Sergey Spodenuk
1961 – Born in Odessa, Ukraine
1984 – Graduated from Odessa State Educational Institute after K.D. Ushynsky from The Faculty of Arts and Painting
1990-2001 – Book illustrator and designer for various publishing houses of Ukraine and worldwide
2001 – Teacher at the Department of Arts, Faculty of Arts and Painting of The South Ukrainian Educational University named after K. D. Ushynsky, Odessa Campus
2008 – Senior teacher at the Department of Arts, Painting and Architectural Design of the Odessa State Academy of Construction and Architecture
2010 – Obtained membership to the national association of Ukrainian artist
Participant of regional, national and international exhibitions.
His work is part of many private collections in Ukraine, Russia, Egypt, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and England.
Artist's Statement
Extract from an art critic's article: Dialogue Between Art and Life
Sergey Spodenyuk is a member of the National Association of Ukrainian Artists, an art instructor since 1986 and a teacher at the Department of Arts, Painting and Architectural Design at the Odessa State Academy of Construction and Architecture.
As a philosopher, dreamer and realized artist, he is is capable of capturing various genres of art. Above all, he is drawn to creating compositional paintings which span different genres.
The artist's work springs from the great traditions of classical heritage, which he values and cherishes. With large canvases as a base, he uses vibrant colors, strong figures and exact compositions that resemble closely those of the old masters of 17th and 19th centuries. While influenced by the masters, he provides an original eye based on the world around him.
Sergey Spodunyuk’s primary genre is intense and passionate hunting scenes. Sergey sites Pieter Paul Rubens as an influence for such works, who had the ability to portray harsh battles with immense tension and passion pushed to its limits. These works embody his style, where he demonstrates his mastery of composition, accuracy of drawing and knowledge of the anatomy of humans and animals. Tense muscles of the body and rapidly rushing horses are composed in perfect symmetry. For the characters of his works hunting is not for entertainment, but a desperate struggle for life.
The artist conveys emotional events in his life through painting. Utilizing classical themes and plots he reveals his personal credo: a search for inner happiness and spirituality, sorrow over the loss of his wife, worry about his children and concerns about his future. Having recently returned to the world after spending 10 years serving the church, painting is the method through which his soul speaks. “For me the most important aspect in my work is the aspiration for originality and complexity of capturing emotions” – says the artist. His pieces include not only biographical elements but a philosophical subtext.
A student of the realism school, Sergei does not idealize nature; he accurately depicts the literal truth. The transformation of the human world into the eternal and divine occurs through the use of subtle shades of color, light, and exact form. The compositions have linear rhythms that poetically interact with soft blurred contours and smooth boundaries.
