A masterpiece of monumental painting was saved in Ust-Kamenogorsk. It was nearly covered with plaster. The huge wall painting is exactly 40 years old. It was written by the artist Leonid Ageikin, who passed away early. The plot of the canvas is the history of the Olympic Games from ancient times.
The panel is located in one of the city's sports halls, which is on the balance of the city akimat. During the repair, the contractors intended to apply a layer of plaster over the drawings.
– We came to find out that another of my father's works would be destroyed," - says the artist's daughter, Yana Ageikina. – Recently, in the cinema" Kazakhstan", now there is a trading house, workers erased the panel, and it remained only in the photos.
Ageykin created more than twenty monumental paintings. According to art historians, each of them is a romantic poem about the beauty, dignity and strength of the people of our region. Most of the work is now in poor shape.
By the way, interest in Soviet monumentalism is very high among Western tourists. Groups of connoisseurs pay a lot of money to see the works of famous masters with their own eyes.
The meaning of monumentalism, as an artistic trend, is that art should not only be in museums and exhibition halls, but also in public places. From 1960 to 1980, panels, sculptures, mosaics, and paintings were massively placed on the walls of houses, gyms, cultural centers, and swimming pools. Now these objects have new owners and the artistic heritage is of little interest to them.
We still managed to reach an agreement with the administration of the building, - says Yana Ageikina. - Sponsors collected 400 thousand tenge. We are going to spend it on clearing the dust from the painting and then completely restore it.
For reference: Leonid Ageikin (1935-1982) Painter, graphic artist, muralist. Leonid Ageikin was a leading East Kazakhstan artist of the late 60s-early 80s, recognized as the head of the East Kazakhstan art school, a member of the Union of artists of the USSR and Kazakhstan. The creative heritage includes more than 2000 works.