Artist V.N. Elizarov and his collection in the collection of the Minusinsk Museum of Local Lore. N.M. Martyanova

Akhremchik Ol'ga Gennadyevna ORCID: 0009-0009-4747-3247 Postgraduate student of N.F. Katanov KSU, Deputy Director of D.I. Karatanov Art School 655017, Russia, Republic of Khakassia, Abakan, Lenin ave., 90 to-olga@yandex.ru

In 2022, the art fund of the Martianovsky Museum was replenished with a collection of works by the artist Valery Elizarov. These are paintings, graphics and objects of decorative and applied art. There are 36 storage units in total. The works were donated by the artist himself. Getting to know the artist and his creative biography was a wonderful discovery for the staff of the Martianov Museum and became the starting point for a more in-depth study.

Valery Nikolaevich Elizarov is an Honored Artist of the Republic of Tyva, a member of the Union of Artists of Russia.

The artist was born in 1957 in Kyzyl in a very friendly family, in which Valery was the only child. In addition to Nikolai Vasilyevich's father and Nadezhda Alexandrovna's mother, grandmother Elizaveta Gavrilovna, Uncle Nikolai and Aunt Lydia lived with them. Both maternal and paternal grandfathers fought in the Great Patriotic War and awards were preserved from both in the family. Already as an adult, Valery Nikolaevich found all the materials on the military path of his grandfathers on the website of the Ministry of Defense of Russia and carefully preserved them in the family archive.

Valera Elizarova's acquaintance with the world of art began with studying at the Kyzyl children's art school, which was opened in Kyzyl in 1967. As the newspaper Tuvinskaya Pravda wrote: "The children's Art school is nov Kyzyl. There were a lot of people who wanted to go to school, and a little more than thirty boys and girls from 11 to 14 years old enrolled. Two teachers, artists Lucian Petrovich Prikhodko and Vera Nikitichna Chelysheva, work with children" [8 p.4]. In the same article, Lucian Petrovich tells how difficult it is to start from scratch, that there are no premises, not enough paints, paper, and continues "... I want to believe that all these inconsistencies are temporary and soon our young artists will be able to study in a normal environment" [8 p.4]. Valera Elizarov got into this first set and Lucian Petrovich became the main teacher for him. Valery Nikolaevich still remembers his first teacher with special warmth. A talented, informal person with a difficult fate. He was born in the Dolinka department (hence the pseudonym Dolinsky) of the Karaganda correctional labor camp. In 1963. in Stalinabad (Dushanbe), he graduated from the decoration department of the Republican art college, in 1965 he moved with his family to Kyzyl, where he created a children's art school. Valera Elizarov was in the first issue of this master. Unfortunately, Lucian Petrovich failed to cultivate a galaxy of Tuvan artists. In 1967, after the first exhibitions, he was accused of bourgeois ideology and deprived of the right to teach. Since 1987, he has lived and worked in Leningrad. In memory of himself, the teacher presented his sketchbook to his beloved student. Valery Nikolaevich still uses it. In Yelizarov's workshop there is Dolinsky's sculpture "Madonna and Child" - a gift from the teacher. I want to look at her and look at her. There is so much warmth and animal tenderness in this composition made of local sandstone. The last meeting between a teacher and a student took place in 2007. This is how Valery Nikolaevich recalls this meeting: "In the early 2000s, the Kyzyl artist Alexander Feoktistov informed me that Lucian Petrovich lives in St. Petersburg in the famous house of the Art Center Pushkinskaya-10. And so, 21 years later, in November 2007, our second and last meeting took place. There are still photos, videos and good memories. On December 2, 2014, he died [3 p.8].

On July 1, 1971, Valera Elizarov graduated from the full course of this school and discovered the following knowledge: in drawing -5 (excellent), in painting -5 (excellent), in composition -5 (excellent), in art history -5 (excellent), in sculpture -5 (excellent), as evidenced by certificate No. 2 ^[12]. The newspaper Tuvinskaya Pravda writes that an exhibition of exam papers by 10 graduates of the Kyzyl children's art school was held at the children's art school for the commission of the Union of Artists of the Tuvan ASSR, the Ministry of Culture and the city Department of Culture. Among them was Valera Elizarov. Summing up, the commission concluded that "Boris Mongush, Nikolai Babak and Valery Elizarov are "round" excellent students. The Commission finds Babak's "Village Courtyard" and Yelizarov's three works "Spartacus" and "On the Appian Way" interesting in composition, they show the boy's fascination with the historical and heroic theme, fantasy, and timber trucks traveling along the Usinsky tract are undoubtedly seen in life and seen accurately. All ten graduates graduated from the art school successfully. Teachers are not going to lose sight of such promising guys as Kolya Babak and Valera Elizarov: boys in grades 8-10 will graduate, and they can be recommended to the art school, or even to the institute" [7 p.4].

After graduating from the tenth grade, Valery Elizarov enters the Kyzyl College of Arts at the art and design department. The years of study began, which were full of new meetings, comprehension of new things, and travel. In 1975, the second republican mountaineering Competition was held, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Victory, in which Valery Elizarov took part and climbed Mongun Taiga, the highest point of Tuva and all of Eastern Siberia (3967 m.). This is how he describes his impressions: "In 1975, while still a student at the Kyzyl College of Arts, I as part of the group of the Demir-Sal tourist club, he climbed Mount Mongun-Taiga. A fantastic view from its top, opening for many kilometers into the distance, a transparent ice cap and at the same time a completely piercing wind - all this has remained in my memory for the rest of my life" [3 p.12].

In 1980, V. Yelizarov graduated from the Kyzyl College of Arts and began working as a graphic designer in production, then moved to the art workshops of the Union of Artists. There are interesting orders for the decoration of premises: the photo salon of the Mongulek hotel, murals at school No. 1, No. 12. Kyzyl, the decoration of the Kyzyl bus station, architectural and artistic solutions of office premises and much more. Valery Nikolaevich has a particularly warm relationship with the artist Yuri Deev, with whom they will have a long-term friendship.

In 1980, Valery Elizarov took part in the All-Union poster contest "The Struggle for Peace and International Cooperation". The artist presented a work entitled "We need Peace" to the audience. By the decision of the jury, the poster took the third place, and the artist was awarded a cash prize ^[13]. The language of the poster is very specific, it should be perceived at a great distance, attract attention, the meaning of the image should immediately reach the addressee. On Yelizarov's poster, we see a skipping rope, a ball and a written chalk, which has just finished the inscription, thrown on the asphalt: We need peace! The prize–winning place at the All-Union Competition is a well-deserved award. In 2022, the work replenished the fund of the Martianovsky Museum.

Since 1987, V. Yelizarov's cooperation with the Tuvan Republican Museum of Local Lore began. Aldan-Maadyr (now the National Museum of the Republic of Tyva) and other museums where he acted as a graphic designer.In 1987. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the October Revolution, the director of the Tuvan Museum of Local Lore, T. C. Norbu, initiated a re-exposition of the hall of the history of the Soviet period. Given the political significance of the event, on the results of which depended not only the authority of the museum and its head, but also the authority of the entire region, the artistic design of the exposition was entrusted to V. Elizarov and I. Hovenmey. After the successful completion of the project, Valery Elizarov was invited to design other expositions. In 1990, together with the artist P. Izendeev, he designed an exposition telling about the history of the village of Khovu-Aksy and the Tuvakobalt combine, In 1992. on the basis of the national museum in Chadan, Elizarov and Izendeev prepared an exposition of the Mongush Buyan-Badyrgy Museum of Local Lore, the founder of the Tuvan state.

In 1993. The exhibition "Shamans in the Center of Asia" was prepared in the local history museum of Kyzyl. The mythological heritage of the Tuvinians" (the author of the scientific concept is M.B. Kenin-Lopsan, artists V. Elizarov and P. Izendev). In 1994. Yelizarov and P. Izendeev create a branch of the Tuvan Republican Museum of Local Lore in the village of Aldan-Maadyr of the Suthol kozhuun. On November 21, 1997, the National Museum of the Republic of Tyva prepared an exhibition "Shamanism of the Turkic-speaking peoples of Central Asia" at the Ethnographic Museum in Antwerp (Belgium). The author of the concept of the exhibition was M.B. Kenin-Lopsan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, the artist was V. Elizarov. The exhibition featured 178 items of storage from the archaeological fund (the ritual mirror "Kuzugu", a deer stone, copies of petroglyphs with shamanic plots and disguises) and ethnography (shaman's clothes, hats, tambourines, and many spirits-assistants and patrons of shamans, etc.). The exhibition was a great success and received excellent reviews. The year 2008 is rightfully considered the beginning of a new stage in the development of the museum business of the Republic of Tuva, especially in connection with the relocation of the museum to a new three-storey building specially built for it and the return of the collection of archaeological objects of the Scythian period found during the excavations of the Arzhaan-2 mound from the famous Valley of the Kings of Tuva. More than 20 kg of household and cult gold products made in the "animal style" with the highest jewelry art were found in Arjaan-2. During 2008, the Arzhaan-2 collection was officially transferred from the State Hermitage Museum for permanent storage to the National Museum of the Republic of Tuva, and on November 2, 2008, priceless archaeological materials were presented in the permanent exhibition "Treasures of the Valley of the Kings of Tuva. Tsar's kurgan Arzhaan-2", which visitors call the "Golden Hall". The opening of this exhibition immediately raised the status of the Tuvan Museum to a qualitatively new level. Valery Elizarov was engaged in the design of the exhibition hall. In the artist's personal archive there is a certificate of the award of Valery Elizarov, the restorer of the National Museum named after him. Aldan – Maadyr of the Republic of Tuva for "conscientious work, achievements in the design and opening of the exhibition "Treasures of the Valley of the Kings of Tuva. Tsar's Kurgan Arzhaan 2", signed by the Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Great Hural H.D. Mongush ^[10]. Valery Nikolaevich himself says this about the "museum" period of his life: "... when I began to cooperate with the Tuvan Republican National Museum, decorating the exhibition halls, I had the opportunity to really "touch the history of Tuva." And I plunged into deep knowledge with my head: I studied literature stored in the museum library, antiquities in the storerooms. I talked to the staff ... That's how the material for independent creativity accumulated" [3 p. 14-15]. At the same time, Valery meets an amazing man with Mongush Borakhovich Kenin-Lopsan, doctor of historical Sciences, shaman and just a legendary personality. After the first meeting, these two extraordinary people had a mutual interest, which developed into friendship and became the spiritual and professional basis of many exhibition and publishing projects. Valery Nikolaevich began to get acquainted with the spiritual culture of the Tuvan people and study the "Myths of Tuvan Shamans" by Kenin-Lopsan, which had not yet been published at that time. Communication helped the artist to understand that "Man is a part of nature. We should not put ourselves in the rank of a ruler. We need to learn to understand and study nature, to treat everything in nature as a living being. Any object, phenomenon in nature, be it stone, wood, water, has its own energy. I believe that communicating with nature, a person becomes stronger both spiritually and physically" [3 p.15].

Studying the biography of Valery Elizarov, you do not get tired of being surprised by the productivity of the artist. In the 90s, Valery Nikolaevich not only worked as a painter, graphic artist, designer of museum exhibitions, book illustrator, poster artist, but also as an artist of decorative and applied art. Working with the materials of the stock collection of the National Museum of the Republic of Tyva, Valery drew attention to objects made of birch bark. The artist calls her berEsta in conversation. These were dishes, plagues, hunting mats, snuffboxes, powder flasks. The material fascinated the artist so much that he began to study literature and communicate with masters in order to master it. Already the first products made by the master showed that this material was submitted to the artist and already in 1995 Valery Elizarov was invited to Finland to teach courses on working with birch bark, because, having discovered this malleable and noble material and summarizing all the accumulated experience, Valery wrote a methodological guide to help those working with birch bark. In the preface, the author writes: "I dedicate this book to my "birch bark" partner and elder friend Soldatov Valery Prokopyevich, with whom I have been making birch bark and making products from this unique material created by nature for more than ten years" [2 p.2]. It was Valery Prokopyevich Soldatov, whom the artist met back in 1980 – x introduced him to this material in art workshops. Together, the artists traveled to the procurement of materials, were friends with their families. The manual is flawlessly executed from a methodological point of view. The information is presented in a clear and accessible form - in the form of sequentially arranged photographs and drawings made by the author. We would call it an infographic now. One of the copies of this rare edition, which is a bibliographic rarity, was donated to the museum and is now kept in its scientific library. The artist's first solo exhibition of birch bark products was held in Turku, Finland. In Finland, Valery Elizarov taught working with birch bark and took 2 courses of shamanic practice according to the Harner system from Jonathan Horvins. Here we need to make a small digression to clarify the difference between traditional shamanism and neo-Shamanism, the practices of which are widely used not only in the territories of Khakassia and Tuva, but also in Europe and America. Influenced by the research of American anthropologist Michael Harner, who is not only the first popularizer of shamanic practices, but also a successful shaman, it is postulated that anyone can learn the classic shamanic technique - a journey into the spirit world. The teaching of these techniques and their use form the basis of modern shamanism, which, due to its unconditionality by strict regulations, becomes a source of spiritual development and knowledge of the world. Therefore, now it is not necessary to "be chosen by spirits", a person can choose this path independently by recognizing that the whole world is endowed with spirits, that spirits are a certain way packed energy, a person is one with nature, is an integral part of it; the spirit world is accessible to anyone, a person can establish a strong connection with it, draw from this world help and support, receive advice and wisdom. In neo-Shamanism, there is no need to devote oneself completely to this practice, as a rule, it is quite successfully combined with other aspects of life. This is clearly seen in the example of the previously mentioned M. Kenin-Lopsan, who is both a researcher of shamanism, a practicing shaman, and a popular writer of Tuva [9 pp.11-12]. Valery Nikolaevich himself says this about this new experience: "I have learned to penetrate into the beyond worlds. Falling into a shamanic trance, I traveled through "those worlds" with the help of my spirit helpers: a bear, an eagle and a snake. My creative imagination became brighter and more diverse after such trips. The fact is that the "work" of a shaman usually consists in helping sick people get rid of ailments. I became interested in shamanism from the position of a creative person for flights of fancy" [3 p.20]. Several works related to the new experience of cognition belong to this period, some of them were donated to the Martianov Museum. The works are made in various techniques and using a variety of materials: leather, wood, oil, acrylic ("Wolf". 2005. leather, wood, twine, oil. 57x54 cm., MKM OF-11397/20, DPI-709, GC No.: 37452838, "At the mercy of three worlds". 1998. leather, wood, cord, acrylic paints. 45x27 cm ..MKM OF-11397/19, DPI-708, GC No.: 37452831, "Return of the soul". 2003. leather, wood, cord, oil. 70x35 cm., MICRONS OF-11397/17, DPI-706, GC No.: 37452753. Friendship and communication with the people's writer of the Republic of Tyva, Doctor of Historical Sciences, lifelong President of Tuvan shamans Mongush Kenin – Lopsan had a great influence on the formation of V. Elizarov not only as an artist, but also as a person striving for spiritual development. In 2017, Kenin – Lopsan's book "The Fate of a Shaman" was published, its presentation took place at the National Museum of Tuva. "The Fate of a Shaman" tells about the difficult fate of the author's grandmother Khandyzhap Kuular, who was repressed because she was a shaman. In the book, myth and reality are closely intertwined, events take place in different dimensions and times. She tells about the people who live by the Singing River, about the age-old traditions and folklore of the Tuvan people, about tragic fates. The author asked Valery Elizarov to illustrate this work. This is the rarest case when a bearer of traditional culture, telling a very personal and tragic story of his family, trusts a European to visualize it. As the three worlds of the lower (underground) Aldy Oran, the middle (terrestrial) Ortaa Oran and the upper (celestial) Ustuu Oran are intertwined in the book, so in the illustrations Valery used the concept of a bold connection that is difficult to connect: color illustrations and black–and-white graphics, picturesque solutions and strict architecture of the design of each sheet, realism and ancient petroglyphs symbols. This book is not only a story about a difficult period in the history of our country, it is also a visual encyclopedia of the ethnographic traditions of Tuva. Valery Elizarov made much of what a European can only think of visible. The family archive of Valery and Marina Elizarov holds Kenin – Lopsan's review of one of the artist's exhibitions as an important relic: "Saturday, September 22, 2007. The 12th day of the moon. I visited Valery Elizarov's creative exhibition and had a great pleasure. It seems to me that Valery Elizarov is the best artist of my native Tuva. His paintings combine the mythical heroes of Tuvan shamanism. I hope that Mr. artist Valery Elizarov will give me a wonderful painting "A woman with a child and a bow" by a fan of your fabulous talent, Kenin. Lopsan Mongush Borakhovich, President for Life of Tuvan shamans. The time is 15.00" ^[5]. Valery Elizarov presented this work to Mongush Borakhovich. The artist himself says this about their relationship: "We have warm, friendly relations with Mongush Borakhovich Kenin-Lopsan. He is a peculiar, wise man. Through communication with him, reading his books, I learned a lot of interesting things about the spiritual life of Tuvinians" [3 p. 15].

When studying the works of Valery Elizarov, you pay attention to the fact that in almost every work he depicts an animal - a deer, a wolf, a bear, a camel, a dog.... At one of the meetings with the artist and his wife Marina Mikhailovna Elizarova, they talked about animals and both eyes lit up with warmth and joy from the memories of their beloved friend and constant companion of the family in all travels – the cocker spaniel Monsi. The love for all living things, expressed in narrative works or landscapes, leaves us wondering where in this world there is a place for a person? According to Elizarov, man is not the king of nature, he is rather an unreasonable child, over whom totemic animals are placed by the elders. "According to their belief, Tuvan shamans have since ancient times believed that the founders of their clans are totemic animals, of which the three main ones are the bear, the eagle, and the wolf. One of my helper spirits is a bear, so the "bearish" theme takes pride of place with me. I even prepared an exposition on the theme "The Bear is the ancestor of man" for participation in the Krasnoyarsk Biennale "The Fiction of History" (2003), based on the myths of Tuvan shamans about the bear, the ancestor of man, where I connected the myths of many peoples of the world, in which this animal is also represented by the progenitor of mankind..." [3 p. 23]. In connection with shamanic practice, Valery began to make tambourines on his own. "I 'gave birth' to my first tambourine in Finland. My tambourines are my children, born in agony and trembling expectations. An exciting moment is the moment when the tambourine makes its first sound, and the "voice" of each of them is unique. A "born child" needs to undergo a rite of passage and find his master in order to open the door to "that world" for him with his rhythms. A sad story happened to one of the tambourines I made: after lying for more than a year and not finding a master, it burst while lying in a case. He is like a child who was born and died in the cradle, never knowing life. The skin stretched over the skeleton of a tambourine is akin to a canvas stretched over a stretcher" [3 p. 21]. Valery Nikolaevich donated one of these tambourines (MKM NVF 3788/5) to the Minusinsk Museum. It was made in 1996 - 1999 in Tuva. This is a real work of art, the production of which is based on serious scientific research work. The tambourine consists of a wooden rim (shell), on which the skin of a deer is stretched. On the inside of the tambourine, the leather is pulled with leather threads over the edge. There are 7 ribbed protrusions distributed along the outer side of the rim, symbolizing the 7 heavens. The front part of the tambourine is smooth, with drawings. The symbols depicted on the skin repeat the symbolic drawings of the tambourine of the Teleut shaman Marfa Todysheva, described by L. P. Potapov [11 pp. 192-197]. In the inner part of the tambourine there is a wooden, cross-shaped handle, on which the image of a bird and a bear are made in the carving technique at the top, at the bottom there are two intertwined snakes surrounded by a fir-tree ornament. In the center of the crosshair is attached a round plate made of polished brass - the personification of the mirror "kuzungu". Holes for ropes are drilled in the upper and lower parts of the handle. A copper arc-shaped twisted strip in the form of a stretched bowstring is attached to the horizontal part of the handle. On the left and right there are metal brackets with suspended metal pendants "kunguldur" in the form of cone-shaped tubes (two on each side), and in the form of twisted arrows (3 on each side), as well as ribbons of "chalama" in red and blue colors are tied to the brackets. An Orb beater is attached to the tambourine. (MKM NVF 3788/6) Wood, deer skin, copper, fabric were used in the manufacture. The wooden part of the beater is varnished. The impact part is oval, convex in shape, covered with deer skin. The reverse side of the beater is complemented by a copper strip consisting of three loops and three transverse V-shaped copper strips, symbolizing the "Tree of the World", consisting of the lower, middle and upper worlds. Three metal rings are inserted into each loop, which perform the function of "rattles". The ornament "knot of happiness" is carved in the center of the mallet, the handle is made in the form of a mythical male dog. The dog's mouth has three holes through which a rope is threaded, forming a loop. Ribbons are tied to the loop: white, blue, red, pink, orange. Tuvan shamans used an orb - mallet for two purposes: the first was to beat a tambourine with it, and the second was for divination about the fate of a person. "When making a journey during the ritual in the upper world or space, the shaman never parted with his mallet, he held it in his hand all the time. The mallet played the role of a musical instrument, because a tambourine does not sound without a mallet. But the mallet was also a faithful companion of the shaman himself, because the mallet is always where the shaman leads the ritual" [6 p. 30].

The author transferred 8 graphic works from two series to the funds of the Martianov Museum. The series "Uzhep sketches" includes six small works, approximately the same size 19x27 cm, made in pencil in 1985-1989 in Tyva. These are landscapes "Rural street", MKM OF-11428/4, "Landscape with boats, MKM OF-11428/6, "Rural hut", MKM OF-11428/7, "Landscape with haystacks", MKM OF-11428/8, "Rural yard" MKM OF-11428/9 and one "Untitled" MKM OF-11428/5. The second series of works is called "Line" from this series, two works from 2007 are stored in our funds: "Khuresh", boom. brush, ink 39x28 cm. MICRONS OF-11397/10, G-646, GC No.: 37452730 and "Laptop. Taimyr motifs", boom., brush, ink. 28x38 cm., MCM OF-11397/11, G-647, No. according to the Civil Code: 37452839. The quality of an artist's drawing is most easily determined by his graphic works. Yelizarov's is the sophistication of lines, the play of black and white spots. In the series "Uzhep sketches" Elizarov creates a special world of an Old Believer village in the area of the Small Yenisei (Kaa-Khem kozhuun Republic of Tyva) with a grid of the finest strokes. Here, in the upper reaches of the river, in the remote taiga, in the second half of the XIX century, Old Believers fled from tsarist and ecclesiastical persecution in search of an unknown country "Belovodye". It is this kind of corner lost in the taiga, far from civilization, that the artist creates. We freely imagine the missing qualities of the color of grass and sky, the shape of houses and leaning fences, the volume and space of a village street. In this case, both the artist and the viewer are co-creators of their "Belovodye". In the "Line" series, the image is simplified, loses volume, then depth, and eventually the realism of the silhouette. Unfortunately, only two works of a rather extensive series are presented in the museum's collections. It is worth noting that this is the favorite series of the author of the article. The artist managed to form a different world with a line, which is perceived by the viewer as real, these are drawings that make our imagination work. In this series, the degree of departure from reality is maximum, and nevertheless we understand what this or that line tells us. Perhaps the artist came to the conciseness of the images, thanks to acquaintance with ancient petroglyphs, which are located in abundance along the banks of large Siberian rivers. Valery Elizarov, as a caring, searching person, with an inquisitive mind and love for his small homeland, could not pass by the amazing and extensive heritage that ancient artists left us in the form of rock carvings applied in various ways (with the help of embossing, mineral paints, engraving). The main places of concentration are mountainous areas or territories where there are outcrops of rock, primarily Southern and Eastern Siberia. Bronze Age images are best represented in Altai and Tuva (anthropomorphic figures with weapons, mushroom-shaped headdresses, chariots). Valery Nikolaevich paid attention to them and admired them, but in 2006 for the first time he managed to take part in an expedition of the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In his album, Elizarov writes: "The first official expedition to collect and study rock carvings was conducted under the leadership of archaeologists Semenov V. A. and Kilunovskaya M. E. in the fall of 2006, and there were expeditions in 2007 and 2009. I was invited to join these expeditions as a photographer. And when the question arose about the names of the studied petroglyphs, I suggested naming them after the toponym of the Chilag-Hem stream flowing in this place and flowing into the Henderge River. After the publication of the results of the expeditions, these images began to be spoken of as made in a special "Chilag style" [3 p. 25]. The artist not only worked with St. Petersburg archaeologists, Doctor of Historical Sciences Vladimir Anatolyevich Semenov and Candidate of Historical Sciences Marina Evgenievna Kilunovskaya for several field seasons, but also became friends. In an interview with the Kyzyl newspaper Center of Asia, Marina Kilunovskaya talks about her work in Tuva during 35 field seasons and notes how many wonderful people she was lucky enough to meet, one of whom was Valery Elizarov: "Our beloved friend and the person with whom we work as colleagues is the artist Valery Nikolaevich Elizarov. Valery and I have been working together for the last five or six years to study petroglyphs. He is a great professional. He and I are working on various scientific topics related to rock paintings. So, in addition to friendship, there is also a professional interest here" ^[4].

The theme of ancient images, their semantics, the ability of artists to create an image with a few strokes, conciseness of form with fullness of content – all this not only interested the artist, but was rethought, synthesized and turned into an independent art object. Valery Elizarov was engaged in contact copying of petroglyphs on micalent paper, prepared photographic materials for the expedition, and made exact copies of the Chailag – Khem petroglyphs with the help of tinted gypsum. Together with V.P. Kuznetsov, he prepared and published an album dedicated to the rock art of Tyva "Journey into the Art of the Ancients". Elizarov's works on the theme of rock art are numerous and diverse. It seems that ancient visual practices serve as a starting point on the path of this master's life and work. An attentive viewer will see in the conciseness of the lines of graphic works a technique learned from the Neolithic tribes of the Yenisei. In the work "Animated masks" (MKM OF 11428/1), executed in oil on hardboard, the artist directly refers to the archaeological primary source - petroglyphs from the Mugur-Sargola tract in the Sayan Canyon. This is a rock "encyclopedia" of amazing masterpieces of spiritual culture and art. The artist and I witness the sacrament of feeding the spirits of the mountain. We observe how the Bronze Age mask stretches its tongue towards the sacrificial milk, which was brought to it by a Tuvan boy. He is not afraid, he takes it for granted, because he has an eeren charm in his right hand. Three works made using archaeological ceramics are kept in the fund of the DPI of the Martianovsky Museum: "Children of the Sun". 1999. Fiberboard, fabric, ceramics, mosaic. 36x45.5 cm. MICRONS OF-11397/12, DPI-702 No. according to GK: 37452826, "On the hunt". 2009 Fiberboard, fabric, ceramics, mosaics, acrylic paints. 58x45.5 cm., MICRONS OF-11397/13, DPI-703, No. according to the Civil Code: 37452834 and "Heir". 2009 Fiberboard, fabric, ceramics, mosaics, acrylic paints. 58x46 cm. MCM OF-11397/14, DPI-704, GC No.: 37452840. These works not only visually, but also subjectively and energetically belong to the ancient world.

It seems that there is no such direction in the visual arts that Valery Elizarov would not be able to do, the artist works in graphics, painting, decorative and applied arts, creates posters and book illustrations. Valery Nikolaevich is the author of the methodical manual "The magical world of birch bark". This manual is a perfect combination of high professional achievements of a master artist and a master teacher. In Elizarov, these combinations will surprise us incessantly. Valery Nikolaevich is an aesthete with an intelligent and deep look, stylish hairstyle and thin well-groomed hands. Elizarov will break all the cliches that have formed over the years of communication with artists and with a soft voice, innate intelligence and tact will create his own unique image.

Valery Elizarov's works are kept in the National Museum of the Republic of Tyva, the Tomsk Historical Museum. The National Museum named after A.V. Anokhin, Gorno –Altaysk, the Khakass National Museum of Local Lore named after L.R.Kyzlasov, the Novokuznetsk Art Museum and the Minusinsk Museum of Local Lore named after N.M.Martyanov, as well as in private collections in Russia, Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan and the USA.

Appendix No. 1

Awards of V.N.Elizarov [3 p. 29].

1. 1980 - Diploma of the All-Union Political poster contest "Struggle for Peace and International Cooperation". 3rd place.

2. 1984 - Diploma of the Soviet-Mongolian political poster contest.

3. 1993 - Diploma for participation in the exhibition of folk masters of decorative and applied arts of the All–Russian Festival of artistic creativity of small indigenous peoples of the North "Northern Lights".

4. 1998 - Diploma of the Russian Academy of Arts.

5. 1998 - Diploma of the Ministry of Culture and Cinema of the Republic of Tyva "The best work of the year".

6. 2003 - Diploma of the 1st interregional exhibition of mini-graphics "Siberia - Far East" (in the nomination unique graphics).

7. 2003 - Diploma "Siberia IX".

8. 2008 - Honored Artist of the Republic of Tyva.

9. 2008 - Certificate of Honor of the Great Hural of the Republic of Tyva for the design of the exhibition "Treasures of the Valley of the Kings".

10. 2010 - Diploma of the participant of the 14th International Television Ecological Festival "SAVE AND PRESERVE" (the film "Preaching of Goodness" in memory of the artist Yuri Deev), Khanty-Mansiysk

Exhibitions of V.N.Elizarov [3 p. 30].

1. 1980 - All-Union political poster contest "Struggle for Peace and International Cooperation", Moscow.

2. 1983 - Exhibition of works by artists and craftsmen of Tuva, dedicated to the VII Congress of Artists of Tuva, Kyzyl.

3. 1984 - Exhibition of the Soviet-Mongolian poster contest "Brotherhood. Friendship. Unity", Moscow.

4. 1985 - Exhibition "40 years of Victory", Kyzyl.

5. 1985 - VI zonal exhibition "Socialist Siberia", Kemerovo.

6. 1987 - Exhibition "20 years of the art association of the College of Arts", Kyzyl.

7. 1988 - Exhibition of works by young artists and folk masters of Tuva, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Lenin Komsomol, Kyzyl.

8. 1991 - V zonal exhibition "Socialist Siberia", Krasnoyarsk.

9. 1992 - Personal exhibition dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the artist, Kyzyl.

10. 1993 Exhibition of folk masters of decorative and applied arts of the All-Russian Festival of artistic creativity of small indigenous peoples of the North "Northern Lights", Tomsk.

11. 1995 - Group exhibition in Finland, Turku.

12. 1997 - Personal exhibition dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the artist, Kyzyl.

13. 1998 - The eighth regional art exhibition "Siberia", dedicated to the 150th anniversary of V.I. Surikov, Krasnoyarsk.

14. 1998 - Exhibition "Russia IX", Moscow.

15. 2002 - Personal exhibition dedicated to the 45th anniversary of the artist, Kyzyl.

16. 2002 - Exhibition "Window to the center of Asia", Novokuznetsk.

17. 2003 - Exhibition "One hundred artists of Siberia", Novokuznetsk.

18. 2003 - 1st Interregional exhibition of miniature and small-format graphics "Siberia - Far East", Novosibirsk.

19. 2003 - Krasnoyarsk Museum Biennale "The Fiction of History", Krasnoyarsk.

20. 2003 - Regional art exhibition "Siberia - IX", Irkutsk, Tomsk.

21. 2004 - All-Russian art exhibition "Russia - X", Moscow.

22. 2005 - IV All-Siberian exhibition and competition of contemporary art of Siberia "POST No. 1" Art Gallery "KVADRAT", Omsk.

23. 2005 - Personal exhibition of graphics "LINE", Kyzyl.

24. 2005 - Personal exhibition of graphics "LINE", painting, decorative and applied arts, Abakan.

25. 2006 - The Art of Tuva. Past and present. Novosibirsk Museum of Local Lore. Initiator, author and participant of the exhibition, Novosibirsk.

26. 26 .2007 - Personal anniversary exhibition dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the artist "The Worlds of Valery Elizarov", Kyzyl.

27. 2008 - Regional art exhibition "Siberia -X", Novosibirsk.

28. 2010 - "Scorched by war", the exhibition is dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the Great Victory, Kyzyl.

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