Art as a way of Life: The story of Polotsk artist Viktor Lukyanenko

Viktor Lukyanenko was born and raised in Vitebsk. In 1976, he graduated from the Art department of the Vitebsk Pedagogical Institute and moved to Novopolotsk. He worked there in the creative and production workshops "Mastatstva", where he worked his way up from an artist to a director. Since 2003, he has been teaching at PSU.

A graduate of the Vitebsk Art Gallery

Viktor Lukyanenko got a good school: he studied under the famous Vitebsk monotype master Leonid Antimonov – an art connoisseur, a well-rounded person who had a great influence on the student's work. An important role in its formation was also played by a significant figure for the city on the Dvina River – the first director of the Vitebsk State Historical Museum, a student of Yu. Pan, teacher Valentin Karlovich Zeilert. Among Viktor's teachers were well-known representatives of the Vitebsk art school Felix Gumen, Evgeny Krasovsky, Anatoly Chmil. As a student, he spent summers in Leningrad, where he often visited the Hermitage and the Russian Museum, and this was a powerful fuel and source of inspiration. The artist worked in the technique of easel and monumental painting. Since his time at the Institute, he has exhibited extensively in Belarus and abroad. Even today, he transfers all his knowledge and skills to young architects and designers.

Recently, Viktor Lukyanenko has taken a serious interest in faleristics. He is the author of honorary badges of the Educational Institution "Polotsk State University","For services to Polotsk State University". His works were included in the book" Orders, Medals and Badges of the Republic of Belarus " by Marina Elinskaya (2022).

Instill culture and taste

Viktor Lukyanenko devoted a lot of time and effort to creating a unique university space. Its object "University Clock" in the Polotsk Collegium is the only one in the post-Soviet space. At the beginning of each hour, the doors open, the PSU anthem sounds, and figures of Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Francysk Skaryna, the university's rector, professor and student appear on the balcony.

In the courtyard of the university there is an architectural object "University Well" with inscriptions in Latin and an art gallery.

The artist has devoted most of his life to Novopolotsk and sincerely loves this city, which many people associate with the land of blue lakes due to the image of a water lily swaying on the waves on the city's coat of arms.

In the Polotsk Collegium there is an art object "Mechanical Head", reconstructed by Viktor Lukyanenko according to the project of Gabriel Gruber. The composition is a gray head of Socrates, which answers any questions asked in four languages-Russian, Belarusian, German, English, being the progenitor of Google and Yandex, the source notes.

The space near the university building in Novopolotsk is decorated with the installation "GiPar" (hyperbolic paraboloid of double Gauss curvature), symbolizing, according to the author's idea, the unity of science and modern art.

– My main task was to introduce young people to aesthetics and harmony, to teach them to see beauty. I wanted to create a culturally rich visual space for students, " explains Viktor Lukyanenko. - Young people absorb the intellectual aesthetic atmosphere. And although students usually don't become practicing artists, but work as architects or designers, but we are talking about instilling taste. It is very important to restore the cultural code of Polotsk, because the Second World War wiped a lot off the face of the earth.

Novopolotsk homes, kindergartens, and schools are decorated with author's works by Viktor Lukyanenko. At VSU named after P. Masherov, the lobby near the Biology department is decorated with his diorama "Mixed Forest". His works are in the collections of the Vitebsk Art Museum, the Novopolotsk Museum of Local Lore, and the National Polotsk Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve.

Dedicated to the second Motherland

The artist has devoted most of his life to Novopolotsk and sincerely loves this city, which many people associate with the land of blue lakes due to the image of a water lily swaying on the waves on the city's coat of arms.

- Water lily in Slavic terminology-a magical odolen-grass, symbolizes a talisman, protection from troubles and evil spirits. It opens early in the morning and hides under water in the evening. According to legend, anyone who finds it will find talent and happiness – " explains Viktor Lukyanenko, the concept of the sign.

And it's like he's talking about himself.