Translated from Russian.

The newspaper «The Soviet physicist», 1968. Num.11(15)

The review

Illustration: «Nike»

V.Nikolaeva

The passionate world

Exhibition of painting and graphics of artist Pjotr Adamovich Valius opens in club of our Institute this month.

The artist P.Valius was born in Moscow in 1912. He has received education of the civil engineer. He was engaged in painting since an early youth, but the professional painter became only in 1948.

He is a member of the Union of artists of the USSR from 1954 year. He works a number of years as the book designer in publishing houses «Soviet writer», "Fiction", «Foreign literature», etc. He participated at many exhibitions of the Moscow artists of the book.

Paintings and graphics of the artist were shown at exhibitions of the Soviet art abroad.

 The pictures of P.Valius created by him for last years will be exposed at us , and only insignificant part of an exposition represent earlier period when the artist tended to impressionism and decorative pattern.

Last 10 years in creativity of the artist are marked by more and more resolute withdrawal from illusory display of reality. He comes to belief, that the external image of the world is far incomplete expresses essence of subjects or the phenomena.   He searches for means of the greatest expressiveness to excit and infect the spectator with the feelings. The artist thinks that feelings, passions, reflections often change our perception of the world. In a different condition we differently see color and the form, the sensation of space varies, the linear and dimensional perspective can brake, the sensation of the texture, the size and weight of a subject varies, disappear or details come to light. For example, the same flowers are represented us different depending on, whether we have broken them to present the beloved or to put in a coffin of the friend. We even recollect them differently...

Usage of all this in creativity (and still many other things, in particular attraction of conditional color inherent only to his own emotional palette) helps the artist to create more expressive pictures and with greater emotional force to influence the spectator.

The pictures from an antifascist series presented at an exhibition such as «Nike of nuclear war», «The tenth circle», «Moscow, 1941», "Inquisition" - clearly show a civil orientation of the artist.

In other pictures - "Motherhood", «Leta - the river of oblivion, the river of death», "Grief" - the artist in own way solves immemorial philosophical questions.

The love to the native ground, to native art notes works of the Suzdal cycle: "Silence", "Evening" which seem to be the response of the modern artist on art of ancient masters.

Still-lifes of the artist are noted by passionate intensity of color, cheerfulness. Simple plots - flowers or landscapes - enable him to open complexity and variety of ours "fine and furious world".

We are assured, that the exhibition of P.A.Valius will cause the big interest.

The text under an illustration:

Ellada has left many legends about the gods and heroes. Its sculptors have given us their sculpture in a marble. Among them was Nike - the goddess of the Victory. Sculpture of her represents  the high woman with a strong, flexible figure and powerful wings. As a whole she is an embodiment of indestructibility.

But the modern person, the modern artist has incomparably more experience, than his ancient predecessor. Therefore he reinterprets old legends. War is not only a victory. War is a death, destruction, chaos.

The artist P.Valius thought of this when created the picture "Nike of nuclear war". It is full with deep meditations and alarm. It calls for vigilance.