By Victor Mikhailov
Mr. Timokhov has been elected as Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Artists Union (for the next four years) for the second time. There is much to do: organising exhibitions, as well as solving various household issues and domestic problems of Union members. In a word, he has almost no time to indulge his own creativity, yet he does make time. His Night’s Charms personal exhibition at the National Art Museum is proof of his devotion to art.
On seeing the show, the artist’s skill becomes clear — with brush or pencil. Mr. Timokhov tends to favour the medium of paint, although his artistic manner is individual and original in both.
Mr. Timokhov plays with the abstract, while founding his themes in reality. His synthesis of line and colour is unique and he loves to experiment with texture and tone, searching for contrasts. He revels in a variety of techniques and themes but primarily addresses paganism, pondering the roots of Belarusian culture and the nature of human existence, exploring sources of absolute beauty. He focuses on the harmonious interrelation of people and the natural elements of Water, Earth, Fire and Air.
Mr. Timokhov has been depicting nudes for the last decade — one of the most ancient themes in world art. He may be the first Belarusian to investigate it so thoroughly and seriously, although he uses nudes to continue his pagan theme. He adds female images to his pagan inspired works, giving them a completely new perception and arousing associations with folk motifs. We cannot but recall the ancient pagan holidays of the Sun and Fertility. He shows Woman as the founding force in nature but continues his search for the ultimate truth; we can surely expect plenty of new discoveries.
Night’s Charms is a wonderful series of graphical works, accentuating the beauty of the female form — full of charm. He aspires to penetrate deep into the female soul, reflecting its mood and feelings. We return to the moment of the world’s creation and to the time when Woman appeared on the Earth.
Some of his works have been created in shades of orange and red, symbolising Life, Fire and Warmth: depicted as sunsets, dusk, nightfall and the smooth arrival of night.
Blue tones offer a completely different impression, with the painter identifying Woman with the Universe and Space. Female images are set against a background of endless starry skies and moonlit nights full of mystery and dreaminess. We clearly see the motifs of Kupalle night, speculations about Eternity and an aspiration to merge with the heart of existence.
Mr. Timokhov’s graphical works from the Night’s Charms series are unusual in aspiring to unite two types of art: painting and graphical art. He achieves such expressiveness and integrity, via simple expressive lines. In some of his works, he ‘deliberately’ allows himself slightly ‘careless’ shading and hatching. Alongside black-and-white works in ink, he creates those combining oil and using pencil, oil and ink.
In Mr. Timokhov’s works, the female image is always innocent and pure, filled with absolute beauty and purity. It is impossible to remain indifferent, as these figures enchant us with their mystery and mystic, enigmatic beauty.
Mr. Timokhov’s works are currently kept at the National Art Museum of Belarus and at the Modern Fine Arts Museum in Minsk, in the Belarusian Union of Artists’ art funds and those of the Russian Culture Ministry, as well as at the Marc Chagall Museum in Vitebsk, at Polotsk’s Art Museum, at the Galeria Sztuki Katarzyny Napiorkowskej in Warsaw and at the Walentowski Galerien in Dresden. They also grace private collections in Belarus and abroad.
The MT reference:
Sergey Timokhov was born in 1960 in the village of Krotov in the Gomel Region. In 1979, he graduated from Minsk’s Art School and, in 1984, from the Belarusian State Theatre and Art Institute (Monumental Art Chair). He has created easel paintings, monumental paintings and graphic art. From 1986 to 1998, he resided in Polotsk and has lived and worked in Minsk since 1999. He is a member of the Belarusian Union of Artists.
