the creative work of V. Tsvirka. In 1944, Vital Kanstantsinavich became a member of the Moscow section of the USSR Union of Artists. In the same year he returned to the Belarusian capital and almost immediately the State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War commissioned a series of memorial city landscapes connected with the events of the Great Patriotic War and also portraits of the partisans. V. Tsvirka created significant works in Social Realism and consequently in 1946 he was admitted to the BSSR Union of Artists but, nevertheless, he did not cease to look for new interpretations of the image of native Belarusian nature. He felt that landscape was the genre in which it was possible to uncover the best sides of his talent. The artist s choice might have been influenced by the fact that he returned to his motherland before the end of the war. Minsk was in ruins. Chaos was incredible. All that left a deep trace in the heart and memory of the artist. In Minsk V. Tsvirka strengthened his position as a landscape painter. “I wanted to paint every tree, every bush, spring and bridge, because all these symbolized my return to the native land. Landscape was a treasure won back”, said the artist later4. In the 1940—1950s his sketches did not yet have the inimitable style that in a decade would always distinguish works of V. Tsvirka. However, a future 4Віталь Цвірка. Выстаўка твораў народнага мастака БССР, прысвечаная 75-годдзю з дня нараджэння. Каталог / Склад.: I. В. Назімава. — Мінск: Беларусь, 1988. — 24 с.: іл.. 23 great landscape master was traced in such works as March, March. Cold Day (both 1947). 'These paintings are notable of exceptional sense of colour and freedom of the artistic language. The artist unmistakably showed barely perceptible transitional states of Belarusian nature filling the contents with lyrical emotional experiences. Art historian I. Nasimova thus characterized the paintings: “Stroke expression resembles the sketches of the Samarkand series, but their hot colour scheme has changed to the more subdued one, most suitable to the scarce sun of Belarus.... Modest countryside motifs start to sound as strings of the artists soul”5. Due to objective reasons the artist did not create anything corresponding to the true power of his talent in the period from 1948 to 1953. However, being a bright, talented and energetic person. Vital Kanstantsinavich compensated certain “stiffness” in his creative work with the help of teaching. From 1948 to 1953 V. Tsvirka taught drawing, painting and composition at Minsk Art College, in 1956—1963 he was the head of the Painting Department in the Belarusian Theatrical and Artistic Institution. In 1958 he was given the academic rank of the associate professor and in the same year he was appointed rector of the Belarusian Theatrical and Artistic Institution.