Vasily Romanenkov

Vasily Tikhonovich Romanenkov (Russian: 'Василий Тихонович Романенков; 1953–2013), was a Russian naïve artist of the Soviet and post-Soviet periods.

Biography

Vasily Romanenkov was born in the village of Bogdanovka in Smolensk Oblast). In 1968 he graduated from 8-years school and moved to “Kosino” State farm near Moscow to live with his mother. There he apprenticed as a carpenter. In 1975–1980 Romanenkov studied at ZNUI (eng. Distance Learning National University of Arts) under N. Pavlov and N. Rotanov. The main feature of his art - a manner to draw with small strokes of different thicknesses, creating a kind of "moire" texture with the help of a pencil. Initially, Romanenkov tried to paint in oils, but on the advice of his teachers at ZNUI he engaged himself with the graphics. His first compositions, which he began to paint from the bottom, were distinguished with randomness of different shapes and patterns. Later, his works became more structured and gained the cyclic format, thus consisting of three or more separate works, each with its internal frame. His cycles are devoted to Romanenkov's own biography, birth, baptism and death; the fate of the Ancient and Modern Russia. Vasily Romanenkov is widely known in Russia and abroad. He was awarded the Grand Prix at the International Triennial of Naive Art in Bratislava (Insita) at 2004 and received an honorable mention of the jury at the same exhibition in 1994 and 1997.

Personal exhibitions

Evidence. Tsaritsyno State Museum, 1998 Naive Art. Vasily Romanenkov. From the collection of Ksenia Bogemskaya, Central House of Artists, Moscow, 2002

Exhibitions

All-Union Exhibition of works of amateur artists, dedicated to the XVII Congress of Trade Unions, Moscow, 1982 Folk traditions, Moscow, 1986–1987 The image and perception, Moscow, 1990 Dream of Gold, Center for Contemporary Art, Moscow, 1992 Insita 94, 97, 2000, 2004 Naive Art of Russia, Moscow 1997, 1998 Wisdom is with the naive eyes, The Vasnetsov Brothers Art Museum, 1997 Naive art in the collection of K. Bogemskaya and A. Turchin, "Ark" exhibition hall, Moscow, 1998 Pushkin images, Moscow, 1999 Mastery of time, Gallery of the International University, Moscow, 2000 Galerie Hamer, Amsterdam, 1998 Naive art, 1998 Outsiders, Galerie Hamer, Amsterdam, 1999 Erste Begegnung (Germany), 1999 Russische Naieven vertellen, Museum de Stadshof, Zwolle, the Netherlands, 2000 Outsider's Art Fair, 2001–2004 Festnaiv’04 Art Manege Fair, Moscow, 2004 The Museum of everything, Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow, 2013 Outsider Art Fair, Paris, 2014 Art brut // collection abcd, Expo Collective Contemporaine (collection of Bruno Decharme), 2014-2015 Outsider Art Fair, Hôtel le A, Paris 2014

Collections

Tsaritsyno State Museum Zander Collection, Cologne, Germany Museum of Outsider Art, Moscow Museum of Naïve Art, Moscow Collection ABDC, Paris Collection Eternod-Mermod, Lausanne