Born in 1943, Ukraine
Volodymyr Makarenko, Ukrainian artist, graduate of the Arts Academy of Dnieperpetrovsk and the Leningrad Institute of Applied Art, participated in a non-conformist art exhibition in Leningrad. As a result of this participation he was expelled from the Academy and forced to leave Leningrad. He settled in Estonia, where he was able to enjoy freedom of expression.
In 1975 Makarenko was awarded first prize at the Biennale of Graphic Arts in Slovenia, and in 1976 he had his first one-man exhibition in Paris, where he settled permanently.
Makarenko's works stand out for their personal character and content, and are based on the dramas and nostalgia from his childhood and upbringing in the village where he was raised. They are full of erotic imagination and metaphysical symbolism. They reflect his deep knowledge of Ukrainian iconography, folklore, mythology and images from his Ukrainian heritage. Makarenko has an extraordinary skill to create a synthesis from Ukrainian symbols, surrealism and abstract art. His works reflect the influence of the Ukrainian artist Kazimir Malevitch. Bold cardinal red, gold and yellow are transformed into a prism of multi-meanings in form and space. His technique combines watercolors and oils in layers.
Makarenko views the female form with a realistic and surrealistic eye at the same time. His style combines features of the Renaissance and the Twentieth Century, and the result is an effect of mystery, enigma and strangeness.
Since 1981 Makarenko has had several exhibitions in France, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Canada and the U.S.
This exhibition comprises 27 paintings from the Ralli Museums collection
