Soviet Russian artist Vyacheslav Tokarev 1917-2001

Soviet Russian artist Vyacheslav Tokarev
Born July 26, 1917 in Bogoroditsk of Tula province, Vyacheslav Tokarev was the same age as the Great October socialist revolution. The boy grew up in Moscow, as his family moved there soon after his birth. Aged 17, he entered the Ryazan Art College, where he studied in the workshop of Y.Ya.Kalinichenko (1934-1938). And the next year he entered the painting faculty of the Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture of the All-Russian Academy of Arts (workshop of Professor A.A. Osmyorkin). However, forced to interrupt studying because of the Great Patriotic War, in 1941 he became a rifleman of the 576 rifle division of the Leningrad Front. Demobilized in connection with the wound, in 1943 he returned to study at the institute, where he studied in the workshop of Professor Avilov. Tokarev graduated from the institute in 1948 with the diploma painting “Kovpak”, and the same year he became a member of the Leningrad Union of Soviet Artists (1948).

Among his honors and titles – Member of the Leningrad Union of Soviet Artists (1948), the Union of Artists of the Ukrainian SSR (1952), Honored Art Worker of the Ukrainian SSR (1967), People’s Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1977), elected a member of the republican board of the USSR Academy of Arts

Meanwhile, his first personal exhibition took place in Odessa in 1949. Vyacheslav Tokarev taught at the Odessa Art College of M.B.Grekov (1949-1956). Among his first large canvases, which appeared after the institute – “At the opening of the collective farm HPP” (1957), “Milkmaids” (1960), and “New School” (1963-1965). Besides, the easel paintings on the themes of the October Revolution and the Civil War – “Commissioner” (1965-1967), “Tachanka” (1969-70), “October on the Working Suburb” (1970-1971) brought him fame.

His personal exhibitions took place in 1975-1977 in Moscow, Odessa, Kiev, Leningrad and Warsaw.

Soviet Russian artist Vyacheslav Tokarev

Noteworthy is created by him triptych (1989-1991) “Word and deed” (“Word”, “October” and “Did”). The artistic search for the image of the era in creativity he reflected in the genre of the portrait. He created portraits of the People’s Artist of the USSR M.Bozhiy, the director V. Dvortsova, the sculptor Dzheferov, the artist E.Arefyev, etc. Tokarev – the master of fine gradation of color, unexpected color combinations and comparisons. In addition, he successfully worked in the genre of landscape and still life.

Vyacheslav Vasilevich died on April 22, 2001 in Odessa. His paintings are in the National Art Museums of Kiev and other Ukrainian cities. Also, in the Sevastopol Art Museum, the Ternopil Local History Museum, Vorontsov Palace Museum in Alupka, Ochakov Museum of R. Sudkovsky, in museums of Russia and Moldova, as well as in private collections in Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, the United States and Japan.

sources
Soviet art illustrated book, Moscow, 1976
www.vtokarev.ru