Artist of the week. Peter Belenok
ARTinvestment.RU   03 мая 2018

Once the official Soviet sculptor Peter Belenok deliberately refused knurled career and entered the history of art as one of the key unofficial artists and the Creator of a unique style of "panic realism"

the Fate of the dead in 1991 in poverty and polusavan Peter Belenok (or Belenkov, as also written in the books) might have turned out quite differently. From the memoirs of his friend, the poet and painter Vladimir Aleynikov, it is known that Belenko Institute's bench was prepared for a life of abundance, prosperity and honor of the Soviet authorities. Instead, it was required nothing at all — to do the correct thing and not make a fuss. In other words, to abandon the ambition, creative autonomy, the desire to fulfill oneself as an artist and any hope to go down in history of Russian art. It turns out, before moving in 1967 in the basement of the Moscow workshop is a graduate of the Kiev Institute Belenok was successful and promising sculptor in the Ukrainian city of Rivne. Essentially applied — did monuments to leaders and heroes. Belenko was not yet thirty when he had his own workshop and a staff of several assistants. Power work have been satisfied: Chapaeva and other monuments Belenok printed on postcards, published thousands of copies. Customers to the young sculptor lined up, and in front was obviously a successful career at the regional, and even national level.

And here all this comfort and clear perspective Belenok took traded on the capital uncertainty.

Yeah, in the end, as an artist Belenok won. In contrast to the thousands of nameless sculptors of the provincial Soviet, which we now know as directories, textbooks, exhibitions, auction catalogs. But we also know that behind your bold choice, the artist had to pay a high price.

Instead of the spacious Studio muralist — raw Moscow on Abelmanovskaya the basement, near the metro station "proletarian". Instead of a queue of customers — scarce, almost every year, orders from chocomint. But this insecurity is born original painter-нонконформист, participant of important exhibitions in the history of unofficial art. Don't be the escape to Moscow, there would be no resonance of the exhibitions in the cafe "Blue bird". It would not be the pavilion "beekeeping" and "culture House" on VDNH. Yet it would not be gorkomovskoy exhibitions Twenty (in the same group with Snegur, Faibisovich, Kharitonov, Khudyakov, etc.). There would be numerous foreign exhibitions of unofficial Russian art, including projects Glazunovskogo mobile "Museum of contemporary Russian art in exile." And of course, it would not be his work in "Another art" in the Tretyakov gallery.

But we now know that all was not in vain. And then... it's Hard to imagine what was happening in the artist's soul. Ironically, in Moscow, he again had to do the hated monument to the leader. Only added to this life from hand to mouth, disorder, depression, alcohol-drenched, full of insecurity and casual work in the informal status of the artist.

How did he live? What were you thinking? It is better to read in the memoirs of his friends.

Here, he writes about Beliece (using "and", but it is in those times when Kabakov and many knew as a toll, and not Elijah), the artist-шестидесятник Anatoly Brusilovsky in his famous book "Studio":

"For earnings he made "Soon", but for the soul, wrote of abstraction, including collage — rushing in a vortex of human figures, whether dying in the barrage of the elements, whether fleeing. Expressive black-and-белые abstraction caused a strong feeling of the end of the world... In the basement workshop (obviously, the former boiler room) was massive, still unfinished idols “Lenin” — a source of earning livelihood for the family. Among them — contrast — working out almost monochrome large work. He found his memorable style and theme, then psychologically very in tune with our mood. I invited Pete to give his direction — by catastrophism... His idol was a French artist of the older generation of Henri Michaux, which he renamed the Ukrainian way: Andrew Msoc! @Ndashто consonant they had, what-то the joints of the plastic language. But, of course, Belenok was completely original... “And like Andre Breton? And Yves Tanguy! And remember at Delvaux? Tristan Tzara wrote about this...” And around the gray cement blocks of idols leader Nemo listened to outlandish names. Surrealism!"

Catastrophism? Yes, perhaps. The mood and themes of the paintings Belenok was, alas, prophetic. Here he writes about a friend Vladimir Aleynikov (the sixties, the poet of the group SMOG, writer and artist) in the essay "Premonition of Chernobyl" (end of 1980-х):

"the Chernobyl accident shocked all. Then immediately remembered that long ago said Belenok in the figurative language of his paintings. Very accurate was the Epiphany. Too hurt it is the soul of an artist. Will never be possible for him to return to his native village, on the land of their ancestors, — there area (Belenok was born in the village of Korohod near Chernobyl. — Approx. ed.). The pain he spoke about this when I visited him, polubolnogo and we sat on old-fashioned together, talking about important to us. But work it contain something that is opposed to destruction: they have an outrageous belief in people, in the triumph of reason, the leitmotif in them is belief in the vitality of life. Behind a veil of tragedy — guess the light of the renewal of nature. And a clear awareness of this — helped the artist to live. But what-то like snapped in him. More and more he began to withdraw into himself. To withdraw — voluntarily, consciously. Closed, separates — from dressed in rags, sophisticated, exceptional really, from all absolutely, that is connected with it... for Months he went out of the house. He did not want to plunge into the reality that he was no longer in harmony. He lay still on the couch, thinking about what-то. Read. Turn the crank of the receiver, looking for Western radio voices, with their unlike the Soviet news.Listened to the music. Then, shook himself, abruptly got out of a long torpor, with his head immersed in the work. A new series on the big orgalita that he looked for in furniture stores, and then, piece by piece, dragged to his home. If there was no orgalitom — were drawing on paper. And — again went into a sulk. Among the works it has purchased a number of Western museums, with exhibitions they traveled around the world. Was successfully held personal exhibition in California. Employees of the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, these guardians of our avant-garde, acquired from Belenkov a large number of works,... Many of his works were taken in Greece in a Museum, Georgi Costakis".

But the memories of writer Eduard Limonov, is also a friend and admirer of his work, from a sketch "Moscow Bohemia", published a year after the death of Peter Belenok:

"the Last few years of his life in Moscow paintings Peter Belenkov gradually replaced me and the wall paintings by other artists. The paintings mostly modern-looking men caught in an unknown cataclysm. Men flee, be saved, and above them are broken what-то discs, rings, whether it's molten rock, magma, extraterrestrial substance, part of the broken firmament.

...Thin, bald for his age, he is 34 years old. Everywhere in the Studio, his paintings, some in the wall, and in addition — is large in size, flowed into his cloak Chapaev, in the bath dystrophic Nikolai Ostrovsky, a huge Lenin....

Poor Petya to the horror — wear one duds, rags buddies, the last years of his work in sculptural works, almost do not give. In 1973 he for the full year is earned at the mill 216 rubles (!). Occasionally sell is the picture of the foreigner who will lead who-то of friends. But to come to him pleasantly...

Petka — member MOSHA — sections sculptors. When-то when I lived in Kiev, his sculptural work was reproduced on postcards (the same Chapaev). But Peter knows Polish — is his undoing. He began to read Polish art magazines and picked up them alien ideas, which live in Russia is difficult. He translated, for example, the poems of French poets, translated with a Polish translation on Russian language. Strange, of course, exercise, but wanted to know what is happening in art of the West. He read and Joyce, and Kafka on the-польски, and under the influence of these books was formed.

When people began to leave art in Europe and in Israel, Peter, who has two kids from different marriages, too, wanted to leave, but he calculated how much you need to pay alimony, and he became sad. From time to time making plans for the sale of the paintings, but what is the trader. Yes, and the call had not been got nowhere".

Works "panic realism", invented in 1970 Belenko-х the years, often (but not always)have a common conceptual scheme. About 80-90% of the canvas, in its upper part, usually occupied by some abstract power substance — powerful, oppressive, ruthless. The remaining 10-20 percent of the area at the bottom visible tiny in comparison with the "nature" of people. Often they run from it, hopelessly trying to hide. Less — enter into an unequal argument, literally screaming at the overwhelming of their substance. And it's always drama, powerful charge, a picturesque encounter with chaos, which cannot be confused with anything else. And with no one.

Technically, the paintings and drawings of Peter Belenok — is painting and drawing with elements of collage, which is generally considered to mixed media. People, figures not painted. Belenok cut them out of colored magazines usually sport, where you can find photos of people on bright emotions and in a swift poses in motion? Collage of scenes captured expertly and look at it today — is a special pleasure. And stories — panic and chaos — will long haunt us with their relevance. These things, alas, also modern, like 40-45 years ago.

About the market. Peak prices for the works of Peter Belenok peaked in 2008 — on the highest point of the market for Russian art. Then do something unimaginable happened. In that year, at least five of his paintings were sold at the world's leading auction for more than $50 000. And the record was $125 075 for the great song "Flying people" at auction in London. Written, interestingly enough, not quite "Canon" Belinka — and that is even more interesting. With this fantastic price result Peter Belenok today is 27th-ю line in auction ranking artists-шестидесятников. Now, however, it is rather just an abstract historical information, because since 2008, the market prices of the sixties (and Russian art in General) is adjusted downward at least three times, a total of several times.

For all the money collectors are able to buy the Peter Belenok in the domestic auction market today? Large works on paper (collages with ink and gouache) of a class of 80 × 60 buyers snatching at auction at a price of 150 000-240 000. Sometimes you can buy things smaller, and the critical loss at a price of 65 000. But it's more luck and not the system. Large — more than a meter @the mdas orality was not present for a long time: the last time a four-foot work we had already in 2016 and had sold approximately 175 000. True, it was outright good luck for the buyer, and the train with such prices are long gone. If I got the hardboard at the auction today — would cost no less than 300 000 rubles. But not more than 450, 000 — is also already proven a point of resistance. In any case, the price of Belenok today-прежнему not just reasonable, and the most that neither is attractive. Barring another cataclysm, I feel that they will grow. No, $50 000 in the foreseeable future we will not see, but $8 000-10 000 for the great work of the best quality — Yes, it is possible.

in the meantime, before the end of this short work week don't miss us on AI Auction another selenocosmia graphic cataclysm. The work is very correct: 1975, meter size, paper mounted on hardboard, the good preservation and the classical scheme of construction. Signature "panic" story, invented Belenko 40 years ago, the viewer looks to the treacherous abyss, overtaking a defenseless little person.

Vladimir Bogdanov, AI

Sources: forum.artinvestment.ru, artinvestment.ru

What else to read on the subject:
svpressa.ru;
reading-hall.ru;
Rankings AI: Unofficial post-war art. Artists-шестидесятники.