CHEREPANYA VOLODYMYR

He was born on 6 January 1965 in Mukachevo, Transcarpathia. In high school, he was preparing to enter the medical faculty. But plans changed dramatically – the stories of his friends about Uzhhorod Art Institute and the attraction to painting did their job and the young man got fascinated by the dream of becoming an artist. 

In 1982, finishing high school, Volodymyr started his studies at the Uzhhorod School of Applied Arts, Department of Art Ceramics. His mentors were the talented artists and pedagogues Vasyl Petretskyi, Ivan Manailo, Bohdan Korzh, who generously shared their knowledge, cherishing his talent.

In 1985, after graduating from the college with honours, he worked as an artist-designer in the Transcarpathian Regional Ukrainian Music and Drama Theatre. In his author's scenography, one could the expression of a painter, play of colours, light and shadows inherent in easel canvases.

In 1986 – 1988, during his military service, Volodymyr’s battalion was in the area of the Chernobyl disaster for a month, and as a result, his health was extremely affected.

The beginning of the 1990s was a period of young artist’s active creativity – a worthy representative of the contemporary generation of Transcarpathian painters. He seemed to be in a hurry to live and create. At the age of 28, Volodymyr became a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, which was unprecedented. He participated in plein airs and expositions. In 1992, it was held his first personal exhibition called “My images” and included 33 works, two of which were included in the collection of the Transcarpathian Regional Art Museum named after Y. Bokshai. The second personal exhibition took place in 1995.

Volodymyr's colleague V. Myshanych describes Volodymyr Cherepania's creativity as follows: “The artist worked in a crucial period in the history of Ukraine, at the turn of the epoch, which found expression in his works. The era of "perestroika" by Myikhailo Horbachev drastically changed the outlook of the artists, opened the way for the approval and dissemination of new trends and artistic trends that were unannounced in the Soviet era. It was formed a new philosophy of art totally different from the party ideology. This is an interesting period in the history of fine arts in Transcarpathia, which is studied by young art historians of the region and not only. Volodymyr Cherepania's creative development took place in the period of society democratization, relative creative freedom of artists. And, this is important, because the development of an artist, his self-realization is impossible without freedom. Undoubtedly, he was one of the most talented and brightest artists of this era, which gave impetus to the development of the Transcarpathian art, opened new creative horizons for them.”

In his paintings, there is a noticeable influence of the artists who gained the world recognition: Renato Guttuzo, Paul Cezanne, Amedeo Modigliani. Talented artists of the region also played their part in forming the creative style of Volodymyr’s worldview. They are Ihor Paneiko, Olena Kondratiuk, Serhii Dubovets, Ferents Seman, all of them were his friends.

In just ten years of active painting, the master created more than 300 works, not counting sketches and graphics, which he painted within the hospital walls. These are landscapes, still lifes, sacred compositions. His paintings impress by thematic variety and unordinary. The expressive style of the artist's letter, his painting style give a finely organized, sensual, emotional nature with a rich and complex inner world.

Art critics noted that the main emphasis in the artist's works is not the form and drawing, but the colour. It is the colour that builds the composition, plasticity and some psychological problems are solved by it, turning the canvas into space, pulsing and exploding with complex layers of colours. Gradually in a bright, rich and at the same time harmonious composition, it is included an image of a person. Space and a man - two different phenomena of nature – are found on canvas in order to emphasize in the figurative and spatial compositions a subtle relationship full of irreconcilability, conflict, harmony and nostalgia.

The artist's works are kept at the gallery and private collections in Ukraine, Russia, Germany, the USA, Hungary, the Czech Republic and other countries.

Volodymyr Cherepania died at the age of 31, on the night of 13-14 January 1996.

After the artist’s death, in 1997 and 2010, it was organized two personal exhibitions by the efforts of his relatives and friends. Another retrospective exhibition, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the artist's premature death, took place in October 2016 at the Uzhhorod “Ilko” gallery. The work of the author is often included in the expositions of group exhibitions of the Transcarpathian artists.