Some time ago, experts in all seriousness argued that photography would displace painted pictures from reality. Many painters even began to worry. Valery Oktyabr, an Altai artist, just continued to paint.
The gift of seeing the world
Initially, each person has many abilities. It is very important to notice and nurture the fragile shoots of talent in a timely manner. Valery Erikovich October was born on April 1, 1952. The family of the future artist lived in the small town of Rubtsovsk. Parents with a higher technical education worked at a local machine-building plant, where famous tractors for agriculture were produced.
The harsh and unique nature of Altai from an early age had a beneficial effect on Valery. The snow-capped mountain peaks and the endless expanses of the steppes had a hypnotic effect. The boy did not even want to think about becoming an engineer. At the school where he studied, there was an art studio. It was in the classroom in this studio that October received his first knowledge of perspective and proportions. Gained the skills of carrying watercolors on paper.
Having received a certificate of maturity, Valery Oktyabr entered the higher art school located in Novoaltaisk. Student years flew by quickly. In 1976, an artist-designer with honors came to Barnaul. In those years, the specialty "free artist" did not exist in the official terminology. The young specialist was hired by the city department of architecture and urban planning.
Success claim
The workload at the main place of work was full. There was little free time - only weekends. One could only dream of a room for a workshop. Only members of the Union of Artists had such privileges. Finding himself in difficult conditions, Valery did not even think to lose heart or wait "from the sea for the weather." He installed an easel in the kitchen and gave himself up to inspiration completely.
It should be noted that themed vernissages and regional exhibitions of paintings were regularly held in Barnaul at that time. The first time Valery Oktyabr exhibited his works in 1979 for the capricious public. The creativity of the young artist was noticed and appreciated. Several reviews appeared in local newspapers. Several stories from the exhibition were shown on television. The pictures of October were not criticized or praised: the creative intelligentsia froze, waiting for the continuation.
At the first stage of his formation as an artist, October painted landscapes and thematic compositions. The Altai landscape attracted and inspired. Pictures of this particular genre allowed the artist to declare himself and demonstrate the professional technique of handling paints. His works "Katun" and "Belukha" are recognized by experts as exemplary in the depiction of Altai landscapes.
Becoming a master
In the mid-80s, Valery Oktyabr was already well known in the creative get-together of the Soviet Union. They knew and were invited to all-Union exhibitions and vernissages. As a rule, these were thematic events. The Altai master was noted in the final review of the exhibition "Artists to the People". By that time, Valery had already significantly expanded his genre preferences. The audience favorably accepts the depiction of landscapes in the style of symbolic realism.
In the biography of the Altai artist, the fact of participation in the Moscow exhibition "We are building communism" is recorded. Valery Oktyabr is not at all ashamed of his past. He is not involved in the fact that the image of a beautiful future is debunked and desecrated. His paintings were bought with pleasure “before that” and continue to be collected in the post-Soviet period. For all his indifference to the form of the political system, Valery is constantly looking for new forms of expression.
October leads its viewer and connoisseur from contemplation of the surrounding reality to reflection and comprehension of the ongoing processes. It is in this vein that the paintings "Dissolution", "Depth", "Space" were painted. Valery transfers not only natural objects to the canvas. Most of his works are industrial and urban sketches. The courtyards and squares of Barnaul look as romantic and attractive as images of Paris or Rome.
Essays on personal life
Over the past period, the works of October have been exhibited not only within their native country, but also in foreign halls. The practice of recent decades has shown that it is very difficult to organize the first exhibition in French Cortison or American Santa Barbara. On the next round, in a year or two, it is much easier to do this. It is interesting to note that the name of the native of the Altai land is widely known abroad. Several of October's paintings are included in the catalogs of the private collections of two American presidents.
The career of a professional artist today is not considered complete. Some time ago he exhibited his paintings in his native Rubtsovsk. Local residents have not forgotten their famous countryman. Valery continues to make his contribution to the cultural mainstream of the Altai Territory and adjacent regions. He is always expected at the Novosibirsk Academic Town.
The artist's personal life has developed successfully. His wife, an art critic and artist by profession, helps Valery in all matters and undertakings. The husband and wife raised and raised three children. Two sons and a daughter followed in the footsteps of their parents. They are known about them in the country and abroad. They write in the newspapers. Filming television plots. Life and creativity continues.
