The Order of Francysk Skaryna has been awarded to the Honored Artist of Belarus, painter Alexander Solovyov

Applause for one artist at an opening reception, which involves the work of more than fifty authors, is a special occasion. And on February 22, they sounded incessantly in honor of the Honored Artist of Belarus, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, Alexander Solovyov. A solemn award ceremony of the Order of Francysk Skaryna was held in the museum hall for the artist who has passed his 90th birthday. The high state award was granted to Alexander Solovyov by a corresponding decree of the President in November last year for his significant personal contribution to the development of art and culture of Belarus. The Order was presented to the artist by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies, Vladimir Terentyev, who admitted that he was fulfilling an honorable mission with pride and personally held great respect for Alexander Alexandrovich both as a person and as a creator, a bright personality, a philosopher, and an erudite.

— I am glad that it happened this way, — A. Solovyov thanked for the award. And he, who managed to combine abstract art with realism in his work, designed over a hundred theatrical performances, and donated dozens of his works to Vitebsk museums, said in his response:

— Artists should not speak; their works are for that. Maybe I have done something, but this is not the end. The most important task for an artist is to find himself. I tried, I searched, despite trials and sorrows, and now it seems to me that life is just beginning anyway, and something important is still ahead…

In 2015, the Order of Francysk Skaryna was awarded to a member of the regional organization of the Belarusian Union of Artists, Yuri Zuev; now there are two holders of this Order among the Vitebsk artists.

The exhibition of Alexander Solovyov's works is an integral part of the general exposition dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the regional organization of the Belarusian Union of Artists. In this project, the Art Museum also presented the exhibition "At the Origins," which includes works by artists who joined the union in 1945–1975. These are the classics

Belarusian art — Isaac Borovsky, Anton Korzhenevsky, Ivan Stolyarov, Grigory Klikushin, Evgeny Nikolaev, Petr Yevich, Valentin Dzezhits, Felix Gumen, Gennady Shutov and many, many other authors. Another part of the anniversary "triptych" is "Union of Creators". This exhibition reflects the work of the generation of the Vitebsk art school, which joined the BSH in 1975-1990.

The project is undoubtedly interesting for its artistic content, but its documentary part also attracts attention, historical photographs that capture the actions of the famous Vitebsk association "Kvadrat", moments from plein airs, meetings...

In total, the art and documentary project included 91 works by 58 painters, graphic artists, and sculptors. The entire exhibition allows us to trace the development of various art trends and the continuity of generations.

Today, the regional organization of the Belarusian Union of Artists is the largest in the republic, uniting 106 people.

Awards were presented to Vitebsk masters on the occasion of the anniversary vernissage — Alexander Maley was awarded a certificate of the Ministry of Culture of Belarus, Nikolai Gugnin — an Honorary Certificate of the Regional Council of Deputies, Azat Torosyan was awarded an Honorary Certificate of the City Council of Deputies.

Natalia KRUPITSA. Photo by Oleg KLIMOVICH. "Vitbichi".