Zinovie Popov

Russian (1924-1984)

Zinovie Popov was born in 1924 in a small village in the Penza Region of Russia. In 1942 he was sent to fight in World War II, where he was subsequently wounded. He returned home in 1947 and began working as a security guard in a building occupied by artistsí studios. This spurred his artistic interests, and in 1949 he entered the art college in Penza. After graduating he moved to Voronezh, a known cultural center, where he became inseparably connected to the art scene. During his early years in Voronezh, he taught at the Voronezh Art School, now an Academy of Art. In 1954 Popov began submitting works to the Voronezh Union of Artist, although he was not accepted until 1960. He was a natural leader, active in numerous art activities in the city, including exhibiting in local, regional, and invitation-only All Soviet Union exhibitions. Popov focused his creativity on plein-air painting, although he was also well known for his lively and colorful portraits. As he matured as an artist, he began to develop a style that drastically broke with the Soviet notion of Soviet Realism. At this point during the 1970s, although he was director of the Artistís Union, Popov was rebuked for abandoning the Soviet ideal. However, by the early 1980s when he died, he was commonly labeled as a genius. Popovís works can be found in collections in the USA, Germany, and Italy.
After Popovís death, a solo exhibition of his works was held at the Kromskoi Museum in Voronezh. The show consisted of 130 paintings and graphics. The works displayed consisted of landscapes, portraits, and still lifesóall extolling the everyday lives of people in the rural villages. Popovís favorite subject to paint was landscapes, about which he stated, ìI love this work and feel that I have run the whole scale of greenery. Landscape offers peace and tranquility.î Popovís technique was masterful and his palette lush, full of the vibrant and brilliant colors he loved. He engraved on the hearts of his fellow Russians bountiful harvests and springtime bursting with new life. A vital, exhilarating mood always accompanies his paintings. Through his landscapes, Zinovie Popov expressed all that, to his eyes, were the best and most beautiful aspects of his rich heritage.