A monographic album of paintings and graphic works by the artist, teacher of the LISI/SPbGASU Department of Drawing fr om 1973 to 2022, member of the Union of Artists of Russia Anatoly Buldakov has been published. SPbGASU students and staff were among the first to become acquainted with the publication: Anatoly Mikhailovich gave a presentation within the walls of his native university.

In the album, the artist included the main works completed over many years of creative activity, paying special attention to historical painting. Looking at his paintings, you return to the distant past and become an eyewitness to the most important events. Here the army is going to defend Ancient Ladoga, and here Suvorov and his soldiers are storming Izmail. But it’s not only military topics that interest the author. His great work is ancient Smolensk in its heyday. Also included are landscapes, portraits and still lifes. Anatoly Mikhailovich emphasized that in his paintings he demonstrates his vision of life, historical moments that he identified during the study of relevant documents and literature, and details of the world around him. The latter sometimes seem ordinary, but the painter finds attractive uniqueness in them, too.

Monographic album by Anatoly Buldakov

“The image itself is a fantastic story because it relates us to certain memories and events. The album contains only such lively pictures that I especially like and which fit well into the design of the book. In my works I tried to convey all my personal experience, to show how I feel about life, what inspires me. In order to examine the panoramic works in detail, their fragments are included in the album,” explained Anatoly Mikhailovich.

The artist cannot remember how many paintings he has painted in his entire life, even offhand, which is not surprising: he taught at our university Department of Drawing for almost half a century, and he has been painting all his life - as long as he can remember. The painter admits that he felt his first success in kindergarten, when during a drawing class the teacher praised him for drawing a woman in a triangular headscarf from a sample. He also remembers a school episode: he and the boys found discarded, unfilled ID cards in the yard. Soon the “documents” were signed and became a source of pride for their yard company: on each one, Tolya drew a galloping horse. Horses will appear in more than one painting by the future artist. Years later, Anatoly Buldakov would become the author of a number of historical paintings, wh ere horses are in the foreground (this cycle is also presented in the album). The author clarifies that the smell of horse sweat and stubble, the aroma of bread - everything is in this book.

“I met Anatoly Mikhailovich at other exhibitions, but I got acquainted with his works today. Through the prism of his creativity, he reveals himself in a completely different way. I am close to the problems of multi-figure compositions, which are incredibly interesting to observe and explore in his work. It’s nice to know that there is a person nearby who has already answered many of the questions you ask, and you also have the opportunity to ask him for valuable advice. The kindness that is characteristic of Anatoly Mikhailovich is an important factor; it inspires, fills with similar feelings and emotions,” third-year student of the Faculty of Architecture Matvey Shardin shared his impressions.

Second-year student of the Faculty of Architecture and future restorer Elizaveta Skryt agreed with the fact that the artist simply and clearly explains the technique and plot of the paintings, sharing her impressions and emotions. “Anatoly Mikhailovich is attractive and inspires you to work in new areas of art. I especially liked that he used a lot of historical references. After meeting him, my motivation for creativity increased, since I also paint, paint portraits and architecture. I also noticed the wonderful dynamics in his works, which is especially visible in the sketches,” noted Elizaveta.

Anatoly Mikhailovich gave the students valuable advice that will certainly lead to success: just observe life, feel everything in it, even the unpleasant moments, because all these sensations will definitely return in the form of inspiration. In the paintings included in the album, this main rule of the author is clearly visible.

The artist donated a copy of the album to the SPbGASU Scientific and Technical Library.

Anatoly Mikhailovich Buldakov was born in 1947. He graduated from the Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named by I. E. Repin. Since 1982, member of the Union of Artists of the USSR, currently - the Union of Artists of Russia. Winner of the St Petersburg Government Prize in the field of literature, art and architecture in 2004 for the painting “Ancient Ladoga” and other awards. The artist’s works were acquired by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, collectors from Russia, the USA, Sweden, Finland.