Free improvisation of unaccustomed combinations reigns in the works of the painter Nikolay Buschik.This year was successful for him. Some time ago, Nikolay Vladimirovich Buschik called me and invited to look at the water-colour paintings, brought from the next plain-air. He visited Poland and remained satisfied by the creative business-trip. In whole, the year was good for him. And remarkable. He celebrated his 60th anniversary by the personal exhibition in the National Art Museum — not each painter has such a chance. I recollect him being influenced by that event. He has been preparing for the exhibition for a long time. He spent almost each day in the museum hall near his own exposition. He explained that it was very interesting to feel from somebody’s own lips the visitors’ impressions from the acquaintance with his works. His excitement, that people won’t obtain the author’s explanation, was vain. People came to the exhibition — some of them even visited the exhibition several times — to be amazed at the observed. They didn’t expect such unusual colors and left elevated words of gratitude in the welcome book: for the talent, the world view, and the presented festival of colors.
One of the peculiar observers of Buschik’s art at the exhibition became the famous Belarusian singer Viktor Skorobogatov. It turned out to be that the painter’s works admired him.
“Everything Nikolay Buschik paints is interesting to me,” Viktor Skorobogatov says sincerely and eminently. “He has his own painter’s appearance, which helps to recognize him everywhere. If somebody gives me one hundred pictures of different painters, I will definitely recognize a Buschik’s picture. The jubilee is a serious ground for establishing one more exhibition. This explains the humor that if there were no jubilee, there would be no exhibition. However, Nikolay wasn’t deprived of attention: his works were exhibited in many places. He is a very generous painter and rewards his friends with his works. I have his small water-color painting. His paintings are so beautiful that I even recollect my first impression: my jaw dropped and didn’t return into its normal position till the end of the evening. I was charmed with the work. His water-color paintings and oil paintings are the same. A wonderful combination of colors. I have the following explanation: perhaps, the God whispered to him the way he shall paint. It is very difficult to combine white on white, black on black, or red on red in the painting technique. It is absolutely normal in his works, as if it should be that way. Of course, this is a gift from the God. I thank God that our friendship lasts 18 years. I still wonder his fantasy, talent, and his soul’s youth.
Besides, he paints musicians very often. He even has the whole series about jazz musicians or some string quartet. He likes music and understands it; he makes the sense of it. For example, one of his favorite composers is Sibelius. His music is difficult for perception. Of course, he is an outstanding composer.
“In a word, you as a musician feel the music of plastic colors of Nikolay Buschik.”
“I can only say that each time I visit Nikolay, especially his studio, I don’t have to warm up for a week. I am in a good form in terms of art and soul. This is something incredible. His works irradiate positive energy and atmosphere.”
What about Nikolay Buschik? It is obvious that a free nature of colors reigns in his works. The painter’s pictures are peculiar colorful fantasies. Still, to what extent is it easy or difficult for him to understand “his color?”
“To tell you the truth, colors are the same for me as sounds,” the painter says. I see the beauty, existing in the world. Many things made me uneasy and astonished, or amaze me. However, it’s not enough for me to convey something what has already been made. I would like to express my feelings by the emotions of the soul, not by usual observation. When I was young, I was interested in the question, why the color exists. What for does it exist? To paint a tree, the earth, roofs or peoples’ faces? I understood that even peoples’ faces are different in colors in the sense of emotional perception. This is why such expressions as dim or light faces appear. This made me think about the philosophy of colors, about its designation in the figurative art. The word “figurative” testifies that you don’t simply retell something, but make an image of what you saw. It is necessary to imagine how your picture will influence people and in which way. When the voice of the soul awakes because of impressions, you ask yourself how to remake this to wake up the viewer’s soul. Our people are very anxious, rushing, and impetuous in their ideas and aims. It is difficult for them to understand the paradise they live in. Really, we often don’t notice the beauty around us. This is why we don’t find tranquility for our souls. I would like the art to be more like a good music, because high music harmonizes a soul. I want the figurative art to play the same role. This is why I started to think about the art tools very purposefully. This is why everything found expression in the colors, which don’t leave many people in comfort.”
“I wonder on whom you check this emotional influence. Who is your first viewer?”
“First of all, I try everything on me. After I painted the picture, I put it aside to the wall and even try to forget about it. Then I open it to look at it on the spot. Secondly, I check my art on my friends, who often visit my studio — poets, musicians, and composers. They express their feelings sincerely and without pity, because each of them is worried with the moment of the art influence on life. And vice versa. Sometimes we argue, even badly. During such meetings, I often see the reaction of people to the picture. On this basis, I make conclusions. Each new market for me is like a new aspiration as to what I had to feel during the talk about my pictures. Furthermore, I strive to organize my personal exhibitions regularly. I take part in the group exhibitions to see myself near my companions-in-arms on the background of art.”
“You often present Belarus in red, orange, and sunny colors. This is unnatural for us. Why?”
“You see, I am surprised to see a sullen grey image of my country. I visited many countries on the south and on the north of the former Soviet Union; I travelled a lot. For example, on the south, where people paint with bright and open colors, I understood that this is not truth. In the morning, you wake up and the sun is so bright that you can’t notice anything apart from the spread white light. Everything is white and out of color. The nature is the same all the time. It doesn’t represent the beauty we observe all the year round in Belarus. You can notice something beautiful on the south only in the evening or early enough, when the day only begins and the light is dim. The light in Belarus is always dim a little bit, because it breaks away through our low beautiful sky. This is why all the colors are very expressive. I think that Belarus is one of the most colorful countries. The green color here — after snow disappears and until it appears again — is green color. Our rivers, lakes and the sky are always colorful. Our sky is different each day in contrast to the south. It is not as leaden as in the north. Everything changes here. You can see several statuses of the nature during a day. This fact gave me the reasons to see and understand my country as the most beautiful and colorful. Red, golden, green, blue, and azure colors are the colors forming the soul condition of our country. I haven’t ever seen so many rainbows apart from my native Belarus. Observing all this, I understand that my country is wonderful and very beautiful. This is why my colors are so bright.
Viktor Kharkov
