Godlevskii Ivan

March 9, 1908 (s Dobromerichi Chelm Province) - August 1998 (St. Petersburg)

Painter.

Born into a peasant family. From early childhood, fond of painting. Early left an orphan, a few years besprizornichal, a vagrant, a beggar. Only 17 years old enrolled in art and pottery school in the city Mirgorod, Ukraine. In 1927 he entered the Kiev Institute of Art - the Kiev Academy of Arts, where he was spotted by Professor Krichevsky. There he stayed until 1931, and from 1936 to 1948 (except during WWII) had worked at the Institute for them. Ilya Repin.

worked in the personal studio of Professor AA Osmyorkin, with whom was very friendly. In the work has been influenced Osmyorkin (especially in matters of color), masters of "Jack of Diamonds", Van Gogh, A. Derain, Dufy R., M. de Vlaminck. Godlevskii thesis written under the guidance of VM Oreshnikova.

artist turned to different genres - landscape, portrait, still life, genre scenes. His palette was unusually diverse, in painting light, color and infinite air space acquires a new harmonious sound. He wrote the usual things, trying to find beauty in the inconspicuous, fairy-tale - in ordinary, and regarded it as the highest degree of art: for example, "Early Spring (1959)," Russian church ", etc.

Godlevskii taught at the Mukhina Art School and was chairman of the section of paintings in the Leningrad Union of Artists.

began to exhibit in 1949. Participated in many group exhibitions and solo exhibitions of the artist held in Leningrad (1961), Lviv (1963), Paris (1991), Madrid (1992), Hamburg (1993), Antwerp (1994), Zurich (1995).

In 1955 became a member LSSH, in 1988 he received the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.

In the Soviet state chamber music Godlewski not popular, it has been criticized for "frantsuzistost", for an appeal to the traditions of French Impressionism.

real fame Godlewski only in May 1991, when the auction house Drouot (Paris) decided to organize the auction of his paintings. Of the 150 canvases were sold to 148, which became a sensation of the European art market. Apparently, realistic, subject painting Godlewski attracted European attention to its capacity and integrity. Also affected by the fact that during the long years of Soviet Godlevsky managed to stay away from the semi-official style of art, and let the painting was seen as a "Soviet", but "Impressionism».

After bidding "Drouot" shows the artist took place all over Europe, and in 1996 he moved to the south of France. But there he lived for a short time, returned to St. Petersburg, where he soon died in the hospital for veterans of World War II

In Russia, the first posthumous exhibition Godlewski opened in Moscow gallery "Art-Divazh" in the building of the Polytechnic Museum. It was shown pictures of different years - landscapes, views of old Russian towns, the Crimean scenes, still lifes, fully representing the artist's work.

In 2005, an exhibition of works Godlewski was held in Central House of Artists, in May 2006 - in Moscow Manege, in February 2007 - Gallery "Sovkom».

works are in several museum and private collections, including the State Russian Museum, Museum of the Academy of Fine Arts (St. Petersburg), Gallery Elysee (Hamburg), Gallery De la Victoire (Paris), in Museum Metropolitan (New York), etc.