The production designer of “Cat Leopold” painted historical canvases “Battle on the Ice”, “Battle of Kulikovo”
[ad_1]
Vyacheslav Nazaruk dreamed of creating three-dimensional figures in historical costumes
On January 28, at the age of 82, the animator, winner of the USSR State Prize for a series of cartoons about the cat Leopold, painter, book graphic artist, sculptor Vyacheslav Nazaruk died. He designed monuments to the storyteller Hoffmann and the Holy Archangels, created the Mammoth emblem for Expo 2005 in Japan, but he preferred immersion in history to everything.
Vyacheslav Nazaruk actively worked in animation in Soviet times, created as a production designer the cartoons “Stork and Scarecrow”, “Mother for Mammoth”, “Baby Raccoon”, “Mr. Twister”, “The Wizard of the Emerald City”, “Petrushka the Foreigner”, a series of pictures about sports – “Cycling”, “Basketball”, “Boxing”, “Water polo”. “The Treasure of the Cat Leopold” appeared in 1981 and became the beginning of a whole cycle in which Vyacheslav Nazaruk worked with director Anatoly Reznikov. “TV Leopold the Cat”, “The Birthday of the Cat Leopold” … – a total of seven films.
But this is only one side of the life of Vyacheslav Mikhailovich. He painted historical canvases kept in museums and private collections, was a book illustrator, published dozens of books, among them seven Pushkin’s tales framed by ornamental amulets and Bazhov’s tales. He was born in Moscow before the start of the war, studied at a children’s art school, a pedagogical institute, at courses for production designers at the USSR State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting, worked in the main editorial office of music programs on Central Television, in the Ekran association, where he participated in the creation of 17 films-performances (“The Snow Maiden”, “Free Wind”) and 49 cartoons. Nazaruk taught not only in Russia, but also at US universities, was invited to the Disney studio, talked not only about his work in animation, but also about Russian folklore and characters from folk tales.
Somehow he got into the funds of the main historical museum of the country, admired the samples of oriental weapons, inlaid daggers and offered to paint a canvas. A few days later he brought the “Battle of Kulikovo”, drawn in pencil, and three weeks later a six-meter canvas was ready. I was surprised myself that I did it so quickly. But this was preceded by 14 years of work on the collection of archival materials. In the creation of historical canvases, such as “The Battle on the Ice”, “Seeing Perun”, the triptych “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, he was helped by music. It was important to visit the place of events, to talk with costume specialists, gunsmiths, historians. Kazakhs, Tatars, Ossetians, Mongols, Koreans, Italians posed for him, the images of which then appeared in his works. Nazaruk considered the historical genre in painting to be one of the most interesting, since it made it possible to penetrate into one or another era, compare it with the present day and predict future events.
Animation artist Ksenia Prytkova worked with Vyacheslav Nazaruk in the Ekran association, they were connected by a long-term friendship.
“We were family friends. My husband Konstantin Romanenko worked as an animator on the Cat Leopold. Slava appreciated him very much. Vyacheslav Mikhailovich had an unusual palette. He created cartoons and huge canvases. He had a large, high-ceilinged but narrow workshop. “Slava, how do you write, almost close to the picture?” I asked. Somehow he was writing from a ladder there. He had a system of mirrors. Through which he saw his work at a distance. He also had sculptural projects, in my opinion, unrealized, kept in the workshop. After Leopold the Cat, he made films at other studios, there was a project associated with Bulgakov’s White Guard. He brought us books for children based on historical costume. Baby dolls represented different types of troops there. There were dragoons, grenadiers. The same figurine in different military costumes with a description made up four volumes. Vyacheslav Mikhailovich wanted to make them voluminous, but did not find sponsors. He always delved into history, was very interested in it. He did not lose his inquisitive mind until the last days. Slava was very sick. In the First City Hospital, they could not start his heart. He died there, and the funeral will take place there. The old guard is leaving, the masters. He is a unique person, the range of opportunities within the profession was very wide. He was a very polite, pleasant, kind person. Each conversation began with a wish of all the best.
Newspaper headline:
The artist “Cat Leopold” and “Battle on the Ice” died
[ad_2]
Source link
