“Graphics”, an art exhibition devoted to the 70 anniversary of the birth of Valery Slauk, the known Belarusian artist, has opened in the library, on 7 December.
The vernissage at the gallery “Rakurs” was attended by friends and colleagues of the virtuoso, as well as by numerous admirers of his original art.
Working primarily as a book illustrator, Valery Slauk has created distinctive drawings for many Belarusian and foreign works, such as Szlachcic Zawalnia by Jan Barszczewski, Spring in Autumn by Vladimir Korotkevich, Ivanhoe by Walter Scott, a fairy tale book Miraculous World and many others. A two-volume encyclopedia of Belarusian folklore is also designed by the known graphic artist.
The artist’s canvases reveal a mysterious world, returning to prehistoric times and reflecting the beauty and mystique of Belarusian mythology, the adherence to which is clearly seen in the master’s works. According to popular beliefs, the world around us is full of mythical animals, animated plants, stones, rivers and fetish objects.
Born from the artist’s rich imagination, these fantastic, grotesque characters are perceived rather weird: they don’t horrify us, but make us smile. What do the Belarusian mermaids look like and what other creatures live next to us, in fields, forests and ponds? You will find the answer by visiting the exhibition in the gallery “Rakurs.” And you will really have to look for it, as the paintings are so full of characters that, at first glance, it is impossible to understand who is who.
It is noteworthy that Valery Slauk’s works equally exist outside the texts they illustrate. Isolated, they acquire a new sound and allow the viewer to invent their own mysterious story. And if you look more closely and read between the lines, it becomes obvious: the exhibition with a simple title has a very uneasy meaning. Have a pleasant and thoughtful viewing, dear audience!
Elena Dolgopolova, the first deputy director of the National Library of Belarus, Mikhail Borozda, the rector of the Belarusian State Academy of Arts, Yury Khilko, the head of the Graphics Department at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts, and Valery Slauk, the artist and Professor of Graphics Arts at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts, took part in the vernissage.
The exposition “Graphics” runs in the gallery “Rakurs” until 15 February, 2018.
The exhibition’s ending day may be changed.
For more info, please, call: (+375 17) 293 28 23, 266 37 37.
Е-mail: pr@nlb.by
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