Boris Spornikov Artist Page


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Boris Spornikov

The biography.

Boris Alexandrowich Spornikov was born
at August 3, 1930. Graduated from Kiev
State Fine Arts Institute in 1975.
In July 1941 being a boy in the youth
camp he first saw the album with the
fine art drawings, and this moment was
a critical turn point in his future
career. Boris gained the strong wish to
draw and paint. At the same he was
observing his motherland’s sky filled
with bomb explosions of the Nazi
aviation. Much later, those children
impressions were reflected on the
series of pastel paintings “The sky of
my childhood” (1975). He lived in Kiev
during its occupation by Nazi forces,
where death was a real and immediate
thing everywhere, yet he experiences
hunger and the need of hiding himself
and his mother in their family house.
He saved himself by the accident: he
and his mother were forced to leave
Ukraine for Germany, and by some wonder
they escaped the train.
After the war, a schoolteacher of
mathematics, who was also the
professional painter, allowed Boris to
study fine arts. By this way, the boy
was accepted to the Republican
secondary fine art school… The fate
favored Boris, as those times were
favorable for young artists development
in Soviet Union. The school of the
social realism was supported with the
numerous contests, public exhibitions
and monumental projects. Self study was
much encouraged also. While studying in
9th form, Boris painted his first
serious picture of historical
motif “The Kiev defense against
Tatars”. Late fine art academic, S.O.
Grygoriev, after seeing this painting,
helped Boris with attending to the Kiev
Fine Art Institute (1952). Spornikov
happened to study in the studio of the
well-known Ukrainian master K.D.
Trokhimenko. Under his supervision,
Spornikov painted the large canvas of
O. Parkhomenko (Soviet supreme
governmental member). Another
painting, “Arsenal rebel members” was a
diploma project of Boris. Young
graduate was not able to choose his
place of further employment, and
instead whished fine art museum in
Alupka (Famous Voronzov’s palace) he
got to the position of teacher in fine
art school in Dnepropetrovsk. His
serious paintings of that time: “The
heroes of Tripillya” and “The first
seeds of the Commune”, made triumph at
Republican and Soviet exhibitions.
Boris Spornikov became a recognized
painter in Ukraine, his works were
ordered by public publishing bodies and
entered the cabinets of high
governmental officers.

In 1958 Boris Spornikov moved to Omsk
(South Siberia). During 4 years, on the
basis of the works he produced, he
achieved the membership in the Council
of Artists of Soviet Union. So
called, “Siberian” period in
Spornikov’s life now completes the
worthy part in his paintings. The
wideness of the Northern expanses,
purity of human’s souls, unworldly
beauty of the Tundra landscapes and
seascapes, warmness of the people’s
relationship there, trapped the talent
of Boris Spornikov. Even after
returning to Kiev in 1969, he traveled
to Siberia for drawing etudes every
year. Many of his works were gifted to
the city of Salekhard, to the military
garrison in Omsk. Coming back to Kiev
started the new period in Spornikov’s
work. The realization of his former
Siberia projects in Kiev are: “Urengoy.
Going landed.”, “Northern
frontier”, “Birds are coming”, “Deer-
keepers’ feast”, “Trans-
polar”, “Portrait of the forester I.
Medvedkin”.

Spornikov shows himself as the multi-
genre artist. Most of the works are
landscapes (Northern, Kiev, Moscow,
Carpathian themes) but with time, he
realizes himself as the master of
composition portrait.

His main themes are: World War II (“The
Banner of the Victory – to Moscow”
(1985), “That Day of
Victory”(1985), “Death of the
Commissar”(1986), “Group portrait of
the members of Slovak National
Rebellion”(1988 – 89); Russian
spirituality (“Dream”(1983) –
diptych, “Solzhenitzyn”, “Taras
Shevchenko”(1988), “Do not make the
Evil…Rabindranat Thagor”(1987 –
89), “Peredvizhniki”(1990). The last
canvas portraits, in the traditional
composition arrangement, the foundator
of Peredvizhnuiki group, Stasov, and 24
figures of this famous school
representatives: O. Murashko, O.
Levchenko, K. Kostandi, M. Pimonenko
with the picture of V. Surikov “Boyar
Morozova” at the background.

Past exhibitions represented works of
Boris Spornikov:

· Soviet exhibition of diploma
works by graduates of Fine Art
institutes. Moscow 1957.
· Regional fine art exhibition
devoted to 40th anniversary of
Comsomol. Dnepropetrovsk 1958.
· Soviet fine art exhibition
devoted to 40th anniversary of
Comsomol. Moscow1958.
· Zonal exhibition of young
artists in Omsk 1959.
· Republican fine art exhibition
of Russia Soviet Republic. Moscow 1960.
· Personal exhibition. Omsk 1960.
· Group mobile exhibition tour
across Omsk region. 1960.
· Zonal fine art
exhibition “Siberia socialistic”
Novosibirsk 1964.
· Zonal fine art
exhibition “Siberia socialistic” Omsk
1965.
· Jubileum zonal fine art
exhibition “Siberia socialistic” Omsk
1967.
· Personal exhibition. Salekhard
1969.
· Republican fine art exhibition
of Ukrainian painters devoted to 100th
Lenin’s birth. Kiev. 1970.
· Republican fine art exhibition
devoted to 30th anniversary of
Ukraine’s deliverance from Nazi
occupation. Kiev. 1974.
· Republican fine art exhibition
devoted to 30th anniversary of Victory
in WWII. Kiev. 1975.
· Report exhibition of the Soviet
artist group in White Sea
basin “Artist – to the Northern fleet.”
Jakutsk. 1975.
· Republican fine art
exhibition “Glory to the Labor!”
devoted to 25th congress of the
Communist Party of USSR and the
Communist Party of Ukraine. Kiev. 1976.
· Report exhibition of the Soviet
artist group in White Sea basin.
Arkhangelsk. 1976.
· Republican fine art exhibition.
Kiev. 1977.
· Republican fine art exhibition
devoted to 100th anniversary of F.E.
Dzerzhinsky. Kiev. 1977.
· Republican fine art
exhibition “Always ready”. Kiev.1977.
· Republican fine art exhibition
devoted to 60th anniversary of frontier
troops of USSR. Kiev. 1978.
· Republican fine art exhibitions
(Kiev. 1977-89).
· Soviet fine art exhibitions
(Moscow 1981 – 1985).

Countries, where the paintings were
exhibited or where his works are
currently located:

· Japan (1976 – 78)
· France (1985 – 94)
· United Kingdom (1992 – 94)
· Canada (1986 – 88)
· Germany (1985)
· Turkey (1980)
· South Korea (1992)
· Poland (1980)

Boris Spornikov presently lives in Kiev
in his family house.
Studios of Boris Spornikov

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