Vitaly Goryayev

Vladimir MayakovskyVitaly Nikolayevich Goryaev (; – 12 April 1982) was a Soviet and Russian painter, graphic illustrator and caricaturist. He was awarded the title People's Visual Artist of the USSR in 1981 and a recipients of the USSR State Prize in 1967.

Biography

Early years Vitaly Goryaev was born on 14 April 1910 in the family of a bank manager in Kurgan, Tobolsk Governorate (now the administrative centre of the Kurgan Oblast).

In 1921, he relocated with his family to Chita, where he began his creative journey. He received guidance from the local artist, Ivan Sverkunov, and accompanied him on study trips. He drew caricatures for the school newspaper in the style of popular magazines such as Smekhach and Prozhektor, and attempted to create illustrations in the style of Vladimir Lebedev. As a schoolboy, he started contributing to Zabaikalsky Rabochiy. Initially, he cut out other people's drawings on linoleum, but later he began creating his own.

The artist-to-be had other interests besides drawing. At 17, he experimented with circus and operetta, but ultimately designed sets, posters, and programs for productions. He also wrote poems in the style of V. Mayakovsky, which were eagerly printed by Chita newspapers. He made acquaintances with local poets and was accepted into the Chita Association of Proletarian Writers. However, in his later life, poems played a less significant role than the drawings he used to illustrate his own manuscripts.

In 1929, after graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Moscow Higher Technical School with the intention of studying bridge design. It was during this time that he had a fateful encounter with the poet V. Mayakovsky. The artist recounted the details of this meeting in various ways. According to Soviet sources, a student from a technical school approached the Moscow Association of Proletarian Writers to have a collection of Chita poets reviewed. However, he was unable to obtain a response or a manuscript. V. Mayakovsky assisted him in obtaining the manuscripts and agreed to assess his poems. Later, Mayakovsky's attention was drawn to a folder of drawings that the young man was carrying with him. During the modern period, the artist's family claims that he met V. Mayakovsky while playing billiards. They struck up a conversation and the artist challenged the famous poet to a game, which he won. As a result, the artist asked Mayakovsky to evaluate his manuscripts, which included illustrations of his own work in addition to poems. Although Mayakovsky was not interested in the poems, he was impressed by the drawings and convinced the artist to pursue a career in art instead of his technical speciality. V. Mayakovsky himself retrieved his documents from the school and went to the rector of the Higher Art and Technical Institute (VKhUTEIN), Pavel Novitsky, with Goryaev, to persuade Novitsky to hold an exam for the young man, despite the admission tests having already ended. As a result, Goryaev was admitted as a student of the Higher Art and Technical Institute.

Acquaintance with V. Mayakovsky changed the poet's life and developed into a friendship and creative collaboration. Mayakovsky entrusted him with the design of his exhibitions, including the exhibition 20 Years of Mayakovsky's Work in 1930, shortly before his death. In his book I Saw Them..., cartoonist Joseph Igin cites a story that his friend from the institute, V. Goryaev, told him in 1970s. During his cooperation with V. Mayakovsky, V. Goryaev was experiencing financial difficulties. Upon learning of this, the poet assisted him in securing a job as a costume designer at the Bolshoi Theatre. Due to his good physical condition, V. Goryaev was able to perform on stage as part of the corps de ballet in the production Footballer.

Studies In his second year at VKhUTEIN, he joined the poster and lithographic department led by Dmitry Moor. Later, he enrolled at the Polygraphic Institute (now the Moscow State University of Printing Arts), which was formed by merging Moscow and Leningrad VKhUTEIN. There, he studied under Alexandr Deyneka, Sergey Gerasimov, Pavel Pavlinov, Konstantin Istomin, Lev Bruni, and Vladimir Favorsky.

From 1931, he was a member of the Young October Art Association, and from 1932, he joined the newly formed Union of Artists of the USSR. At the insistence of D. Moore, while still a student, he began to participate in exhibitions and work for newspapers and magazines such as Bezbozhnik, Smena, Pioneer, and Propagandist.

Creative work

Magazine graphics After graduating, he was assigned to the publishing house Izobrazitelnoye Iskusstvo, where he worked until the spring of 1935. During this time, he created several posters that were awarded competitive prizes. Following this, he accepted an invitation from the People's Commissariat of the River Fleet to become an artist on the propaganda steamer Propagandist. He travelled along the Volga and Kama rivers until the autumn of 1936, working at the wharves. At each new stop, the artist and the propaganda steamer's management learned about the state of local affairs, identified achievements and problems. The artist then worked on cartoons, slogans, and caustic caricatures. One individual who took issue with his drawing filed a complaint with the editorial office, alleging that he was impersonating a staff member of the magazine Krokodil. The magazine took notice and requested a meeting with the artist to discuss the matter. After clarifying the situation, the editorial board expressed appreciation for the artist's work and commissioned him to create a full-page drawing featuring water transport. Since then, he has frequently collaborated with Krokodil. His colleagues at the publication, including Leonid Soifertis, Yuliy Ganf, and Ivan Semyonov, became his good friends, and Lev Brodaty also became his teacher. He also collaborated with other illustrated publications, such as Smena and Tridtsat Dney.

In January 1942, the artist was suspended from work on Okna TASS after being denounced by a fellow graphic artist.

Illustrations The artist began illustrating fiction in the late 1930s, but only revealed himself in this capacity after the war. His early works include illustrations for several stories published in magazines, as well as the books Diary of a Provincial in St Petersburg, The Tashkenters Clique by Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, and My Street by Sergey Mikhalkov. In 1974, a two-volume book of Pushkin's Poems and Tales with drawings by the artist was published, and in 1979 – Dead Souls by N. Gogol. His last major work in this direction was The Adolescent by F. Dostoevsky, published after the artist's death. He continued to paint for the rest of his life, but did not achieve fame as a painter. His works, which stylistically followed the post-impressionists and avant-gardists of the 1920s and were close to cubism and miriskusniki, were unexpected for their time and did not align with the ideals of socialist realism.

Public activity Member of the VKP(b) since 1951.

He was involved in public life, frequently communicating with colleagues and art enthusiasts, and had a significant impact on the younger generation of Soviet artists.

1931 – Exhibition of Young Artists (Vsekohudozhudozhnik), Moscow 1936–1937 – Exhibition of graphic artists, Moscow 1937 – Exhibition of works by Moscow masters of Soviet satire, Moscow 1938 – Exhibition of works by the masters of Soviet satire, Moscow 1939 – Exhibition of illustrations to the works of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, Moscow 1939 – Exhibition of paintings and graphic drawings, Moscow 1940 – Exhibition of drawings, illustrations and posters, Moscow 1941 – Exhibition of works by Moscow masters of Soviet satire, Moscow 1941 – Exhibition of the best works of Soviet artists, Moscow 1942 – Works of Moscow artists during the Great Patriotic War, Moscow 1943 – The Great Patriotic War Exhibition, Moscow 1944 – Exhibit of the 6 (Brodaty, Goryaev, Kanevsky and others) 1946 – Exhibition of graphics, watercolours and drawings by Soviet artists, Warsaw 1946 – Exhibition of Soviet satire, Prague 1947 – Annual Reporting Exhibition of DETGIZ, Moscow 1948 – Travelling exhibition of Soviet painting and graphics, Dnipropetrovsk 1949 – Travelling exhibition of Soviet satire, Moscow 1950 – Exhibition of painting, sculpture, political satire and graphics by Moscow artists, Moscow 1950 – Exhibition Struggle for peace, against warmongers, Moscow 1950 – All-Union Art Exhibition, Moscow 1951 – Exhibition of works by artists of satire, Moscow 1951 – All-Union Art Exhibition, Moscow 1951 – Exhibition of books and book graphics by DETGIZ, Moscow 1952 – Exhibition of Soviet Satire, Moscow 1953 – Exhibition of Soviet graphic satirists, London 1953 – Exhibition of works of Soviet art and collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery 1954 и 1955 – All-Union Art Exhibition, Moscow 1956 – Exhibition of works by A. Goncharov, V. Goryaev, K. Dorokhov, S. Zaslavskaya, S. Lebedeva, I. Slonim, Moscow 1957 – Exhibition for the First All-Union Congress of Soviet Artists, Moscow 1957 – 6th exhibition of works by book artists, Moscow 1958 – Exhibition of V. Goryaev and G. Nissky, Moscow 1958 – All-Union exhibition for the 40th anniversary of the Komsomol, Moscow 1959 – Exhibition of Works of Fine Art of Socialist Countries, Moscow 1959 – Exhibition of drawings and watercolours by V. Goryaev and I. Semyonov made during a trip to the USA in May–June 1958, Moscow 1959 – Exhibition of works by V. Goryaev, E. Kibrik, I. Semyonov What we did in France, Moscow 1960 – Exhibition of works by Soviet artists Across France 1960 – Personal exhibition of Goryaev's works America, France, Palanga – 1959, Vilnius, Kaunas 1961 – Exhibition of works by V. Goryaev, Ceylon. Colonialism is a thing of the past, Moscow, Colombo 1961 – Exhibition Moscow – the Capital of our Motherland, Moscow 1962 – Personal exhibition, Moscow 1963 – Exhibition of drawings and caricature of Krokodil magazine – I am 40 years old, Moscow 1963 – International Exhibition of Satirical Artists, New York City 1964 – All-Union Art Exhibition, Moscow 1964 – Personal exhibition of works by V. Goryaev, Moscow 1964 – 2nd exhibition of works by artists-journalists, Moscow 1964 – Exhibition of works by children's book illustrators 1965 – Personal exhibition (illustrations to works by N. Gogol, M. Twain, series of drawings and watercolours "On Yugoslavia), Moscow 1965 – Republican art exhibition Soviet Russia, Moscow 1966 – Personal exhibition, Moscow 1966 – Art exhibition for the 25th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi troops near Moscow, Moscow 1966 – Exhibition Moscow artists of the front press, 1941–1945, Moscow 1967 – Exhibition 50 Years of Soviet Rule, Moscow 1967 – Republican art exhibition Soviet Russia, Moscow 1967 – All-Union Exhibition Soviet Political Poster for 50 Years, Moscow 1967 – Exhibition Artists of Moscow to the 50th Anniversary of the October Revolution, Moscow 1967 и 1968 – Exhibition "Artists-Journalists", Moscow 1969 – Exhibition On Guard of the Motherland, Moscow 1970 – Republican art exhibition Soviet Russia, Moscow 1970 – Personal exhibition (Petersburg Tales by N. Gogol, The Idiot by F. Dostoevsky, beginning of the Dialogues series), Bucharest, Constanta 1971 – Solo Exhibition (Gogol, Dostoevsky), Prague, Bratislava, Banská Bystrica 1971 – International Exhibition Books for Six Years (1965–1971) IBA, Leipzig 1972 – Exhibition of Soviet children's book illustrations, Munich 1973 – Personal exhibition, Moscow 1974 – Personal exhibition, Moscow 1975 – Personal exhibition (from military series, Pushkin, portraits of friends, Moscow and Muscovites), Moscow 1975 – Personal exhibition from the series Abramtsevo, Abramtsevo 1976 – All-Union Art Exhibition "Glory to Labour", Moscow 1976 – Personal exhibition (Gogol's Dead Souls), Moscow 1977 – All-Union exhibition Soviet Portrait, Moscow

Contemporary exhibitions

2010 – Exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the artist's birth, Samara Regional Art Museum, Samara 2010 – 'Vitaly Goryaev: Half a Century in Art (as part of the festival of the same name), Kurgan Regional Art Museum, Kurgan 2010 – Exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of his birth, Russian Academy of Arts, Moscow 2012 – Life Line, Central House of Artist, Moscow 2012 – Vitaly Goryaev. Artist and War (war graphics, illustrations to famous post-war works, as well as watercolours of the war years), New Manege, Moscow

Books

Legacy Goryaev's works are featured in several prestigious collections, including the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the State Literary Museum, the Museum of Russian Art in Harbin, and various art galleries in Odesa, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Kursk, and other cities. The Kurgan Regional Art Museum houses over 250 of Goryaev's works, generously donated by his widow, Taisia Lobach-Zhuchenko.

A home museum, organised by Sergei Goryaev, the artist and architect son of the late Goryaev Sr., presents a vast collection of paintings, caricatures, book and magazine graphics. The museum is located in house No. 7 on Begovaya Street, also known as the 'House of Artists on Begovaya' or the building of the Moscow Regional Union of Artists. Goryaev Sr. purchased the flat from the 1st Artists' Co-operative Society in 1957 and lived there until his passing. The studio he occupied from 1970 is also part of the museum. In 2012, he also initiated the installation of a memorial plaque on the house. The museum's collection comprises paintings, sketches, book graphics, archives, and the artist's personal art collection. Notably, it includes works by Pyotr Miturich, Dmitry Mitrohin, Mikhail Kupriyanov, Aleksandr Sokolov, Vladimir Konashevich, and a lithograph hand-painted in watercolour gifted by Pablo Picasso. A memorial plaque by N. B. Nikoghosyan was erected in 2012 on the house located at 7/9 Begovaya St. in Moscow, where V. N. Goryaev lived and worked from 1957 to 1982. A festival was held in the Kurgan region from March to June 2010 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vitaly Nikolayevich Goryaev, a People's Artist of the USSR. In 2010–2012, several anniversary exhibitions were held in Moscow, Kurgan, Samara, and Abramtsevo to commemorate Goryaev.