Vasily Nesterenko paintings in high resolution. A thousand paintings by Vasily Nesterenko

Artist Nesterenko Vasily Igorevich, painter, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, full member of the Russian Academy of Arts. Born in Pavlograd in Ukraine in 1967. After training in the workshop of the People's Artist of Russia N.S. Prisekin in 1980 entered the Moscow secondary art school at the Moscow State Academic Art Institute. IN AND. Surikov in the department of painting, which in June 1985 he graduated with a gold medal. After serving from 1985 to 1987 in the SA, he studied from 1987 to 1994 at the Moscow State Academic Art Institute. IN AND. Surikov, workshop of the People's Artist of the USSR Academician T.T. Salakhova.

Marriage in Cana of Galilee. Patriarchal refectory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, 2001

Vasily Nesterenko made a great contribution to the reconstruction of the artistic decoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. His brushes belong to the monumental paintings "The Resurrection of Christ", "St. Apostle and Evangelist Matthew”, “The Baptism of the Lord”, “Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem”, a cycle of the Mother of God icons, five paintings on gospel subjects for the Patriarchal Refectory and a shroud. The artist's works can also be seen in the Museum of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Under his leadership and with his personal participation, new murals were created in the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov and the iconostasis in the Church of the Millennium of the Baptism of Rus' in Tsaritsyno. The works of Nesterenko Vasily Igorevich are in large museum collections in Russia and abroad.

Vasily Nesterenko is the author of a number of solo exhibitions, including exhibitions at the Russian Academy of Arts, the Kremlin, the Novy Manezh State Exhibition Hall, the Museum of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, as well as numerous exhibitions in Europe and the USA.

View of the Kremlin from Staraya Square, 1998

Cathedral of Christ the Savior, 2002

The Last Supper. Patriarchal refectory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, 1998

A wonderful multiplication of loaves. Patriarchal refectory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, 2001

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. Icon of the Mother of God cycle of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, 2002.

Entrance to the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos. Icon of the Mother of God cycle of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, 2002.

Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.Icon of the Mother of God cycle of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, 2002

Christmas, 2004

Easter, 2003

Trinity, 2004

Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, 1996

Portrait of Patriarch Alexy II, 2000

Image of the Holy Trinity. Painting of the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov, 2002

Autumn bouquet, 1998

Memories of Holland, 1998

Spring on Athos, 1996

Autumn in Pechory, 1996

Balaam

Winter in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 1995

Hare tracks, 2003

Spring color, 2002

Sakura branch, 2005

Golden cover, 2005

First snow, 2006

Magic dream, 2005

Sea, 2004

Night luminary, 2006

Navy Dreams, 1995

Triumph of the Russian fleet, 1994

Moscow meets the heroes of Poltava, 1997

Triumph of Catherine, 2007

We will defend Sevastopol, 2005

Russian Madonna, 2005

Girlish Dreams, 2003

Mom's portrait, 2004

"Achievement list":

1988 — participation in the All-Union Exhibition “Youth of Russia” in the Central Exhibition Hall “Manege”, Moscow

1989 : - All-Russian exhibition of young artists in the Central House of Artists, Moscow

1990 : - personal exhibition of graphic works in the Exhibition Hall of the Moscow State Art Institute named after. V. I. Surikov, Moscow
1991 — personal exhibition at the Happy World Incorporation Gallery in Tokyo dedicated to M. S. Gorbachev’s visit to Japan
– All-Russian exhibition of portraits in the MOSH Gallery on Kuznetsky Most, Moscow
1991 — 1992 — diploma internship under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR at the PRATT Art Institute in New York under the guidance of professors Ross Niara, Phoebe Hellman, Frank Lindt
- solo exhibition at the Citibank Gallery in New York
1992 : - solo exhibition at the Ambassador Gallery in SOHO, New York
- accepted as a member of the American League of Professional Artists (ALPA)
- solo exhibition at the Ambassador Gallery with the publication of a catalog of paintings, New York
1994 - Member of the International Federation of Artists of UNESCO and the International Art Fund
— Presentation of the painting “The Triumph of the Russian Fleet” and a personal exhibition at the Central Museum of the Armed Forces, Moscow
1995 : — start of work on sketches of murals in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
— Member of the Moscow Union of Artists
- awarded the Diploma of the Russian Academy of Arts
1996 : — personal exhibition in the halls of the Russian Academy of Arts with the publication of the album “Vasily Nesterenko. Painting, graphics”, Moscow

— personal exhibition in the House of the Government of the Russian Federation, Moscow
— exhibition of the painting “The Triumph of the Russian Fleet” in the Palace of Congresses in the Kremlin as part of the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Russian Fleet
- solo exhibition at the Mercer Gallery, New York
1997 : — personal exhibition in the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, Kremlin, Moscow
— personal exhibition in the gallery “Barvikha”
1998 : — acquisition by the Government of Moscow of the painting “The Last Supper”, and its donation to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for placement in the Patriarchal Refectory
1999 : — awarding the honorary title “Honored Artist of the Russian Federation”
- work on the murals of the Cathedral Church in the name of Christ the Savior in Moscow. “The Resurrection of Christ”, “The Apostle Matthew” (the northwestern pylon of the temple); “The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem” (western tympanum of the temple); “Baptism of the Lord” (northern tympanum of the temple)
- at the invitation of the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate, led a team of artists who worked on the creation of the interior decoration of the Throne Hall of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, built for solemn events dedicated to the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ
2000 : by decision of the Government of Moscow, the State Cultural Institution “Moscow State Art Gallery of Vasily Nesterenko” was established
– with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Rus', work on a series of paintings on Gospel stories for the Patriarchal Refectory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Moscow
— personal exhibition at the Museum of the City of Ostashkov as part of the Irina Arkhipova Music Festival on Seliger
- headed a team of artists who worked on the creation of the artistic decoration of the Anteroom of the Hall of the Church Cathedrals of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, was the author of ten murals
- award with the Order of Sergius of Radonezh 2nd degree for work on the murals of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
— personal exhibition ”Autumn landscape” in the cultural center UPDK, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Moscow
2000 — 2001 – work on four canvases: “Marriage in Cana of Galilee”, “The Miraculous Multiplication of Loaves”, “Christ and the Samaritan Woman”, “The Miraculous Catch” for the Patriarchal Refectory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Moscow
2001 : exhibition “The Way to the Temple”, Museum of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
- Elected Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Arts
— personal exhibition at the Russian Cultural Foundation
— election as the Chairman of the Board of the Charitable Foundation “CREATIVITY”
2002 : — work on the cycle of the Mother of God icons and the Shroud for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
— personal exhibition at the Museum of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, dedicated to the 35th anniversary of his birth, and presentation of paintings of the Gospel cycle by the Patriarchal Refectory
- at the invitation of the Head of the Administration of the Dmitrovsky District of the Moscow Region, he headed a creative team that worked on the creation of a new pictorial decoration of the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov - a cultural monument of federal significance. Work on the murals “The Image of the Holy Trinity”, “The Last Supper”, “Prayer for the Chalice”, “Golgotha” in the Dmitrovsky Assumption Cathedral
– with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Rus', invited a team of artists and icon painters to create a picturesque decoration of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity, built in honor of the Millennium of the Baptism of Rus' in Tsaritsyno, Moscow
– solo exhibition at Famagusta Gates Exhibition Hall, Nicosia, Cyprus
— personal exhibition at the Museum of Books and Typography in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
2003 :— at the invitation of the Vice-Mayor of Moscow V.P. Shantsev, he headed a team of artists and restorers working on the reconstruction of the artistic decoration of the Temple in the name of the Assumption of the Mother of God in the village of Domnino, Susaninsky District, Kostroma Region, the family estate of the Romanovs
— personal exhibition at the State Orenburg Art Museum
2004 : — personal exhibition in the State Exhibition Hall “Manege”, Moscow
- personal exhibition at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1955. on Poklonnaya Hill
— personal exhibition at the Oryol State Museum of Fine Arts
— assignment of the honorary title "People's Artist of the Russian Federation"
— personal exhibition in the Museum complex of the city of Dmitrov
- elected a member of the Expert Commission for the award of State Prizes in the field of literature and art in the Central Federal District
— personal exhibition in the art gallery of the Museum-Reserve “Vologda Kremlin”
— personal exhibition at the Central House of Artists, Moscow
2005 : - personal exhibition in the Lipetsk Regional Exhibition Hall
— personal exhibition in the Sevastopol Art Museum named after M.P. Kroshitsky
2006 :— personal exhibition at the Moscow State Exhibition Hall “New Manege”
— personal exhibition at the Ryazan Art Museum
— personal exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Karelia

— personal exhibition at the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus
2007 :— personal exhibition in the Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore
— personal exhibition in the House of the Government of the Russian Federation
— personal exhibition in the Bryansk Regional Art Museum and Exhibition Center
- Elected a Full Member of the Russian Academy of Arts
2008 : -exhibition in the "Regional art gallery" Obraz "Kaluga
— personal exhibition at the Belgorod State Art Museum
— personal exhibition at the Tyumen Regional Museum of Fine Arts
— personal exhibition in the Ukrainian House, Kyiv
— personal exhibition in the GUK of Moscow “State Historical, Architectural, Artistic and Landscape Museum-Reserve “Tsaritsyno”
2009 : — personal exhibition at the Federal State Institution "House of Cosmonauts"
— personal exhibition at the Yaroslavl Art Museum
— personal exhibition at the Embassy of the DPRK
— personal exhibition at the Russian Academy of Arts
— personal exhibition at the Academy of the FSB of the Russian Federation
— personal exhibition at the Central Museum of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation
— personal exhibition at the Central Exhibition Hall "Manege"
2010 : - personal exhibition in the Chuvash National Art Museum of Cheboksary
— personal exhibition in the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation
- personal exhibition at Moscow State Technical University. N. E. Bauman
— personal exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Academy of the FSB of the Russian Federation
2011 : - personal exhibition at the Academy of Management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
— personal exhibition at the Museum and Exhibition Center "Worker and Kolkhoz Woman"

"You can imagine how important and relevant it is now - to convey to our people, to our consciousness the greatness and power of Russia."

V. Nesterenko

Biography. Young years of Vasily Nesterenko

The youngest People's Artist of Russia was born in Ukraine in Pavlograd in 1967. After the death of his father, at the age of 9, he began a serious study of painting, and in 1980 he entered the Moscow Art School at the Academic Art Institute. Surikov. Vasily Igorevich was an excellent student and graduated from secondary art school with a gold medal.

In October 1985 he entered the faculty of painting at the Surikov Institute, but in the winter of the same year he was drafted into the army, where he served until 1987. After the army, he continued his studies at the institute and in the class of Academician T.T. Salatov. Among the teachers were prof. L.L. Shepelev, prof. S.N. Shilnikov, N.P. Khristolyubov and E.N. Troshev, but T.T. Salatov, about which the artist will write more than once in his articles.

In the fall of 1988, Nesterenko participated in the All-Union exhibition "Youth of Russia" in the Moscow "Manege". This exhibition brings him success and until 1990 he participates in several more exhibitions of young artists.

The first solo exhibition of the promising artist took place in April 1990 at the Exhibition Hall of the Moscow State Academic Art Institute named after M. Surikov. Another sign of his success was the purchase of the Chernobyl painting by the Kyiv Art Museum in May 1990. This is followed by many exhibitions, both at home and abroad.

From September 1991 to June 1992, Nesterenko was doing a graduation internship on behalf of the USSR Ministry of Culture at the PRATT Art Institute in New York, where such eminent personalities as Ross Near, Phoebe Hellman and Frank Lindt were its leaders. Members of the American League of Professional Artists (ALPA) come to his exhibition, who are so delighted with the young talent that in April 1992 they accept him into their organization. For resounding success during the period of New York creativity, Nesterenko is awarded the Honorary Prize at the 64th National Exhibition of ALPH.

Upon returning to his homeland, Nesterenko takes up his thesis work "The Triumph of the Russian Fleet" (1994). In the spring of 1994, Nesterenko brilliantly defended his diploma and graduated from the Surikov Institute. At the same time, he becomes a member of the International Federation of Artists of UNESCO.

Biography. Mature years of Vasily Nesterenko

Since Vasily Nesterenko achieved success very early, the period of maturity can be counted from the moment he completed his studies at the institute. He quickly found his way in art, he is capable of all genres of painting: from historical paintings to psychological portraits.

In 1995, he began work on sketches for murals in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which, already in 1996, won the competition and Nesterenko became one of the art restorers. He works a lot on sketches and in 1999 the monumental painting was completed. For the design of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, he was awarded the Order of Sergius of Radonezh, 2nd degree.

At the age of 33, in May 1999, Vasily Nesterenko became an Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, and in 2000, the state cultural institution "Moscow Art Gallery of Vasily Nesterenko" was created. His industriousness and zeal for work are stunning: after all, not every artist is able to create a collection for an exhibition in the New Manezh, especially at such a young age.

In 2002, he participated in the painting of the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov. In 2003, the publication of his albums is published. Later, he paints the Assumption Church in Domnino, the Throne Hall of the Jerusalem Patriarch in Jerusalem.

In 2004 he received the title of "People's Artist of the Russian Federation", and in 2007 he was elected a Full Member of the Russian Academy of Arts.

The most famous paintings by Vasily Nesterenko

The murals in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior include the following works: "The Resurrection of Christ", "The Apostle and Evangelist Matthew", "The Baptism of the Lord", "The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem", as well as four Mother of God icons, five paintings on biblical themes for the Patriarchal Refectory and a shroud that literally captivates the viewer.

"The Triumph of the Russian Fleet" (1994) is a huge work, 6 meters long, which impresses not only with its size, but also with its technique. It is hard to imagine how difficult it is to paint such diverse portraits in one picture without losing the central figure - Peter I. Made in the classical style of Russian painting, it is filled with dynamics in the movements of the characters and the contrast between military costumes and women's jewelry.

The historical painting “Defend Sevastopol”, created in 2005, was a kind of declamation of the artist that the main task of contemporaries is to honor the victories of their ancestors.

The genre portraits "Unconquered" (2005) and "Alone with Myself" (1995) are images of the "heroes of my time" - people who live an unusual life and are happy in their loneliness and inner harmony.

Belonging of Nesterenko's paintings to artistic styles

Nesterenko works mainly in the style of Russian classical painting. For him, Nesterov, Ivanov, Vasnetsov and Van Dyck are examples. In historical canvases and in religious painting, especially in the painting “Alone with Myself”, there is a similarity with Nesterov: he also tries to find beauty in the ascetic lifestyle of monks.

Museums and galleries - places for exhibitions of paintings by Vasily Nesterenko

Museum and Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Moscow

Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Central Museum of the Armed Forces of Russia

Russian Academy of Arts .

View all paintings by Nesterenko V.G. Can

© Artist Nesterenko. Biography of the artist Nesterenko. Paintings, description of paintings by artist Nesterenko

In Moscow, in the building of the Manege, an exhibition of the people's artist Vasily Nesterenko opened. On the first day, only the press and dignitaries were invited to the opening ceremony. The first came, the second turned out to be a very tight schedule.

Correspondents, photographers and editors wandered attentively among the huge number of paintings, peering at the images that the artist presented to them.

To criticize and praise him, in general, there is nothing. Except for the size of the paintings and their abundance. But, as one of the visitors said, Vasily Nesterenko obviously does not report paints on such canvases. I don’t know what the commentator had in mind, but it also seemed to me that the characters in the paintings were written far from being very clear. However, obviously, Nesterenko did not pursue the goal of repeating reality exactly the same. Apparently, his task is to convey a hint, and then let the viewer himself think out and complete everything in his mind - to the extent of his development.

The general focus of Nesterenko's paintings is religion. The artist understands by the term "art" fantasies on the themes of biblical characters. They never existed in reality, but Vasily Nesterenko is considered a painter. Painting and fiction are two incompatible concepts, but fantasy, including religious themes, is good because the strength of the visual image depends on the artist's immersion in the topic.

Vasily Nesterenko considers himself ill. Of course, in allegorical terms: “Art is like a disease. Many do not get infected. Many of those who become infected will recover sooner or later. And only a few "get sick" all their lives. So I am one of those who became infected for life. This phrase is from his interview with Naslednik magazine (No. 16).

The image is good, and through it one should understand the general message of the exhibition: a painter who did not present a single painting, but struck the audience with the scale of his immersion in religion. If you do not go into antagonistic phrases, then it would be more correct to call Vasily Nesterenko an icon painter. This follows from his work.

The political aspect of the exhibition is also extremely obvious, and it should also be considered inside out. Firstly, the Ukrainian artist became a "people's artist" in Russia. Although at the same time it is not known whether the Russian people know that such high titles go to Ukrainians with a clear defeat in the rights of real people - Russian artists?

However, if you look at this side of painting through the easel of politics, then here the Ukrainian roots turn inside out. Vasily Nesterenko's activity began in the USA: in November 1991, a personal exhibition was held at the Citi Bank Gallery in New York. Then, in March 1992, a solo exhibition at the Ambassador Gallery in SOHO, New York. Then in April 1992 - an exhibition in the building of the National Westminster Bank, New York.

As a result, the real Ukrainian and future People's Artist of Russia was accepted as a member of the American League of Professional Artists in the same year. Then the continuation of exhibitions in the USA, after the abundance of which there is no doubt that this country has done too much for Vasily Nesterenko to be considered his stepmother.

The United States has become a godfather for the future great artist. Today there is a lot of gossip on the topic of recruitment, so the American period in the life of Vasily Nesterenko very frankly signals to society that the US special services fell in love with the Ukrainian because he brought them Russian pictorial culture, in which he reflected Greek and Jewish religious motives.

Such cosmopolitanism ended up closing in on the monument of victorious democracy: the US democracy victorious in the USSR. We are talking about the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In February 1995, having returned from the United States, already titled and recognized by the entire Western World, the future People's Artist of Russia began work on sketches for murals in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

According to Senka and a hat: in 1995 Vasily Nesterenko became a member of the Moscow Union of Artists. Then in 1996-1997 he had a solo exhibition at the Mercer Gallery, New York. After another portion of insinuations from the United States, Vasily Nesterenko immediately got to the Kremlin, where his personal exhibition was held at the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation. Boris Yeltsin, a slave of the United States and the lowest slave of Israel, was then the President of Russia.

Thus, God himself took Vasily Nesterenko away from real painting. He never painted Russian landscapes or Russian portraits. On the other hand, the walls of the Manezh caved in under huge panels with images of saints, clearly demonstrating that Vasily Nesterenko is really sick of art, but he is sick of it in the square - through splitting into religion.

Hence the recognition: 1999 - Honored Artist of the Russian Federation; 2000 - Order of Sergius of Radonezh II degree of the Russian Orthodox Church for the murals in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior; 2003 - Patriarchal Diploma for the creation of new murals in the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov; 2004 - People's Artist of the Russian Federation; 2004 - Order of Andrei Rublev III degree from the Moscow Patriarchate.

As a response message to the US intelligence services, which gave such an amazing start to the picturesque iconography of Vasily Nesterenko, the Russian intelligence services were marked by alternativeness: 2010 - FSB Award in the Fine Arts nomination.

The ability to hang out for the artist is above all. But now Vasily Nesterenko has clearly fallen out of the cage. Some associate the beginning of his descent with the congestion of his canvases with a religious theme. In particular, the Jews are extremely negative about the fact that the title of “People's Artist”, although it went to one of them, is frankly not according to the modern trend. Not a single rabbi was present at the opening of the exhibition.

Others attribute problems to the fact that they see Vasily Nesterenko as a candidate for the post of head of the Russian Academy of Arts, where Zurab Tsereteli, an equally successful artist, is currently present. If so, then soon we will witness a behind-the-scenes fight between a Ukrainian and a Georgian for another post in a Russian educational institution.

The fact that the clouds over the icons of Vasily Nesterenko began to thicken was shown by the opening of the exhibition, at which there were no high-profile persons, and even the Minister of Culture did not arrive to fix the significance of the figure of the people's artist. This frank spitting of power towards outstanding religious paintings was successfully dampened by the abundance of priests and various hierarchs of the Church. But also - everything is low, low ...

Marina Vetrova

Vasily Igorevich Nesterenko was born in 1967 in Pavlograd, Ukraine. In 1980 he entered the Moscow secondary art school at the Moscow State Academic Art Institute. V. I. Surikov to the department of painting - after training in the workshop of the People's Artist of Russia N. S. Prisekin. In June 1985 he graduated from the Moscow Art School with a gold medal. From December 1985 to October 1987 he served in the Soviet Army. From 1987 to 1994 he studied at the Moscow State Academic Art Institute. V. I. Surikov. Workshop of the People's Artist of the USSR, Academician T. T. Salakhov. Teachers: prof. L. V. Shepelev, prof. S. N. Shilnikov, prof. N. P. Khristolyubov, prof. E. N. Troshev. Since the autumn of 1988 active creative activity.

The turn of the 20th-21st centuries is a complex historical era that brings to life new artistic trends, trends, and values. The work of the Moscow painter Vasily Nesterenko is inseparable from his time. He is one of those masters who introduces domestic art into the new century.

An excellent academic background, a deep susceptibility to modernity, a rare diligence helped Nesterenko rapidly enter the artistic life of the country. He quickly achieves independence, maturity of style, and is widely recognized. Possessing a significant creative range, he paints portraits, landscapes, large historical canvases, and religious compositions.

Artistic understanding of changes in the spiritual life of society and profound changes in the worldview are embodied in a series of paintings dedicated to trips to holy places, in painting icons, in creating portraits of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', Patriarch Diodorus of Jerusalem and other clergy.

The main theme of his historical canvases is the affirmation of personality, its active creative principle. In his art, Nesterenko often refers to the era of reforms of Peter I, introduces various historical subjects into painting: “The Triumph of the Russian Fleet”, “Moscow meets the heroes of Poltava”.

The basis of the artistic method of Nesterenko-portrait painter is a deep study of nature, the nature of a human being. His portraits are remarkable for the sharpness of the transfer of character. With special warmth, the artist reveals the spiritual value of the models. In female portraits, he is a subtle lyricist, creating bright and harmonious images.

The landscape is of great importance in his work. The image of nature sounds in the ensemble of historical canvases, in portraiture and is fully revealed in the landscape works of the artist. He travels a lot in Russia, does not part with his sketchbook on trips to Europe and America.

The real creative success of Vasily Nesterenko was his participation in the reconstruction of the picturesque decoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. This complex work required not only the highest professional skills, but also the ability to work in the manner of the greatest painters of the 19th century.

The multi-figured gospel scenes performed by Nesterenko: “The Lord's Entry into Jerusalem”, “The Resurrection of Christ”, “The Apostle Matthew”, “The Baptism of the Lord” are located in the most responsible, central part of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

A special place in the artist's work is occupied by the work in the Patriarchal refectory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. With the blessing of the Patriarch, the artist performs five gospel scenes: "The Last Supper", "Marriage in Cana of Galilee", "The Miraculous Multiplication of Loaves", "The Miraculous Catch", "Christ and the Samaritan Woman".

The work of the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Arts Vasily Igorevich Nesterenko invariably attracts the attention of numerous spectators. His works can be seen in museums, at the largest domestic and foreign exhibitions. He works hard, full of new creative ideas, in his studio - new canvases.

Vasily Igorevich NESTERENKO: interview

Vasily Igorevich NESTERENKO (born 1967)- People's Artist of the Russian Federation, full member of the Russian Academy of Arts: | | | .

“IN THE CIRCLE OF MY FRIENDS THERE ARE NO PEOPLE SPILLED WITH GLORY”

I took an interview with the People's Artist of the Russian Federation, Vasily Igorevich Nesterenko ... under a tree. We agreed to meet at Chistye Prudy - there are benches, cozy and quiet. Alas, it did not work out - just at that moment, work was underway on the ponds to improve the territory. Without hesitation, we bypassed all the barriers, and made our way to the green piece in the center. I hung my bag on a tree branch, prepared a voice recorder and asked:

- Nothing, what is it?
- What are you doing! So everything is simple, in nature ...

Vasily Igorevich is an unusually smiling, simple and open person. Yes, and of course, very busy. But he answers all my questions slowly, explaining what is not clear, and somehow very sincerely, cordially ...

So, in a simple way, we talked in nature. Saying goodbye, I thought that when I once again got to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, I would look at some of the murals with completely different eyes. On the painting by Vasily Igorevich.

Interviewed by Elena KOROVINA

- Vasily Igorevich, how did you become an artist?
- I have loved art since childhood. Art is like a disease. Many do not get infected. Many of those who become infected will recover sooner or later. And only a few "get sick" all their lives. So I'm one of those who got infected for life. And the question never really arose for me, where to go to study - I knew from the age of nine that I would be an artist. And life flowed somehow calmly, confidently. I got involved in art quite early. First there were exhibitions at the school where I studied, then - exhibitions in the Manege and the Central House of Artists. I graduated from art school, then the Surikov Institute, then there was an internship in the USA, a diploma work ... And in parallel with this - personal exhibitions in Russia and abroad: in Japan, the USA.

At an early age I lost my father, my mother raised me. At first, she was not very supportive of my desire to become an artist, knowing how difficult it was. Now I understand her perfectly. For parents who doubt whether to dedicate their child to art, I always advise reading Emile Zola's novel Creativity. The novel suggests the complexity of this path. My mother was very afraid that I would not stand it, I would break. And then, seeing my perseverance and great desire, she began to support me. And now she is my closest and best adviser.

- I know that in the early 1990s you were offered to stay and work in the USA. Why didn't you agree?
- I was born in Russia, I am a Russian person and could not live away from my homeland. Exhibitions abroad - yes, good, thank God. But to stay in a foreign country - it seems to me that this is not easy, it means ruining your life. Read the memories of Russia of our emigrants - Shmeleva: such a deep sadness about the lost Motherland! No, it is very difficult to live in a foreign land.

- But you still joined the American League of Professional Artists ...
- While in America, I met Repin's student Mikhail Aleksandrovich Verbov. He was at that time 96 years old. We talked with Mikhail Alexandrovich for three years - he did not live a year before his 100th birthday. He was an honorary member of the American League of Artists, and once, when my exhibition was held in the USA (I was a student at that time), it was visited by the artists of the league. It was my strength test, I was appreciated and accepted.

- Have you ever doubted the correctness of your choice?
On the contrary, it got stronger. A lot of things do not suit me in modern life, in the country, in culture, art. And I'm not going to passively wait for this negativity to touch my children like a black wing, I want to fight it. My weapon is a brush and a palette. And that doesn't mean much. In Sevastopol in 2005, an action was held to mark the 150th anniversary of the defense of Sevastopol. In Engels you can find only negative reviews about the defense of this glorious city, about the Russian Empire and the army. Soviet historiography picked up on this review, they forgot about Sevastopol in schools, and in the end it turned out that we know nothing about this battle, where more than a million people died. You can imagine how important and relevant it is now - to convey to our people, to our consciousness the greatness and power of Russia. For this event, I painted the painting “Defend Sevastopol” (canvas 300 x 515. -Ed.). For me it sounds like “We will defend Moscow, we will defend Russia!” During the exhibition at the Sevastopol Art Museum, I saw a fragment of this painting, placed on advertising billboards, at the airport and train stations in Simferopol and Sevastopol, on the roads of the southern coast of Crimea. People accepted the picture with soul, caught the mood and supported.

- Now in Russia, probably, there are not so many true connoisseurs of art ...
- No, no, I think that in Russia people love and understand art very much. Often in their own way, clumsily, clumsily - but they love a lot! I once even saw a full chest tattoo with a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's "Madonna Benois". What is it? Love for art in such a peculiar form. Ask any Russian person on the street who Aivazovsky, Surikov, Repin are - everyone will answer you, everyone knows them, well, at least they know the fact that they are Russian artists. But in Europe it is more difficult. I know firsthand: ask an ordinary European who Magritte, Renoir, Brueghel is - you will not wait for an answer.

- Would you like your children to devote their lives to art too? Do you see them as artists?
- My children are very young. I don't know which path they will take. But if they choose the path of serving the Fatherland in the field of art, I will only assist them. If they do not want to, I will try to instill in them a love of art in any case.

- What does your wife think about it?
- Olya's wife is always there, always supports me in everything. She is my main assistant.

- I have always been interested in the question: why are there so few women artists?
- Because this is a very difficult path, I repeat. There are so few female artists, not because women have no talent and abilities, but because the very life of a woman is directed towards something else. It is especially difficult for her to give up everything and live for the sake of art. This is the case when a profession becomes a way of life. Not every artist can endure this and remain true to her path until the end of her life.

- What is closer to you - landscapes, portraits, gospel stories?
- I can not say that something is closer to me. The Lord gave me the opportunity to see everything, depict everything, even something abstract. All paintings are the fruit of inspiration. I especially like to depict something that goes a little beyond painting. How, for example, to show the severity of wet snow on the branches, the rustle of falling leaves? When this can be transferred to the canvas - this is a real success. Just like in a portrait, the main thing is to show the soul of a person, and questions of similarity will fade into the background. Everything can be interesting - both landscape and portrait.

I love variety in my work. There are artists who paint still lifes all their lives. And that's all. I find it a little boring. Or all the time - nudity. One exhibition, the second, the third - and everywhere naked. It’s beautiful, of course, but I also want to finally see a dressed person in the picture. Let everything be different, the main thing is that in any picture there should be you, your style. Diversify creativity without changing yourself. But the diversity of interests should not be associated with a desire to adapt to the needs of the time: sweet, glamorous, otherwise they will not be appreciated.

I painted many churches: the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov, the Assumption Church in Domnino - the Romanov family estate, painted the Throne Hall of the Jerusalem Patriarch in Jerusalem, I am interested in painting on historical themes, landscapes, portraits. But, especially in the portrait genre, I am concerned about the question “Who is the hero of our time?”. Once it was Onegin and Pechorin, but who now? Of course, for all people and heroes are different. And I would not want the majority of the heroes to be the participants of some "House-2". They tell me: “Yes, you know, now young people are brought up like that, they have different values.” This is how we educate them! We! All responsibility is on us, and everything depends on us!

- And who is the hero of our time for you?
- You can look at my portrait paintings and get an answer. These are both people not known to a wide circle - just my acquaintances, and quite famous personalities. For example, the great Russian singer Irina Arkhipova or the famous actor Vasily Lanovoy. They are all for me - the heroes of my time. I try to get to know them from the inside, because in order to paint a portrait, it’s not enough just to have talent, you need to make friends with a person, feel his soul, otherwise nothing will work.

You met with many famous people - in your opinion, fame does not spoil them? How to protect yourself from star disease?
- Go through the middle way, somehow hold on. After all, you can fall into the trap of fame - and turn out not to be an artist or artist, but an official, the chairman of some fund. It's like a chain reaction. And creativity will be killed. And you can always have the soul of a child, like Lanovoy's - he is always simple, open, despite popular fame. I guess I was lucky: in my circle of acquaintances there are no people spoiled by fame.

So how do celebrities differ from mere mortals, in your opinion?
- Difficult to answer. On the one hand, they are easy to communicate with, they are the same as everyone else, and on the other hand, it is felt that they are somewhat different. They are charged with creativity, they have a young soul. Let's go back to the same Verbov, a student of Repin - all of New York knew him, and he simply told me, a student: "I've done a new job, let's go and see what you say." Simplicity is what distinguishes truly great, famous people. There are not many people among artists who can sincerely rejoice at the success of their young comrades-in-arms. This ability is also, in my opinion, a sign of a really talented, famous person. Glory should not spoil. It should be a stimulus - higher, further, deeper. After all, you can simply achieve success and stop there. And that's all. There will be stagnation and a gradual fading of creativity.

- If a person dreams of fame - is it good or bad?
- Of course, it's good, because this dream is the main incentive. Many great Russian people dreamed about this: Suvorov and Ushakov, Bryullov and Repin - and they got it quite deservedly. And they exalted Russia through their glory. It is also important to decide what kind of glory you dream of and why. I try to charge with my creativity only for good. And in our time, getting such fame with all your professionalism and talent is more difficult than the glory of a brawler. There is such an avant-garde artist Oleg Kulik, who at exhibitions jumps out on all fours naked and bites the legs of visitors. Known for his cows with a video under his tail, a bust of Tolstoy in chicken droppings and with live chickens around ... Kulik is a rather famous character. So there is such glory. Engaging in the preservation of the traditions of Russian art is more difficult, it is much easier to attract attention like this, outrageous.

- Who is your role model in your work?
- I will not name contemporary artists, although I will make a reservation right away - there are such. I tried to learn from all the great painters - these are Kuindzhi, Ivanov, Nesterov, Vasnetsov, Michelangelo, Van Dyck ...

- Do you feel famous?
- Many people know my work... But I don't want to call myself famous. Once on television I saw a reproduction of my painting "The Triumph of the Russian Fleet", which is located in Moscow in the Museum of the Armed Forces. The plot was about Vladikavkaz. Who made her get into the program there? I have never been to North Ossetia. Nice? Of course it's nice. You can, of course, start talking about copyright infringement, but is this really what you are talking about when there is such recognition of you as an artist?

- Have you felt for yourself what the temptation of glory means?
- It doesn't happen often for me. Yes, at exhibitions, when I am surrounded by the press, television, when they come up to me for an autograph, it is, of course, very pleasant. But it's also a huge sense of responsibility. I'm also always afraid of offending someone. A man came up to me with a piece of an invitation card, asked for an autograph, asked to be photographed, and at that time I was busy - an interview or just a conversation with a guest... the right to offend him, ask him to wait. Everything has to be done.

- Was it not scary to take on the painting of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior? What difficulties did you face?
- There were a lot of difficulties. The burden of responsibility is simply colossal. I spent several years working in this temple. There are four of my paintings in the church, four icons of the Theotokos, a Shroud for the main altar, five paintings on gospel stories in the refectory of the Patriarch, and ten views of monasteries in the antechamber of the hall of Church Cathedrals. I did the murals and paintings alone, without assistants - it was incredibly difficult: in the 19th century, the temple was painted for ten years, and we painted it in seven and a half months. How were we able to do this? I don't know, miraculous. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was painted by those artists who sincerely desired it, those who wanted to leave their mark, who wanted to join this greatest, fantastic event. And it was a huge honor for all of us. At one time, Alexander Ivanov dreamed of painting the temple - he, Ivanov, was not allowed! And I was lucky to work in the temple, restore two paintings by Semiradsky, two paintings by Sorokin - famous masters of the 19th century! It was an unforgettable dialogue with famous artists of that time. When I came across temple painting, I discovered so many new ways for myself, so many sensations - a whole world that enriched my life, my palette. So we will never forget this work in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

- You had many exhibitions. Was there a special one for you? And why?
- Probably at the Bolshoi Manege, in February 2004. When I was preparing this exhibition, I tried not to pass by the Manezh - this long row of columns had a depressing effect on me. I felt like I couldn't do anything. But the exhibition took place, and even what!

- Do you have a favorite picture - from your works?
- Eat. Still unwritten.

- What about those written?
- "Alone with myself". You can look at my website. It depicts the hero of our time, my time - an ordinary monk, an ordinary person, but living an unusual life, incomprehensible to us. As long as there are such people in Russia, Russia will live. Or the painting "Unbowed". I tried to say something new about the war, and I think I succeeded.

- What is the worst part of your job for you?
- Most of all I am afraid not to justify hopes of people. The most terrible thing is to hear: “Your pictures are bad. We came to you, and you exposed some nonsense. Thank God I didn't have that, but everything is very unpredictable in the art world. You can work all your life, paint pictures, and then, at the end of your life, they will say to you: “All this is outdated, nothing interesting.” Let us recall Alexander Ivanov, who wrote The Appearance of Christ to the People. Bryullov was a little more fortunate - he managed to die before they began to forget him, and Ivanov learned during his lifetime what it means to be rejected. Rembrandt was forgotten for 200 years! Aivazovsky was pecked both during his lifetime and after his death. And how many such examples! It's hard to be talented and famous. Glory to glory, and often from it insomnia and heaviness in the soul. So we don't know what will happen and how. How can you revel in glory when, perhaps, tomorrow they will say that you were born into the world in vain?

D. O. Shvidkovsky

Vasily Nesterenko's artistic talent is multifaceted and his work is extensive - church murals and historical canvases, portraits of the clergy and lyrical female images, landscapes and still lifes, works written in oil and watercolor, graphic sheets made in charcoal and pencil. He equally succeeds in small sketches and multi-meter canvases, chamber images of nature and philosophical works that are most complex in composition and figurative structure. His paintings reflect many aspects of our life, penetrate deep into history, make us empathize with the tragedies of the past and the deeds of our predecessors, join the prayer ministry of the Church Fathers. The feelings of the viewer inspire both individual works of the master, as well as series of paintings, and entire exhibitions, united by the ideas of goodness, love and reconciliation.

Traveling through the pages of this album, we live together with the artist his life, full of impressions from the beauty of his native nature, creative meetings with his contemporaries, numerous trips around the world. We can recall the glorious pages of history: the era of Peter the Great with his triumphs and battles, go back to the 19th century and visit the redoubts and bastions of the besieged Sevastopol, find ourselves in the Holy places where prayer books of the Russian Church labored for centuries, and finally fall under the arches of the Cathedral of Christ Savior and see the paintings and paintings that tell about the events of the Gospel story.

Getting acquainted with the works of the artist, we are immersed in the world of painting, where you can see exquisite play of color, and subtle combinations of close halftones, and active color strokes made with a confident brush. The richness of the texture distinguishes most of the artist's works - this is a smooth surface, achieved by barely noticeable glazing, which allows modeling the most subtle changes in shape, and an expressive body layer, obtained with a wide brush or palette knife, capable of shading the critical places of the picture, revealing and emphasizing the tangibility of objects. The coloring of the master's picturesque things is varied - from restrained and light to bright and saturated. In his creative arsenal, almost all the technical means and techniques developed by many generations of artists.

For Vasily Nesterenko, there are no inaccessible subjects; with equal success, he performs a small watercolor portrait, a monumental oil painting, and a colossal wall painting. Working on a landscape, the artist seeks to convey effects that lie beyond the limits of painting: the smell of an autumn forest, the rustle of leaves, the heaviness of wet snow or the sound of the sea. Creating a portrait, he penetrates into the soul of a person, depicting the inner world, and not just an external resemblance. The mood caused by the picture immediately awakens the viewer's response, makes you empathize with the feelings and thoughts of the artist.

The theme of serving people, a sincere desire to make the life of contemporaries better and cleaner, a call to look around and love the world around us runs through all the work of Vasily Nesterenko. The artist devoted his life completely to art in the highest sense of the word, which includes both professional devotion to his beloved work, and selfless creative work, and loyalty to once chosen ideals.

We can say that the work of Vasily Nesterenko is encyclopedic in its breadth and diversity. The purpose of this album is an attempt to collect on the pages of one publication most of the artist's works, to arrange them in such a way as to most fully express the meaning of his creative searches.

We will try to trace the artist's creative path, the stages of his formation, and also tell who his teachers were, in what environment he was brought up, which allowed him to rise to the heights of professional skill and receive well-deserved recognition.

Vasily Igorevich Nesterenko was born in 1967 in Ukraine. Childhood impressions will remain an important source of inspiration in his future creative life. The boundless fields of Ukraine, huge pyramidal poplars over the boundless Dnieper, weeping willows leaning by a quiet pond and the bright picturesque nature of Crimea with fantastic piles of rocks near the Black Sea coast - this is where his talent as an artist first manifested itself, sometimes still timidly, but already quite clearly. Seeing in him a penchant for drawing, his parents encouraged his studies.

The whole subsequent life of Vasily Nesterenko is connected with Moscow. Enrolling in the Moscow secondary art school at the Surikov Institute, he forever joined the creativity. School exams were the first test for the young artist. Having passed a tough competition - fifteen people per place - he got into the world of professional art, the alma mater of many Russian painters and sculptors.

Passing exams was preceded by serious preparatory work in the Studio named after M.B. Grekov, in the workshop of the People's Artist of Russia, laureate of State Prizes N.S. Prisekin. The famous battle painter, the author of many dioramas, he was working at that moment on the monumental painting "Battle of Kulikovo". Vasily, drawing educational still lifes in watercolor, dreamed of large canvases, looked at it as a miracle, when at the hand of the master figures come to life on canvas, it would seem that life appears out of nothing.

In an atmosphere of rising interest of the Soviet society in the national culture, the creative formation of Vasily Nesterenko began. The young painter read books on the history of Russian and world art and, together with his comrades from the art school, discovered the poetry of ancient churches and monasteries, admired Stozharov's still lifes, paintings by Plastov and other classics of realistic art. He spent every break in the Tretyakov Gallery, located opposite the school, studied the works of Surikov, Repin, Levitan, could not move away from the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People” by Alexander Ivanov, gradually joined the spiritual beauty of ancient Russian painting.

Several generations of artists have passed through the walls of the legendary school in Lavrushinsky Lane. At that time, many educational works hung in its corridors, which, in their skill, were not inferior to the works of venerable artists. It was a real school of art that kept pre-revolutionary traditions carefully carried by teachers and students through many decades. One of the main traditions of the school was the spirit of competition. They learned not only from teachers, but also from the works of great Russian artists and from their fellow students, zealously noticing good places in a drawing or spectacularly written details of an educational production. It was considered shameful to show fewer works than those of group mates. Work and skill were in honor, which were not easy for everyone, but Vasily Nesterenko was always a leader, he was noticeable even at school, at a student level.

The “Drawing from Ancient Sculpture”, made with a stroke in watercolor technique, dates back to the time of studying at school. In this work, the hand of the future master is visible. Even then, Nesterenko set himself tasks that far exceeded the requirements of teachers. Having brilliantly completed the art course of the school, he received a gold medal for general education disciplines, which was a rarity among artists.

The next test is the entrance exams to the Moscow State Art Institute. V.I. Surikov - Nesterenko overcame more successfully than others and entered the faculty of painting under the first number in the summer of 1985. A new stage began in the life of the artist, close in its complexity to real professional life. A consistent adherent of realism, Vasily Nesterenko chose the brightest and most dynamic creative workshop for training, which was led by People's Artist of the USSR S.S. Salakhov, an outstanding contemporary painter, academician, head of the Union of Artists of the USSR. There were many supporters of abstract art in Salakhov's workshop, who stood out from the rest of the students, but on the other hand, the best realists, as a rule, graduated from this particular workshop. It was dominated by the atmosphere of modern creativity with its acute problems, the difference in styles and creative attachments. It was a kind of "model" of the life of art, in which everyone had to immerse themselves after graduation.

Vasily Nesterenko sought to consolidate his leadership among the students of the Surikov Institute, but in order to become noticeable in it, high professional skills and great efficiency were required. Numerous life-size studies of nude models, preparatory drawings and studies, oil and charcoal portraits of women and men interspersed with compositional searches. Gradually, his skill grew in the accuracy of transferring proportions, in the sharpness of portrait characteristics, in the ability to convey the texture and materiality of the objects depicted.

At some point, the artist felt that it was necessary to return to the study of the classics - this is where real mastery is, this is where you can learn a sense of proportion and rhythm, proportions and plasticity! Paying great attention to drawing as the basis of painting and composition, Vasily Nesterenko set himself a difficult task - to try to make a life drawing from the statue of Michelangelo "David" in half its natural size. Only a few such large drawings are known, and they were created, basically, at the Imperial Academy of Arts. Working at the State Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin, Nesterenko sought to imbue Michelangelo's power in the interpretation of form, to feel the harmony of proportions and the complex architectonics of this brilliant work. Not a single drawing from plaster casts and not a single production with nude models gave the artist as much as this drawing. Two months spent in the Pushkin Museum turned out to be much more useful than years in training workshops.

For Vasily, this was the first experience of a creative dialogue with the great maestro of the past. Drawing "David", he learned for himself more about the life and work of Michelangelo than from all literary sources, more than, for example, from the "Biographies" of Giorgio Vasari or from the memoirs of Ascanio Condivi. It seemed to the artist that, as a diligent student, he not only learned the work of the titan of the Renaissance, but was also allowed to talk with him.

Improving as a draftsman, Vasily Nesterenko sought to enrich his creative style with the pictorial techniques of the old masters. This was not taught, and few people owned such secrets. To reveal them, to understand them in order to use them in practice, it was possible only by copying classical samples. A small painting by Francesco Zurbaran "The Boyhood of the Madonna", located in the State Hermitage Museum, attracted Vasily's attention with its inner strength, expressive brevity of artistic language, and special spirituality, which imbued the best creations of the great Spaniards. While working on a copy of this painting, the artist perfected the glazing technique, which is so necessary for multi-layered painting. Replenishing his technical arsenal, Nesterenko continued to study the compositional thinking of the old masters, which was gradually revealed when working with originals.

The next copy had a decisive influence on the creative style of the painter, becoming for many years a kind of tuning fork when creating his own works. "Portrait of Margaret of Lorraine" by A. Van Dyck, the pearl of our museum collections, is stored in Arkhangelsk near Moscow. Friendship with the Arkhangelskoye Museum helped Vasily get a separate workshop in the Yusupov Palace, where he spent several months alone with Van Dyck's canvas. The completed copy far exceeded all expectations - the artist managed to repeat the flight of the brush of the great Fleming. Van Dyck's paintings are difficult to copy - after all, these are the pinnacles of portraiture in Western Europe. To repeat the specific technique of the 17th century in our time means not only to study the original, but also to reincarnate as a person of that era.

"Portrait of Margaret of Lorraine" was exhibited at the Surikov Institute along with a drawing of "David". These two works did not leave indifferent either teachers or students, securing for Nesterenko the glory of a draftsman and painter. It was clear to everyone that in front of them was an almost fully formed master. But how many of these masters have sunk into oblivion without creating anything but educational work!

Vasily Nesterenko had to spend a few more years at the Surikov Institute, but he felt that the time for apprenticeship had passed - it was necessary to find one's way in art, to declare oneself in the art world. Nesterenko becomes a permanent participant of all all-Russian and all-Union exhibitions in Moscow. The first successful experiments in landscape and portrait painting also belong to this time. Some of his portraits end up on the pages of leading Soviet art magazines.

Brought up on realistic traditions, Vasily Nesterenko constantly studied with his great predecessors, whose paintings adorn the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum. Finding something useful for himself in the work of Polenov and Serov, Nesterov and Vrubel, he tried to correlate his first successful works with the compositional paintings of Bryullov, Ivanov and Surikov, realizing that he was still at the very beginning of his creative path.

Having begun to take an active part in the artistic life of Moscow, the artist felt a lack of information about modern painting, he wanted to get acquainted with museum collections in the West. Were the apologists of avant-gardism really right when they asserted that art built on classical principles had become obsolete, that the time had come for abstractions and installations? It should be recalled that this was the era of the Soviet Union, and it was extremely difficult to go abroad to study art. But Vasily Nesterenko managed to visit Europe, get acquainted with the unique collections of the Dresden Gallery, the Orsay Museum, the Louvre, and some modern museums. A real discovery for Vasily was the painting of the Impressionists. It cannot be said that he did not know about them - the Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum have very good collections of impressionists. But, apparently, one had to see their paintings in Paris in order to truly appreciate them. The very soul of the artist demanded not to be limited to academic skills, but to strive to depict the world in all its diversity. Nesterenko cannot be called a follower of the Impressionists, but he learned a lot for himself, having fallen in love with their work.

A real success for the painter was a personal exhibition in Japan in early 1991, timed to coincide with the visit to Japan of the President of the USSR MS Gorbachev. The exhibition traveled to Tokyo and several other cities of the country, where the artist saw the genuine interest of the Japanese audience in realistic art, in his portraits, landscapes and still lifes, made during his studies. The traveling exhibition in Japan was not only the first foreign, but also the first personal exhibition of Nesterenko. This success inspired the young master.

In the spring of 1991, Vasily Nesterenko unexpectedly received an offer to do an internship in America. The cultural exchange agreement between the two countries, signed by Presidents Bush and Gorbachev, was designed for hundreds of students, but among them there was only one place for an artist. The leadership of the Surikov Institute, without hesitation, proposed the candidacy of Nesterenko to the Ministry of Culture of the USSR. He goes to study in New York - the Mecca of contemporary art.

Becoming a student at the PRAS Art Institute, Vasily gets his own workshop and the opportunity to get acquainted with the hectic life of New York. In the usual sense, Nesterenko had nothing to study at PRAS - the level of his professional training often significantly exceeded the skill of not only students, but also teachers. He faced another task - to study the artistic environment, culture, way of thinking of Americans, to try to take his place in the artistic life of New York. In a short time, Vasily Nesterenko became a sought-after artist in America. He organized several solo exhibitions and took part in many group projects, his paintings were willingly bought not only in New York, but also in galleries in California, New Mexico, Colorado.

Looking back, Vasily Nesterenko believes that his stay in New York and the subsequent years of active exhibition activity in the United States significantly expanded his horizons, brought freedom to creativity and, most importantly, approved him in his desire to continue working in line with the realistic or, as say in America, figurative painting. There are enough people all over the world who love art, based on centuries-old traditions, and who know how to appreciate true craftsmanship.

Being surrounded by museums, theaters and galleries, the artist soon realized that only art that bears the stamp of national identity can become interesting for this many-sided world. This, for example, explains the interest of the American public in the work of Mexican artists, the same situation with Japanese art. Russian art is not less original, and we can say a lot to both American and European viewers. Russia, which has preserved the old school, has yet to contribute to the development of modern painting, the artist believes.

During his stay in America, Vasily Nesterenko created dozens of paintings: portraits, landscapes, still lifes, nudes. One of the first works - "Still life with the attributes of art." The plot, drawn from Chardin and arranged according to all the rules of academic art, is full of evidence of modernity. In this work, for the first time, that type of still life-picture was formed, which will become characteristic of Nesterenko's work in the future. The artist, not limited to depicting objects, introduces details of the interior, landscape and even half-figures of people into the still life.

The painting "Artist" is interesting because it was created in response to the words of some New York colleagues: "Why don't you paint like us?" Having depicted canvases with abstract paintings in the background, repeating the technology of their creation - which was not difficult after Van Dyck and Zurbaran - Nesterenko depicted in the foreground the figure of the American artist herself, the author of abstract works, in full size, as if answering opponents: “And now try to do like me!”

Despite the prospects of seeming success in America, the artist was relentlessly pursued by the idea that creating only landscapes and portraits was not enough to finally get on his feet in art. To do this, you need to write a large compositional picture. Nesterenko wanted to prove to everyone, and above all to himself, that he could solve a super-difficult task by creating a multi-figured canvas on a historical theme.

Unexpectedly for many, Vasily Nesterenko returns to Moscow and begins work on a multi-meter canvas "The Triumph of the Russian Fleet". The patriotic plot was not chosen by the artist by chance. The time when this picture was created was very difficult for Russia - these were years of political crises. Many of the processes that took place in the country at that time were unacceptable for an artist who was brought up on a love for national culture and history. In many ways, this picture symbolized his civic position. This caused the major sound, solemn rhythm and ceremonial pathos of the created work.

The compositional scheme of the painting "The Triumph of the Russian Fleet" was not immediately determined - this was preceded by a long work on sketches and a painstaking study of the evidence of the Petrine era. The artist was faced with the need to collect heterogeneous material on the history of costume, weapons, sailing equipment of ships, to study portraits and engravings of that time. Working on the sketches and cardboard of the picture required the mobilization of all the skills, experience and knowledge acquired during training and independent creativity, all the impressions gleaned from museums.

Vasily Nesterenko felt the need to continue studying the compositional principles of the old masters. During the preparatory work for the painting "The Triumph of the Russian Fleet", the artist undertook a number of creative trips to Italy and France. In Venice, he was especially fascinated by the multi-figure compositions of Veronese and Tintoretto, Tiepolo and Titian, in Rome - by the frescoes of Michelangelo and Raphael. In Florence, the artist stood for hours in front of Botticelli's paintings. He knew a lot about Florence, studying the history of art, but the glorified city of great artists he saw in reality conquered him: the Uffizi and Pitci Galleries, the Palazzo Senoria, Borgello, Santa Croce, Santa Maria del Fiore, the doors of Ghiberti and so much more! And, of course, the Galleria dell'Accademia with Michelangelo's famous "David".

Having again gone to Paris, visiting the Louvre and Versailles, the artist studies the works of French romantics - Delacroix and Gericault, admires the large canvases of Jacques Louis David. Inspired by the art of the Renaissance and classicism, Vasily Nesterenko tirelessly paints views of Paris, Florence and Venice from nature.

Italian impressions were inspired by the paintings created later: “Still life with marine instruments” and “Pierrot and Harlequin”. The last work contains an attempt at a philosophical understanding of the artist's life. Pierrot's gaze speaks of the bitterness of disappointment, of a passionate and painful attitude towards creativity. The pictorial techniques used in this painting, the body texture, the rhythm of color combinations speak of the artist's attention to the quest of abstract painters. Nothing leaves Vasily Nesterenko's field of vision, he tries to find something interesting for himself both in modern art and in the works of old masters, to use all the variety of artistic means to work on a large canvas that was waiting for him in his Moscow workshop.

Each time, returning to Moscow after visiting the largest museums in the world, Vasily Nesterenko made corrections and changes to the sketches of the painting “The Triumph of the Russian Fleet”. Soon the artist began to draw life-size figures directly on the canvas. Work on this preparatory drawing lasted eight months, and the painting itself took the same amount of time.

Before the first spectators who saw the picture, the Emperor of All Russia Peter I appeared in all his grandeur in the uniform of a shautbenacht, in which he commanded four fleets. The frigates and battleships of the Baltic Fleet lined up in two lines on the Kronstadt roadstead disappear in the haze near the horizon. The elegant dresses of the closest associates of Peter and the European envoys, the deep green and red colors of the uniforms of the Preobrazhenians, decided by a dark silhouette against the background of a light golden platform and white smoke from cannon fire, a red-blue ship's guis and an imperial standard with maps of the four seas frame the figure of Peter. He is full of calmness and grandeur, but at the same time, he nervously clutches the hilt of his sword, firmly and resolutely looking directly at the viewer. We can almost hear the drum roll and cannon fire, we can almost feel the salty wind of the Baltic, as if we are present at this triumph of the great Emperor, his army and navy, we testify to our admiration for the genius of the reforming tsar and the courage of his people.

The painting "The Triumph of the Russian Fleet" - Nesterenko's graduation work at the Moscow State Art Institute. V.I. Surikov. With this monumental canvas, he completed his artistic education. During the screening of the painting at the defense of diplomas at the Surikov Institute, it became clear that its artistic level far exceeds the requirements for graduation theses. The creation of the painting "The Triumph of the Russian Navy" led to the triumph of the author himself. From that moment on, the name of Vasily Nesterenko became famous in Russia. The presentation and subsequent placement of the painting in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces only increased the significance of this large-scale work. The artist declared himself to the whole country as a master who possessed a wide arsenal of artistic techniques, equally gifted as a painter, draftsman and composer.

Just two years later, in 1996, the Russian Academy of Arts will invite Vasily Nesterenko to hold a solo exhibition in their exhibition halls. Not all artists received this honor. The exhibition was a great success. Creativity Nesterenko received recognition from senior colleagues, academicians, won the audience's sympathy of many connoisseurs and lovers of painting. This exhibition became for the artist a gateway to great art, the beginning of a real recognition of his talent. Many of the paintings presented for the first time at that exhibition are the best works of Vasily Nesterenko.

Particularly memorable is the painting "Alone with Myself" - one of the most heartfelt portraits of the master. The painting depicts a monk of the Pskov-Caves Monastery, immersed in prayerful meditation. The portrait is painted so masterfully that it seems that we have a living person in front of us, and not a picture plane. The image of a monk-prayer who does not live in the vain interests of the world, but thinks and mourns about completely different things - this is the first and, perhaps, the most successful attempt to portray the true hero of our time, the one on whom the Russian land rests. A quiet humble image is fraught with great power. The portrait raises questions that are sometimes beyond the power of a multi-figured painting. We can safely say that "Alone with myself" is an example of spiritual painting, something more than a simple image of a person.

The Orthodox spirit is imbued with a series of paintings “The Seasons”, landscapes of Athos and Jerusalem, portraits made during the first pilgrimage of the artist.
Vasily Nesterenko successfully tries himself as a master of a formal portrait. The monumental figure of the Jerusalem Patriarch Diodorus, depicted in full vestments, is placed against the background of a light sky, shading the richly colored clothes of the Patriarch. The solemn grandeur of the Primate of the Jerusalem Church emphasizes the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, dominating the Holy City. The pictorial solution of this portrait is characterized by great freedom, which was noticeable even in the first watercolor sketch. The artist overcomes the conventions of the artistic language, a certain flattening of the interpretation of form, characteristic of his earlier works.

A number of exhibitions in Moscow, which followed the exhibition at the Academy of Arts, showed the great interest of the audience in the work of Nesterenko, which in turn forced the artist to work actively in all genres of painting. However, one of the main directions in his work will remain a historical theme. For several years, the artist created a series of paintings dedicated to Russian military history: “We will be envied in this glory!”, “Father of the Fatherland”, “Dreams of the fleet”, “Hussar ballad”, “Our glory is the Russian State!”, “Weapons of Victory ”, “Portrait of a Russian officer”. In them you can see evidence of the glorious victories at Gangut and Grengam, in the battles of Poltava and Borodino, the St. George weapons of the mid-19th century and the weapons of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The images of young men, either in the form of the Akhtyr hussar of 1812, or in the form of a modern cabin boy, are designed to show the continuity of historical and military traditions, reflect the hopes and aspirations of the artist himself. Two children's portraits should be added to these works: "Future Captain" and "Young Commander", touchingly telling about the completely unchildish interest of young heroes in Russian military history.

The painting “Moscow Meets the Heroes of Poltava”, created in 1997, continues the Petrine theme. The cavalcade of riders is written so convincingly that it seems that the author witnessed Peter's solemn entry into Moscow after the Poltava battle. The rhythm of galloping horses, fanfares raised to the sky, raised drumsticks echo the architectural rhythm of the baroque Arc de Triomphe, depicted against the backdrop of the ancient Moscow Kremlin. The whole picture is permeated with movement, there is no trace of the static nature of the artist's first compositional decisions.

Historical painting never ceases to excite Vasily Nesterenko. Another significant work in this area was the monumental painting "Let's Defend Sevastopol!". The bold and unusual composition of the painting, its figurative structure with dramatic portrait characteristics, the restrained richness of color - everything speaks of the artist's increased skill. The figures are not just precisely arranged, the movements of the characters are not just expressive - the picture shows the inner world of the characters, their feelings and spiritual struggle in the fatal, perhaps the last moment of life.

The painting "Defend Sevastopol!" leaves no one indifferent. Even if you do not know what happened during the Crimean War, the theme of protecting your land, the theme of life and death can excite any person. But if we recall all the circumstances that led to one of the bloodiest wars of the 19th century, correlate the events of the Crimean War with modern times, then the picture gets a completely different sound. This is not so much an image of the events of Russian history - this is an appeal to contemporaries! The contradictions that brought Russia to the brink of catastrophe in the middle of the 19th century have survived, and perhaps have become aggravated now. The topic of protecting the borders, the fate of Sevastopol and other outposts not only has not lost its significance, but today these issues have become especially important for us. We must not forget that the Crimean, or Eastern, war began because of the religious conflict in Palestine. No wonder our ancestors called this war "the battle for the Manger of the Lord." As in many other cases, Russia stood up for the humiliated and oppressed, while the danger that threatened Russia itself in those years is now hard to imagine. Our knowledge of this war is very incomplete and tendentious, distorted by official Soviet historiography. In fact, our country by no means lost the Eastern War, although the number of victims suffered by the Russian people far exceeded the losses as a result of the Napoleonic invasion. Forced to defend itself against a coalition of world powers in the Black, Baltic, White Seas, the Far East, the Caucasus, Moldavia, Wallachia, the Crimea, the Russian Empire could lose almost half of its territories and end up within the borders of pre-Petrine Rus'. More than a million victims - such is the monstrous result of the Eastern War, the forerunner of the wars of modern history. Thanks to the heroism of the soldiers and sailors who held Sevastopol, thanks to the valiant victories in the Caucasus, Russia lost almost nothing of its lands as a result of the war with almost the whole world. Parallels with the Second World War suggest themselves, the Crimean War is an example for our contemporaries.

It was this interpretation of the theme that formed the basis for the creation of the painting “Let's Defend Sevastopol!”. And again, Vasily Nesterenko spends a long time in museums, archives and libraries, carefully studying historical materials. The most famous work about Sevastopol is the panorama of Franz Roubaud, created for the 50th anniversary of the completion of the defense of the fortress city. Vasily Nesterenko decided to solve his painting in a fundamentally different way than it was done by his predecessor. At Roubaud we see a large-scale panorama of the city, its bays and its environs, we can fully imagine the course of hostilities and the disposition of troops during one of the assaults on Malakhov Kurgan.

Nesterenko shows the defenders of the bastions themselves, the expressions on their faces, the emotions and passions boiling in the midst of the battle. In the center of the picture is a mortally wounded young officer, still a boy, in the arms of an experienced soldier. It is difficult to describe the look of this uncle soldier. He has a cold determination to die, but not to leave the bastion, and the surprise that it is not he who is dying, but this young man whose life has just begun, this is also a feeling of tragedy, not yet realized, but already penetrated into the heart of the old veteran. The face of the young officer is beautiful, he fulfilled his duty, he gave everything he could - his life. The battle rumbles around, the standard-bearer shouts, the senior officer gives orders, soldiers and sailors fire from rifles and fittings, the ship’s gun is about to rumble, and in this noise of battle we see and hear the holy silence of death.

The still unfinished canvas began to appear on the front pages of leading Russian newspapers and magazines. Presentation of the painting "Defend Sevastopol!" was held at the State Historical Museum, being an event in the cultural life of the capital. The subsequent personal exhibition at the Art Museum of Sevastopol, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the defense of the city, literally shook the Crimean public. What the artist was striving for, trying to speak the language of history about contemporary problems, turned out to be close to a wide audience.

No less strong impression is made by the portrait "Unconquered". This is a new look at the Great Patriotic War and the attitude towards veterans living among us. Nesterenko chose a strict and expressive language for the artistic solution of the portrait. The black color of the marine uniform against the backdrop of a snowy desert landscape emphasizes the intensity of the look of an old sailor, ready to be faithful to his ideals to the “oak pea coat”. His gaze literally bores the viewer, forcing him to remember the faces of the defenders of Sevastopol.

The painting “Hegumen of the Russian Land” is a response to the events of 850 years ago, when Rus' was under the rule of the Tatar-Mongols. Sergius of Radonezh, the greatest Russian ascetic, who blessed Dmitry Donskoy for the Battle of Kulikovo, is depicted raising his hands to heaven, prayerfully calling for help from the Mother of God and all the heavenly forces for the good of the long-suffering Russian land.

In the work of Vasily Nesterenko, interest in the era of the Time of Troubles is noticeable. A small sketch dedicated to the theme of the liberation of Moscow from the Polish invaders in 1612 is called "The Court of the Fatherland is at mercy!". These are the words of Sergius of Radonezh, who appeared in a dream to Archbishop Arseny and confirmed the closeness of the end of the Troubles. The canvas "The Oath of Prince Pozharsky" depicts the Zaraisk governor - the savior of the Fatherland, who assumed the cross of military leadership of the militia. The mighty prince, reminiscent of epic knights, stands against the background of a banner with the image of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the intercessor of Russia in all wars. Prince Dmitry Pozharsky prayerfully promises to protect his land from external and internal enemies.

The most difficult Time of Troubles began with the era of Boris Godunov. The personality of this king has always attracted the attention of not only historians, but also cultural figures. Work on the painting "Portrait of Vladimir Matorin in the role of Boris Godunov" gave Vasily Nesterenko the opportunity to touch on a topic that is largely traditional for Russian art. The artist was inspired by the image created on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater by an outstanding opera singer. Vladimir Matorin is a performer of the Chaliapin school, amazing acting skills help him show the true image of Tsar Boris. Nesterenko's painting is, of course, a portrait of Matorin, but the artist also managed to reflect the features of Godunov himself, caught in a moment of terrible remorse. The expressive background of the portrait recalls the pangs of conscience that tormented the soul of the unfortunate king.

Vasily Nesterenko in his work repeatedly refers to the theme of the artist and his theatrical role, when the character of the character is closely intertwined with the personality of the performer himself - the creator of the stage image. "Portrait of Vasily Lanovoy as Bernard Shaw" is another example of such a work. The character of the play "Dear Liar", played by the favorite of the Soviet and Russian public Vasily Lanovoy on the stage of the Vakhtangov Theater, is depicted at a tragic moment in his life, when he receives the news of the death of his beloved. The pale face, nervous hands of the hero of the portrait, torn letters create an atmosphere of drama, which is emphasized by the background, which is intense in color and texture. The interpretation of the background becomes an important component for Nesterenko in revealing the image of the hero.

It is the background that helps the artist create a truly theatrical picture, which combines the architectural music of the famous city, the art of masquerade, and memories of the great artists of the past. We are talking about the painting "Carnival of Venice", depicting the famous theatrical figure Svyatoslav Belza in a fancy dress. A virtuously composed and famously painted portrait creates the feeling that the artist copes with complex artistic tasks without much difficulty, but this is an apparent ease, because behind every detail, behind every combination of color and movement of form, there is an almost mathematically rigorous calculation that allows you to perceive the complex composition of the picture as a single whole.

Portraits of cultural figures have become a favorite topic for Vasily Nesterenko in his work. It is all the more important to note the first work in this series. This is a portrait of the great Russian singer Irina Arkhipova. A legendary personality, she can rightly be called the "Queen of the Opera". The artist faced the most difficult task of depicting the versatility of Irina Arkhipova's character and the significance of her creative contribution to Russian culture. The famous singer is depicted in a stage dress, claviers with notes, one of which is in her hands, and the other is on the piano, make it possible to recognize her favorite works.

Vasily Nesterenko works a lot in the field of portraiture. He often manages not only to convey the likeness, but also to look into the soul of the model, to create a whole composition, often beyond the scope of a simple portrait. Such portraits-paintings include the image of Nil Stolobensky, a Russian ascetic of the 16th century, and a portrait of the Athos elder Anfimy, who lived in our time and was canonized quite recently.

Particular attention is drawn to female images. Created in different years, these portraits are united by an atmosphere of pure and sincere admiration for the beauty of the inner world of those portrayed. The artist always emphasizes the advantages of his models, for each image he finds a new solution. The painting "Alena" depicts a girl with a huge bouquet of daisies flying in all directions. In this portrait, one can feel the spirit of Russia, the smell of discreet wild flowers. The heroine of the painting "Indian Summer", a girl from the Kostroma hinterland, stands in a thin dress and rubber boots near a wattle fence overgrown with weeds, waiting for her betrothed. As you know, Indian summer precedes the Intercession, when it is customary to play weddings. The theme of expectation of happiness is devoted to the portraits "Girl's Dreams" and "Premonition of Love". Subtle in color, these portraits are imbued with tenderness and lyricism.

The riot of colors of the southern park, the red and pink petals of cherry blossoms frame the figure of Olga, the wife of Vasily Nesterenko, whose portrait is called "Spring". The painting “Russian Madonna”, depicting Olga with her son Vanya on her knees, is arranged in a circle and resembles Italian Renaissance tondos in terms of plot. The artist loves to turn to traditional subjects and motifs, but always depicts them in a new way. The heroine of the portrait leaned over the baby, surrounded by wild flowers and herbs against the backdrop of a typical Russian landscape. It is not enough to say that this work is written with love and inspiration - it is in itself a source of love.

A special place in the artist's work is occupied by a portrait of his mother, Galina Vasilievna Nesterenko. It was the mother who helped Vasily to form as a person and take place as an artist. She shared with him all the difficulties during his studies, she always supported him in moments of adversity and creative disappointment, she was there at all exhibitions and vernissages. In order to achieve the best result in a portrait, artists try to learn more about their model, but in this case, Vasily Nesterenko faced, according to him, the most difficult task of a different kind - how to fit everything that you feel and know about the dearest person - mother in one portrait ? According to many colleagues, the portrait turned out. The artist's mother looks at the viewer with a quiet and affectionate smile, her whole appearance radiates kindness and patience. Her native land, Ukraine, is reminiscent of the golden sunflowers depicted in the portrait as a background.

Landscape is often one of the important components of Vasily Nesterenko's portraits; he often uses landscape elements in both still lifes and historical paintings. Interest in nature runs through all the artist's work. He made a lot of landscape works: sketches from nature, and large landscape paintings. Starting, as already noted, with the study of the classics, Nesterenko in his first landscapes appeals to the work of his predecessors. Thus, in the painting “Memories of the Crimea” one can see an interest in the works of Claude Laurenne and the type of landscape characteristic of classicism. Parisian studies and some southern views were created under the influence of the Impressionists. But soon Vasily Nesterenko gropes for his pictorial language.

Among the first landscape paintings, which bear the imprint of the artist's creative individuality, one can note the canvas "Winter in Vladykino". In this picture, the artist set himself the most important task for the first time - to try to depict the movement of falling snowflakes and the heaviness of wet snow on the branches. The composition of this work is characterized by a look through a large foreground image into the background with church architecture. This compositional technique will often be repeated later, for example, in the series of paintings "The Seasons". Four monumental landscapes: “Winter in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra”, “Spring on Athos”, “Summer in the Garden of Gethsemane” and “Autumn in Pechory” - do not just depict the seasons - these are canvases on which places revered by Russian people. In them, nature combines with ancient architecture into a single whole, involving the viewer into a special spiritual world, which the artist felt while visiting the holy Orthodox monasteries.

The master's winter landscapes are interesting and varied. Beautiful in painting and composition is the painting "Pancake Week", depicting Sergiev Posad, and with its major sound echoing the joyful mood of the Orthodox week preceding Great Lent. The painting “Waiting for Spring” is imbued with a feeling of close warmth, the end of a long Russian winter. Looking at the painting "Spring Blossom", the viewer plunges headlong into the atmosphere of the May garden, filled with the aroma of flowering cherries. The canvas “Zaoksky Dali” takes us to a high hill, from which the wide expanses of central Russia open up, it smells of fallen leaves, the air is transparent and clean, quiet, only the rustle of the last leaves on the branches of birches is heard.

The painting “Forgotten” stands somewhat apart. The tragedy of Russian villages abandoned by people is shown in the form of a dilapidated house, standing alone on the edge of the village next to an old birch. This is a very specific place - the village of Domnino, which once belonged to the royal family. And how many more such "forgotten" nooks and crannies! But Russian nature is beautiful in this case too. Any blade of grass, any leaf or flower is fraught with the image of the native land and can become a source of inspiration for the artist. An example of this are the paintings "Amanita" and "Golden Cover". God's world is perfect in every manifestation. You can admire the boundless distances, or you can just look under your feet and see the whole universe dotted with yellow-orange foliage, ferns and mushrooms.

The image of the Motherland is most vividly and fully reflected in the painting “Oh, Russian land!”. The huge sky seems to cover a hill overgrown with wildflowers. Grazing cows are perceived as epic guardians of native fields and meadows. The epic sound of the picture is also emphasized by the title, borrowed from The Tale of Igor's Campaign.

Sometimes a landscape can literally stun with unexpected lighting or a suddenly opened perspective. Unusual manifestations of nature, strongly affecting a person, began to attract Vasily Nesterenko. The blood-red ray of the setting sun, suddenly invading the gray twilight atmosphere of a winter evening, in the painting "Winter Crimson" brings something apocalyptic to the usual Russian motif. A similar mood embraces the viewer in the landscape “Cold Sunset”.

The sudden appearance of the full moon instantly transformed the night seascape with an orange glow in the painting "The Night Sun". The landscape "Magic Dream" is a hymn of ancient Cimmeria, heard by the artist in the solar reflections of the waves of Koktebel. “The Sea” is perhaps Vasily Nesterenko's most unusual landscape composition. The huge blue sea occupies almost the entire picture plane, carrying the viewer far beyond the horizon and immediately returning back to the shore, where it foams at the foot of the rocks. You can look at this picture, as well as at the sea element, for an infinitely long time, imagining that you are standing over a rocky cliff in the salty sea wind.

City views occupy an important place among Nesterenko's landscapes. The artist painted Venice and Florence, London and Paris, Cordoba and Seville, Granada and Toledo. The urban motifs of New York are original in composition. But the closest thing for the artist is the views of his beloved Moscow. The painting “View of the Kremlin from the Old Square” is an image of a new and at the same time ancient capital with towers and churches, with snow-covered roofs, with Orthodox crosses. The landscape "Temple of Christ the Savior" is a picture-memory of the reconstruction of the murals of the main Temple of the country.

Work in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior played a crucial role in the creative fate of Vasily
Nesterenko. The first sketches for the murals were created in 1995, and the last icons and paintings were completed in 2002. This entire period was marked by the artist's great interest in spiritual painting. This direction in art practically ceased to exist in Soviet times, since the last representatives of spiritual painting left - Pavel Korin and Mikhail Nesterov. The reconstruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and other shrines of Russia at the turn of the millennium became a powerful stimulus for the revival of spiritual painting itself. While working on church murals, Vasily Nesterenko simultaneously created paintings on spiritual, Orthodox subjects.

A series of three paintings: "Christmas", "Easter", "Trinity" - is dedicated to the main Christian holidays. The compositions of these works include, in addition to church interiors and exteriors, elements of festive decor that are characteristic of each of these twelfth holidays. In the painting “Easter”, Easter cakes brought by parishioners, eggs and Easter cakes with lit candles are laid out on a special platform. People moved away from the platform in anticipation of the priest, who is about to come to sprinkle holy water on these integral parts of the solemn Paschal meal. A ray of the spring sun falling on the painting depicting the resurrected Savior and the flickering lights of candles create a hidden atmosphere of mystical depth that envelops the incomprehensible mystery of Christ's Resurrection.

On the feast of the Holy Trinity, it is customary to decorate churches with birch branches and cover the floor with fresh summer grass. Exhaling the aroma of fields and forests, these herbs, flowers and leaves create an unusual, but unusually solemn atmosphere during worship. In the painting "Trinity" we see three light sources that affect the illumination and color of objects in different ways. This is a yellowish light from the lamp above the icon, flickering lights of candles and bright sunlight falling obliquely on a stone pylon with the Rublev Trinity. But involuntarily there is a feeling that the main source of light is the icon itself with the ancient image of the Old Testament Trinity.

The painting "Nativity" opens this cycle of three canvases. The Nativity of Christ marks the beginning of a new era in human history. All the prophecies about the coming of the promised Messiah into the world have come true - the Son of God is born in the manger of the Bethlehem cave. The Christ Child in the arms of the Virgin Mary illuminates the entire universe with His birth. The betrothed Joseph and the shepherds are the first witnesses of the miracle taking place. Here is the plot of the church painting, placed by the artist in the center of the painting "Nativity". This image, decorated with a garland of fir branches, as well as small sculptures of cows and donkeys, are parts of the so-called nativity scene, symbolizing the Manger of the Lord in Bethlehem. The deep green color of the spruce branches sets off the glow emanating from the Star of Bethlehem, and the reflections of burning candles on both sides of the nativity scene.

Vasily Nesterenko often opens the expositions of his exhibitions with this particular painting, which symbolizes the beginning of the Christian world and is dedicated to one of the most important church holidays. This album also begins with the painting "Christmas", which, according to the artist, should help the reader immediately feel the atmosphere of Russian spiritual and realistic painting.

Before the start of painting the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Nesterenko completed work on the icon "The Image of the Mother of God Unexpected Joy" and on the painting "Crucifixion". While still a student, the artist carefully studied the paintings on the subject of the Crucifixion, created by the great Spanish masters: Diego Velasquez, Francesco Zurbaran and Alonso Cano. And finally, Vasily Nesterenko felt that he could take on the work dedicated to depicting the most terrible event in the history of mankind. The painting by Vasily Nesterenko, of course, bears the stamp of the traditional approach to solving the theme of the Crucifixion, but, on the other hand, his creative individuality in the interpretation of this plot is clearly visible. The artist believes that paintings depicting the events of the Gospel should look modern, be close to people of our time. Each person must live the Gospel story in his soul. No wonder it is said that by our sins we crucify the Savior of the World. The work on the painting "The Crucifixion" coincided with the bombing of Serbia, and many of the first viewers of this work saw in the image of Jerusalem, depicted at the bottom of the canvas, a hint of the modern era.

The icon "The Image of the Mother of God Unexpected Joy" is dedicated to the theme of sin and repentance. Seeing the consequences of his unrighteous deeds, the sinner shown on the icon brings sincere repentance, which causes the unexpected joy of the Most Holy Theotokos.

These and many other works were presented for the first time at the personal exhibition of Vasily Nesterenko in the New Manege in Moscow in the spring of 1999. This exhibition has become another milestone in the creative biography of the artist. But immediately after the opening of the exhibition, a new stage in Nesterenko's life begins - the artist starts painting the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Four colossal murals were to be recreated by Vasily Nesterenko. The paintings "The Resurrection of Christ" and "The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew" are located on the northwestern pylon of the Temple. Both plots are compositionally combined into one whole, together their height is twenty-three meters, which is comparable to an eight-story building. Two other murals: "The Baptism of the Lord" and "The Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem" - are located in the semicircular tympanums of the northern and western aisles. The length of each of the paintings exceeds twelve meters. The artist completed this grandiose work in record time, in just seven and a half months.

In the 19th century, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was painted for ten years, the scaffolding was removed three times so that the artists could see from below how their work was going, how the picturesque subjects were combined with each other and with ornaments. Now there was no such opportunity - and artists, and sculptors, and builders were in a hurry to complete everything by the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ. Thus, the work on the murals required a huge effort. For Vasily Nesterenko, the task was complicated by the fact that he had not one plot, but four at once, and the fact that he worked without assistants. This was a unique situation during the rebuilding of the Temple. Apart from Nesterenko, no one worked alone on such plots. As a rule, they painted in teams of five or six, or even twelve artists each. Many years have passed since then, now it is hard to imagine how Vasily could withstand such a load - to simultaneously work on all four plots, moving through the forests from one part of the Temple to another.

Artists were constantly monitored by the Commission for Artistic Decoration, demanding compliance with religious canons and the level of original painting of the 19th century. The Commission included representatives of the church, members of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Arts, which, as in the 19th century, led all the artistic work in the Temple, restorers, technologists and architects. The opinions of the members of the Commission did not always coincide and were not always close to the masters themselves, who worked in a very tough regime. Any careless word could plunge the artists into despair, jeopardize the completion of the work. In addition, the painters were constantly urged on by architects and builders, who were in a hurry to quickly dismantle the scaffolding in order to finish the marble floors and other decorative elements in the lower part of the Temple. Many did not understand that without enough time it would be impossible to complete the compositions that had been started, to correlate them with neighboring paintings, to bring the tonal tension and color scheme into a single whole.

Vasily Nesterenko worked fourteen hours a day. At this time, construction and installation work did not stop inside the Temple. The roar of elevators, the sharp sounds of saws on metal, the grinding of torn nails and other construction noise at first interfered with concentration, but over time I had to get used to them. All thoughts were occupied with creative tasks to recreate the brilliant examples of spiritual painting of the 19th century.

The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was erected as a monument to the liberation of Russia from the Napoleonic invasion, consecrated in the name of the Nativity of Christ and for a long time was one of the symbols of Russian Orthodoxy. The best artists of the Imperial Academy of Arts created its picturesque and sculptural decoration. Almost all plots of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior were often used to create icons and murals in most other Russian churches. It is difficult to overestimate its importance for the spiritual life of Russia. A tragic turn in the history of our country led to the barbaric destruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. No one believed that it would ever be restored, the history of the Temple, its unique painting and sculpture turned into a legend.

And now a new time has come, and the Temple-Monument, the Temple-Symbol decided to revive. Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II gave his blessing to restore its interior decoration in all the splendor of its former splendor, to repeat the original technologies, to use similar materials.

Vasily Nesterenko was commissioned to recreate two murals by Heinrich Semiradsky, two murals by Evgraf Sorokin, and then, after two years, four Mother of God icons by Fyodor Bronnikov and the Shroud for the Main Altar.

For Nesterenko, who had been interested in the spiritual painting of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior since his school days, a long creative dialogue began with the best representatives of the Russian academic school. It was not a repetition of the murals that once existed, but a dialogue with their authors.

The quality of the reproductions provided to the artist was often so poor that it made it impossible to judge whether men or women were depicted in one or another group of characters. The complete absence of color, because the images were obtained from black-and-white phototypes, and blurring fuzzy contours forced Vasily Nesterenko to creatively rethink these works. Fully preserving the overall composition, the artist had to re-look for many artistic solutions.

The murals on which Nesterenko worked bear the stamp of his creative individuality, although they were created on the basis of the works of Semiradsky and Sorokin. Numerous details, compositional ligaments, faces and hands of characters, interpretation of folds, color scheme - rightfully belong to Nesterenko. In accordance with the tradition of the 19th century, the artist signed his plots, for example, the signature on the western tympanum reads: “The composition of G. Semiradsky was recreated by V. Nesterenko.” This corresponds to the creative dialogue between artists of different centuries, unites the author of the original creation and the author who created a new work based on the preserved material and compositional scheme.

Vasily Nesterenko began work on the walls of the Temple with the painting "The Baptism of the Lord". Detailed charcoal drawing helped him further work on the plot, allowing him to focus more on color and interpretation of images. This work is imbued with a mystical sound and depicts the moment when the Triune God appeared in all His hypostases: in the form of Jesus Christ receiving baptism, in the form of the Holy Spirit, soaring in the form of a dove over the Savior, and the Voice of God the Father, announcing: “This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." It was very difficult to work on such a plot, but Vasily Nesterenko managed to create a truly spiritual work that meets the Orthodox canons.

Having barely begun the pictorial execution of the painting "The Baptism of the Lord", the artist began work on a preparatory drawing on the wall for the painting "Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem". The image of the original plot was the worst preserved - a vague phototype could not give Nesterenko anything other than the most general composition, so the artist was most free when creating this particular painting. In accordance with Semiradsky's method, Nesterenko actively used natural studies. The artist often inscribed whole figures made from nature into the painting. Vasily Nesterenko achieved that in its color and tonal sound, the painting "The Lord's Entry into Jerusalem" resembles the works of Semiradsky, but at the same time it is a great achievement of Nesterenko himself, both in terms of painting and in many elements of the composition.

Continuing work on two tympanums, the artist experienced inner trepidation, passing by his pylon. The colossal space on which the murals “The Resurrection of Christ” and “The Evangelist Matthew” were to be created was overwhelming in its size, it was lost below under the floors of the scaffolding and was barely distinguishable in the twilight above. But the artist began work on the plots of the pylon, justifying the saying: "the eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing." At this moment, the tension in the work reached the highest point for Vasily Nesterenko.

The pylon frescoes were divided into nine floors by scaffolding, making it impossible to see the whole figures, which made it much more difficult to maintain proportions. Vasily was assisted by a life-size preparatory drawing of the central part of the painting "The Resurrection of Christ", created by him a year earlier. In this huge charcoal graphic work, the artist carefully traced the tonal and plastic solution of the main part of the painting. Even earlier, in 1995, Nesterenko painted the painting of the same name, which is a project to recreate the painting of the northwestern pylon in color. These two canvases allowed the artist to successfully work on the pylon, despite all the technical problems.

The plane of the wall, where Nesterenko worked on the image of the Evangelist Matthew, was almost completely covered with metal structures, channels and nets. But again, the preparatory work done in full size before the start of the murals helped. The artist solved all the pictorial and plastic tasks in advance, which allowed him to concentrate on the transfer of the image of the Apostle, to achieve the utmost expressiveness of his gaze, to subordinate the pictorial solution of the painting to revealing the powerful image of the author of one of the four Gospels.

The main achievement of Vasily Nesterenko in the painting "The Resurrection of Christ" was the image of light emanating from the figure of Christ, descending into hell to bring out Adam, Eve and the souls of the Old Testament righteous, and from the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, shining over the figure of the Savior. The painting "The Resurrection of Christ" became the main work of the artist on the walls of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

But his work for the Temple did not stop there. Nesterenko, at the request of the Commission for Artistic Decoration, recreated a cycle of four Mother of God icons, once made by Bronnikov. The icons "Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos" and "Entrance into the Temple" are located on both sides of the Main Altar, and the icons "Annunciation" and "Assumption" are in the western part of the Temple, opposite the altar. Vasily Nesterenko concentrated all his creative powers while working on the Shroud. This icon, which has become a true masterpiece, was recreated by the master for the throne of the Main Altar of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Another major project of the artist was a series of paintings on Gospel scenes for the Patriarchal refectory of the Temple. The canvas "The Last Supper" was created before the start of the murals and donated by the Government of Moscow to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 1998. Four other multi-figure paintings from the earthly life of the Savior were conceived and executed by the artist after finishing work on the murals of the upper Temple. On both sides of the "Last Supper" are the paintings "Marriage in Cana of Galilee" and "The Miraculous Multiplication of Loaves", dedicated to depicting the miracles performed by Jesus Christ and symbolizing the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord during the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The painting "Wonderful Catch" recalls another miracle of the Savior, manifested on the shores of the Sea of ​​Galilee. The painting “Christ and the Samaritan Woman” depicts a scene near the well of Jacob, when Jesus Christ reveals the secret of His coming into the world, talking about how and where to worship God, about the mystery of water flowing into eternal life.

These paintings are made by a confident brush of a real master who has come a long way in his work from academic productions to historical canvases and murals of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Natural impressions from creative trips to the Holy Land allowed Nesterenko to achieve truthfulness in the image of Cana and Jerusalem, stones on the shores of the Sea of ​​Galilee and lemon and grape leaves over an ancient well in Samaria. The images of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the apostles accompany the viewer from one painting to another. Being in the Patriarchal refectory, you find yourself surrounded by scenes from the Gospel story, immersing yourself in the atmosphere of the Holy Land.

The paintings of the Gospel cycle have become a great creative achievement of Vasily Nesterenko. Exhibited at the artist's personal exhibition in the Bolshoi Manezh, and repeatedly reproduced, these canvases received well-deserved recognition from a wide audience of art lovers.

The enumeration of the works performed by Vasily Nesterenko for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior would be incomplete without ten types of Orthodox monasteries created for the Anteroom of the Hall of Church Councils. The murals depicting the most important monastic cloisters for Russia are distinguished by compositional diversity. The artist notices the most characteristic features of each monastery. Architectural ensembles often form one whole with the surrounding nature and sound differently in the changing seasons.

A significant place in the creative biography of Vasily Nesterenko is occupied by a two-year work on the murals of the Assumption Cathedral in Dmitrov. The chetverik of the temple, erected according to the project of Aleviz Novy, the architect of the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, was completed and painted in the 19th century. At that time, many masters who had previously worked in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior took part in the creation of wall painting. Time spared this architectural monument, but the picturesque decoration was badly damaged under a layer of paint and whitewash of the Soviet era. A third of the paintings were missing altogether. The head of the city administration and the dean of the churches of the Dmitrovsky district offered Vasily Nesterenko to assemble a creative team capable of creating new works that could be combined with the surviving murals.

Nesterenko, having gained colossal experience in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, not only successfully supervised the work of artists and ornamentalists, but also created several murals in the Main Altar and the painting "The Image of the Holy Trinity" in the St. Sergius aisle of the cathedral. Working in the altar on the subjects of The Last Supper, Prayer for the Chalice, Golgotha ​​and The Image of St. John the Baptist, the artist was forced to correlate his work with partially preserved neighboring paintings, which were made in a more archaic style than academic painting second half of the 19th century.

When working on the painting "The Image of the Holy Trinity", the artist was free to choose his painting style. As a result, a work appeared that stood out against the background of other church works by Vasily Nesterenko. "The Image of the Holy Trinity" is an example of the artist's success in modern spiritual painting. The painting made on the vault with its light colors, refined proportions, spiritualized faces of angels makes you remember the mountain world, the secrets of the Divine universe.

Although the work on the murals in the Dmitrovsky Assumption Cathedral was not as intense as in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, due to its more intimate dimensions, there were features that greatly complicated the creative tasks. They were associated with the need to fit the created works into the already existing pictorial decoration.

The idea of ​​creating a completely new church interior was inspired by the work on sketches of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in honor of the Millennium of the Baptism of Rus'. The image of the Trinity, revealed in various manifestations, is repeated three times in semicircular tympanums - this is the Baptism of the Lord, the Descent of the Holy Spirit and the Old Testament Trinity with the upcoming Russian saints, to whom the Image of the Holy Trinity was revealed. The image of the Savior establishing the sacrament of Communion during the Last Supper, and the image of the Heavenly Eucharist on the altar wall should be clearly visible through the relatively low iconostasis.

Along the perimeter of the temple, cathedrals of Russian saints from different lands are depicted, raising a prayer word to the heavenly world during the thousand-year history of the Russian Church. These paintings are designed to symbolize the unity of modern believers and ancient saints in a prayerful appeal to God.

The artist spent four years working on recreating the artistic decoration of the Church of the Assumption in Domnino, the family estate of the Romanov boyars. The village of Domnino is located on the Kostroma land. Once the headman of this village was the legendary Ivan Susanin, not far from the Polish troops, the juvenile Mikhail Romanov, the future founder of the royal dynasty, was hiding. The Church of the Assumption stands on the site where, according to legend, was the house of nun Martha, the mother of Mikhail Romanov.

A classic example of Russian church architecture, the temple has three aisles with unique icons of the Yaroslavl and Kostroma schools. Partially preserved ancient wall paintings made in the style of the provincial baroque.

Comprehensive work under the general guidance of Vasily Nesterenko made it possible to restore more than a hundred icons, put in order the paintings, and restore iconostases with unique carvings. New ornamental and plot paintings were created. Vasily Nesterenko took a personal part in the work on several new compositions of the Assumption Church. The album contains a sketch of the "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin", created by the artist for painting the niche of the outer part of the church.

Spending time in the heart of Russia, in the most picturesque places in Susan, the artist painted many sketches. The Kostroma land became a source of inspiration for the paintings: “Oh, Russian land!”, “Forgotten”, “Outskirts”, “Indian Summer” and others.

Vasily Nesterenko left unforgettable impressions from working on the interior of the Throne Hall of the Jerusalem Patriarchate. The artist was invited on behalf of Patriarch Diodorus on the eve of the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ.

A short but very intense work of the creative team led by Nesterenko made it possible to create exquisite ornamental and pictorial decoration. The artist himself painted "The Image of the Holy Spirit" in the central apse of the Throne Hall.

At the beginning of January 2000, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, all the Patriarchs and Presidents of the Orthodox countries met under the painting of Vasily Nesterenko. Nesterenko and his fellow artists received a unique opportunity to participate in the anniversary solemn services in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and in the Church of the Manger in Bethlehem.

The creation of the painting “Christmas in Jerusalem”, depicting a corner of the Russian Orthodox monastery in the Garden of Gethsemane, also dates back to this time. Created upon his return to Russia, the “Image of the Savior in the Crown of Thorns” is dear to the artist because, in terms of his technique and painting style, he is close to the paintings he made in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Analyzing the work of Vasily Nesterenko, it becomes obvious that the church paintings and spiritual paintings of the artist are closely related to his portrait and landscape works and are perceived in the general context of his work. The interpretation of the rocky shore of the Jordan in the painting "The Baptism of the Lord" allows us to recall some of the Crimean and Athos views. The landscape part of the painting "Christ and the Samaritan Woman" resembles the work "Christmas in Jerusalem". One can find many similarities in the style of writing between the artist's seascapes and the painting "Wonderful Catch". An even more noticeable connection can be traced between portraits of real faces and images created in murals and multi-figured canvases. The artist fills his works with living people with well-aimed and expressive portrait characteristics. Nesterenko finds a special solution for the composition of each plot, but he subordinates the compositional schemes of both spiritual and historical paintings to the same laws.

Despite the variety of genres and the abundance of plots that attract the artist, his work is very integral in its inner content. Whatever he undertakes, he tries to penetrate the essence of the creative task, finding a reflection of the highest beauty and harmony in female portraits and in the images of the clergy, in monumental landscape works and in small nature studies, such as, for example, “The Path in the Rocks” or “ Road to the top. Vasily Nesterenko does not limit himself to the image of the same motives, does not limit himself to one or another genre. The artist tries to embrace the whole world around him, to reflect in his own language all the beauty and harmony of man and nature, to admire the perfection of the universe created by the Creator.

The art of Vasily Nesterenko calls people to kindness and tolerance, it is reconciling in its essence and strives to be perfect in its form. The artist believes that only goodness can be a source of inspiration and an object of creative abilities. This is immediately noticed by the viewer. It is generally difficult to deceive the public - after all, the artist's work reflects his thoughts and aspirations. In our age, when examples of the denial of spiritual values ​​are becoming more and more frequent, Vasily Nesterenko consciously chose for himself the path of serving goodness and beauty. He calls for the beautiful, showing positive examples from history and drawing attention to the best of what surrounds us.

This can be felt most fully when the works of the artist, made in different genres, are brought together. Then the general impression of harmony, silence and peace seizes the viewer. So it was at the first solo exhibition at the Academy of Arts, and at exhibitions in the New Manege and in many other halls. This was repeated with particular force in the Great Manezh, when thousands of people got acquainted with the diversity of the artist's work.

Vasily Nesterenko's personal exhibition at the largest exhibition hall in Russia, the Bolshoi Manege, took place in early 2004. Only a few artists in the history of this exhibition hall have been able to organize personal exhibitions on its premises. But the colossal dimensions of the Great Manege turned out to be commensurate with the scope of Vasily Nesterenko's talent. Preparing for the exhibition, the artist created many new works, which were shown for the first time in this hall. According to the degree of creative activity, the time of preparation of the exhibition in the Great Manezh was comparable for Vasily Nesterenko with the time of work in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The exhibition received a huge response in Moscow.

Six months after that, the President of the Russian Federation, V.V. Putin, presented V.I. Nesterenko in the Kremlin with the badge of the Honorary title “People's Artist of Russia”. Another important result of the exhibition was the desire of state leaders and ordinary viewers to have the opportunity to get acquainted with the works of the artist not only in Moscow, but also in other cities of Russia.

Personal exhibitions of Vasily Nesterenko were organized in the State Art Museums of Orel, Orenburg, Lipetsk, Vologda, Dmitrov, Ryazan, Petrozavodsk, as well as in museums of cities near and far abroad - in Kiev, Sevastopol, Minsk, Berlin, Nicosia, Beijing and other cities . Many of them were so successful that the artist was asked to significantly extend the exhibition in order to give an opportunity to even more art lovers to get acquainted with his work.

By decision of the Government of Moscow in the capital of Russia, the “State Art Gallery of Vasily Nesterenko” was created and a building was allocated for this purpose on Stary Arbat. But exhibitions continue to be a favorite way for the artist to communicate with the audience. Often, the artist is given the opportunity to organize exhibitions and presentations of one work. So, for example, the presentation of the portrait of Irina Arkhipova took place in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the painting “Defend Sevastopol!” - in the State Historical Museum, a portrait of Vladimir Matorin - in the Union of Theater Workers of Russia, and a portrait of Vasily Lanovoy - in the Central House of Artists.

The artist created a lot of new works for the second solo exhibition within the walls of the New Manege - these are the paintings "Russian Madonna", "Portrait of Mom", "Sea", "Magic Dream", "Premonition of Love", "Venetian Carnival" and others. Brought up on the academic traditions of Russian art, being a member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Vasily Nesterenko treated with great responsibility the organization of the second solo exhibition in the halls of this one of the most famous and oldest academies in the world. This happened in 2006, on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Arts and ten years after the first commemorative exhibition of the artist.

The paintings of Vasily Nesterenko are close to both specialists in painting and people who are far from artistic creativity; they talk about modern Russia with its glorious past and rich traditions, sing of the beauty of nature, call to turn to spiritual values. He can rightly be called a folk artist.

Having earned the respect of his colleagues and the love of the audience, Vasily Nesterenko remains devoted to his beloved work. Art for him is not just a job - it is an image and a way of life. To serve Russia with his talent, to benefit society with his works - this is the true duty of the artist in his understanding.

Vasily Nesterenko continues to work actively in all genres of painting, setting himself more and more new goals. There are blank canvases in his studio, new subjects in his creative plans, grandiose accomplishments in his dreams.

Member of the Presidium of the Council for Culture and Art under the President of the Russian Federation,
Vice President of the Russian Academy of Arts,
doctor of art history, professor
D. O. Shvidkovsky

March 2004- personal exhibition at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1955. on Poklonnaya Hill

2004 May - June- personal exhibition at the Oryol State Museum of Fine Arts

2004, September - October - personal exhibition in the Museum complex of the city of Dmitrov

2004 October - participation in the exhibition “The Bible in the Paintings of Russian Artists of the 18th-20th Centuries”, organized by the Moscow Patriarchate together with the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum

2004 October- elected a member of the Expert Commission for the award of State Prizes in the field of literature and art in the Central Federal District

2004, October - December - personal exhibition in the art gallery of the Museum-Reserve “Vologda Kremlin”

2004 November - solo exhibition at the Central House of Artists, Moscow

June 2005- presentation of the painting “Defend Sevastopol” in the State Historical Museum, Moscow

2005 August- personal exhibition in the Sevastopol Art Museum named after M.P. Kroshitsky

2005 October- presentation of the portrait of V. Matorin in the role of Boris Godunov in the Union of Theater Workers of Russia

2006, January - February- personal exhibition at the Moscow State Exhibition Hall "New Manege".
Elected full member of the Russian Academy of Arts

2006, June - July- personal exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Karelia

2006 December- personal exhibition at the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus

2007 February - March- personal exhibition in the Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore

2007 February - March- personal exhibition in the House of the Government of the Russian Federation

2007 April - May- personal exhibition in the Bryansk Regional Art Museum and Exhibition Center

April 2007- participation in the exhibition “Historical and cultural heritage of Moscow. 10 years of development” at the Central Exhibition Hall “Manege”, Moscow

June 2007- participation in the Anniversary exhibition dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Arts in the Central Exhibition Hall "Manezh", St. Petersburg

2007, June - September- participation in the exhibition “We will remember the harsh autumn… Moscow. 1941” in the Provisional Stores building

2007 October- participation in the opening of the Historical Forum and the November Historical and Musical Festival “Pearls of Russia”

2007 November - December- participation in the exhibition “Dedicated to the Fatherland” at the Moscow Academic Art Lyceum of the Russian Academy of Arts

2008, January - February- personal exhibition in the "Regional art gallery" Obraz "Kaluga

2008 February - March- personal exhibition at the Belgorod State Art Museum

2008 April - May- participation in the exhibition "Moscow Family: Traditions and Modernity" in the Central Exhibition Hall "Manege"

2008 April - August- participation in the exhibition FGUK "State Central Museum named after A. A. Bakhrushin"

2008, June - July- personal exhibition at the Tyumen Regional Museum of Fine Arts

2008, September - November- elected a member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Arts.
Personal exhibition in the GUK of Moscow "State Historical-Architectural, Artistic and Landscape Museum-Reserve" Tsaritsyno "

2010, January - February- participation in the exhibition of the Moscow Academic Art Lyceum "A. V. Dronov and his students»

2010, February - March- personal exhibition at the Central Museum of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation

2010, August - September- personal exhibition at the Chuvash National Art Museum in Cheboksary

2011, January - March- personal exhibition at the Academy of Management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Member of the Patriarchal Council for Culture.

2011, March - May- personal exhibition at the Museum and Exhibition Center "Worker and Kolkhoz Woman"

2011, September - 2012, February- personal exhibition in the GUK of Moscow "State Historical, Architectural, Artistic and Landscape Museum-Reserve" Tsaritsyno "

2012, February - March- Anniversary solo exhibition "Distant Frontiers"
at the Russian Academy of Arts

2012, March - May- personal exhibition "Great milestones of Russian history"
in the GUK of Moscow "State Historical, Architectural, Artistic and Landscape Museum-Reserve" Tsaritsyno "

2014, May - June- personal exhibition “Russia. History and Modernity»
at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing

June 2014- participation in the exhibition "Symbols of the Fatherland 2014" in Moscow.
Member of the Central Council of the Russian Military Historical Society. Presentation of portraits by M.Yu. Lermontov and F. Cooper at the US Library of Congress, Washington.

August 2014- participation in the meeting of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin with cultural figures
in the House-Museum of A.P. Chekhov in Yalta

2014, October - November- personal exhibition at the Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum

2015 - artistic director of the RVIO exhibition project "Remember... The world was saved by a Soviet soldier!" (together with S.A. Shcherbakov), Moscow State Exhibition Hall "New Manege". Personal exhibition "We are Russians, God is with us!", Sevastopol. Personal exhibition "The Light of Christ Enlightens All", Vatican Museums

2015 – 2016 - work on the murals of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon in the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Athos

2016, December - 2017, January- exhibition "Russian Athos" in the halls of the Russian Academy of Arts

2017, February - March- Anniversary solo exhibition "Our glory is the Russian State!" at the Central Exhibition Hall "Manege", Moscow; April May- in St. Petersburg Central Exhibition Hall "Manege"