Sketch
This work by Valentina Petrova is a dynamic composition rendered in pastel technique. The painting transports the viewer into a world of abstract figures and contrasting colors, creating a sense of movement and expression. Dark outlines and bright splashes of red and blue add depth and drama. Light, fluid lines create an impression of musicality and rhythm, introducing elements of surrealism. Petrova skillfully uses space and texture to craft an illusion of interaction between the figures, unfolding a scene that feels both familiar and whimsical. The painting invites viewers to contemplate the interaction between humans and space, the nature of motion and stillness. This piece could be an appealing addition to a collection that appreciates contemporary art.
Valentina Petrova
Graphic artist. In 1948 she graduated from the graphic arts faculty of the Repin Institute, defending her thesis with distinction on illustrations for V. Gorbatov's book 'The Unconquered'. Since 1948 — a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR. Since 1968 — Merited Artist of the RSFSR. She worked at Leningrad publishing houses and participated in exhibitions from 1950. She began working as an illustrator at Detgiz while still a student, and from 1950 created books in co-authorship with her husband at various publishing houses. She also had a lithographic studio where she created many autolithographs, including the 'Blockade' cycle of 1985, part of which she donated to the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg. The large-format sheets of the cycle are a synthesis of impressions from the blockade years in a large compositional form and complex tonality. The composition 'Lecture on Art in an Air-Raid Shelter, Winter 1942' is particularly notable — it glorifies the heights of the human spirit, conveying the emotional authenticity of a time when deprivation and hunger could not prevent people from believing in beauty. Awards: Certificate of Honor from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR for creative work in book art, 30 April 1966. 1965 — Gold Medal at the Sholokhov competition at the Leipzig Exhibition. 1969 — First Prize of the Union of Artists of the USSR for a series of works about Lenin.