Soviet Ukrainian painter Yuri Balikov

Soviet Ukrainian painter Yuri Balikov
First of all, known Kiev painter Yuri Yevdokimovich Balikov belongs to a generation of artists whose youth fell on the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War. That’s why the biography of wizard is typical for his generation. It reflected the characteristics of the life and career of an entire galaxy of Soviet artists, who in their youth had to defend their homeland.
The master of genre painting, a landscape painter, and portraitist Yuri Balikov was born 17 April 1924, in the village of Pliska of Vinnitsa region. He graduated from the Kiev State Art Institute, workshops of O. Shovkunenko and V. Puzyrkov (1958). His major works include “Trio of bandura players” (1967), “Winners” (1985), “Portrait of People’s Artist of Ukraine D. Narbut”, “Soldier Destiny” (1997), and “The Dream”, dedicated to T. Shevchenko. Member of the Union of Artists of Soviet Ukraine (1965), awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, and medals. Balikov took part in exhibitions of Soviet Art since 1960. His works are in private collections in Ukraine and Russia.

In the early postwar years Balikov entered the Kiev College of Applied Arts, and then the Kiev Art Institute. There his teacher was classical Soviet battle-painter, and later – a beautiful landscape artist, the People’s Artist of USSR, Professor VG Puzyrkov. Master managed to instill into his pupil not only the basics of scenic skill, but the ability to admire beauty and perfection of the world. This quality helped Balikov in further fruitful work in different genres of painting: still life, everyday life, and landscape. Although he was not clearly the artist of battle genre, he repeatedly appealed to the theme of heroism of the Soviet people in the struggle against fascism.

Since 1960, he took part in the Republican, and since 1965 – All-Union art exhibitions. Traveling in 1970-1980s in Ukraine, the artist captured in his paintings beautiful landscapes. Often, the same motif, he painted at different times of day and year, with changing light and weather. The same goes for his still lifes.

Saturated color of his paintings always varied; an important role in their color scheme plays skillfully transmitted light and shadow.

Art works by Yuri Balikov are in museums of Ukraine, as well as in private collections in England, Sweden, France, Slovakia, the USA, Canada, China and many other countries.

Soviet Ukrainian painter Yuri Balikov