Victor Orly
Victor Orly (born Guennadi Grebniov on 20 February 1962) is a contemporary French painter, one of the major representatives of a new-age impressionism, the president of cultural and art association Capitale, a member of Guangdong Yuehua Painting Academy, Guangzhou, China. Artistic biography. Grebniov was born in Kirovohrad, USSR (present day Kropyvnytskyi in Ukraine) in 1962. He graduated from Kirovohrad arts school and A.Pushkin Kirovohrad Pedagogical Institute. He has been living and working in France since 2004. He started to draw in a very young age. When he was 3, he drew his first paintings on the back  of two family portraits. In his school years the artist was an author and editor of satirical comics that were broadcast in a local cinema. He was awarded a grand prize in the regional contest of a political poster. His professional artistic activity started in 1993. In this period he created several philosophical symbolic series of works that were influenced by Mikhail Vrubel, a pioneer of the Russian Symbolist movement, and Nicholas Roerich, a Russian artist and philosopher. In the mid-90s he collaborated with the writers, editors, such as Volodymyr Panchenko, a famous literary scholar, professor of the National University  of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and Leonid Kutsenko, a regional ethnographer, professor of the Volodymyr Vynnychenko Kirovohrad State Pedagogical University. The artist worked on the design and artistic finish of the literary magazine "Vezha (The Tower)" and several ethnographic and literary books. In 1996 Grebniov participated in the contest of the project of a great coat of arms of Ukraine. Becoming a professional painter, working on his artistic style, Gennadi Grebniov was highly influenced by Sergiy Shapovalov, Merited Artist of Ukraine, whom Guennadi Grebniov calls his main teacher. He considers Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso to be his  spiritual mentors. In 2004 the artist moved to France. He began to use the pseudonym Victor Orly. In France he receives new sources for his art development. In a short time he creates several new series of works, participates in numerous prestigious exhibitions in France, Canada, Ukraine, China. In 2013 Victor Orly becomes a member of Guangdong Yuehua Painting Academy, Guangzhou, China. Victor ORLY practices different genres of painting: still life, landscape, romantic and symbolic figurative painting. Distinguishing characteristics of his works are dashing creative ideas, highly original style, combination of real and fantastic, bright colour palette. Peculiar feature of  the painter's art is an experiment with composition, colour, technique. Victor ORLY has worked out his own style which is based on a combination of classical, symbolic and impressionistic painting elements. The artist practices oil painting and uses palette knife technique. Original compositional findings, rich colour palette, vague details are characteristic of his art. His brush strokes are broad and energetic, often massive, always loose, sometimes translucent, and full of emotions and feelings. In China Victor ORLY is compared to kung fu master Li Xunhuan for his work with a palette knife. Orly also practices other forms of fine  arts. He is an author of decorative panel paintings, wall paintings, and ceramic goods. The artist created wall paintings for a Ukrainian restaurant "Korchma" (Marseille, France) and numerous private villas on French Riviera, restored and created wall paintings in the Virgin Mary bell-tower of the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Marseille). Main theme of Orly's artworks in the recent years is Provence where he lives now. His landscapes, still-lives, figurative paintings depict the splendour of pristine Provence nature and beauty of ancient human creations. Victor ORLY is named an honorary ambassador of Provence for his special attention to this  region and fine sense of its spirit. Most of Victor Orly's landscapes are dedicated to water: a sea, a river, a lake, a pool, an aquarium, a rain. Main objects are large lengths of seas, bays, ports, classical and modern sailing ships, lotus, water-lilies, and sun reflections. Victor Orly uses his bold and broad brushstrokes to give a feeling of live reality to water and vibrations to reflexes. In 2008 Orly was invited as a President of the jury for the art contest in Nans-les-Pins, France. Orly realised a project "My trace on the planet" in  terms of the international campaign "Marseille, European Capital of Culture". As a result, a beautiful panel painting sized 500 x 400 cm was created. Public work. Orly organised personal exhibitions of the painters Sergiy Shapovalov and Andriy Lipatov in the galleries "Lada" and "Shedevr" in Kyiv. In 2005 he founded art association "Capitale" being its president to this date. The association's work is aimed at art projects realisation. In 2006 the association organised a personal exhibition of a French ceramist Serge Moutarlier in Lada gallery (Kyiv, Ukraine). During 2007-2013 several art project for French and Ukrainian artists were  organised in France, Ukraine, China. The artist’s artworks are in museums and art academies collections: Taras Shevchenko Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Kirovohrad Art Museum, Ukraine Osmerkin Art-Memorial Museum, Kirovohrad, Ukraine Zaporizhzhya Art Museum, Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine Ling Nan Cultural Heritage Museum, Shawan, Guangzhou, China Guangdong Yuehua Painting Academy, Guangzhou, China Shantou Academy, China His paintings are in private collections in France, Italy, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Canada, China, and the United States. Awards. Medal of Marseille, 2013 Prize of Castellet town, 2009 1st Prize of Castellet Grand Prix of Painting, 2007 Medal of International Art Exhibition  Nantes – Façade de Atlantic, 2006 1st Prize, "Neptune’s Kingdom" Exhibition, 2005 Grand prize in the Kirovohrad regional contest of a political poster, 1978 Exhibitions. Personal Exhibitions: 2013 La Maison Flotte, Sanary sur Mer, France “Pasion of Colours”, Town-hall of Marseille, France "Magical Palette", Guangdong Yuehua Painting Academy, Guangzhou, China Ling Nan Cultural Heritage Museum, Shawan, China 2011 Permanent Representation of Ukraine to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France Town-hall of Collète-de-Dèze, France 2010 Reception Hall of Marseille town-hall, France Town-hall of Marseille 11-12 district, France 2009 Reception Hall of Archiepiscopate, Autun, France  IAE, Paul-Cézanne University, Aix-Marseille III, Aix-en-Provence, France “Under Provence Sun”, Les Reformes Cathedral, Marseille, France 2005 “My Heart’s Feast”, Les Reformes Cathedral, Marseille, France 2004 Imagier Gallery, Marseille, France Collective Exhibitions: 2013 Art Shenzhen 2013, Shenzhen, China The 18th Guangzhou International Art Fair, Guangzhou, China Seventh Dongguan Calligraphy and painting Collection Fair, Dongguan, China Shanghai Art Fair 2013, Shanghai, China Shantou Baidai Art Gallery, China Shantou Si Yun Gallery, China Canton International Art Fair, Guangzhou, China 1000 Art Zone Gallery, Guangzhou, China 3rd Guangzhou Arts Trade Fair, Guangzhou, China "Symphonie of colours", Town-hall of  11-12 districts of Marseille, France IV Fine Art Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine 2012 Shenzhen Art Fair 2012, Shenzhen, China Guangdong Yuehua Painting Academy, Guangzhou, China 17th Guangzhou International Art Salon, Guangzhou, China Canton International Art Fair, Guangzhou, China Galerie Lafayette, Marseille, France Palais des Art, Marseille, France 15 Beijing Art Expo 2012, Beijing, China La valse des capians, Bandol, France Art Shanghai, Shanghai, China Toronto Art Expo, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Artcoeur Gallery, St Paul de Vence, France 2011 The 16th Guangzhou International Art Fair, Guangzhou, China Canton International Art and Collection Fair, Guangzhou, China Consulate of Ukraine to France in  Marseille, France Grand Fair of Contemporary Art, Paris, France «Painters’ Routes» exhibition, Saint Rémy-de-Provence, France 2010 Princess of Kiev Gallery, Nice, France ART SHANGHAI 2010 Exhibition «CARRE V.I.P», Shanghai, China 2009 Dragnignan Grand Prix of Fine Arts, Dragnignan, France Castellet Grand Prix of Painting, Castellet, France 2008 Nans Les Pins Grand Prix of Painting, Nans Les Pins, France – President of Jury Exhibition of Independent Artists, Paris, France XXIII Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture, Les Pennes Mirabeau, France “Women… I love you”, Toulon, France 2007 Simon salon, Marseille, France Dragnignan Grand Prix of Fine Arts, Dragnignan, France Castellet Grand  Prix of Painting, Castellet, France “Fantastic paintings”, Pharo Palace, Marseille, France CARLI Small Formats, Marseille, France 10th Exhibition of Painting, Sainte-Zacharie, France XXII Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture, Les Pennes Mirabeau, France 2006 “The City I Admire”, Marseille, France International Art Exhibition “NANTES – FACADE OF ATLANTIC”, Nantes, France Marseille Town hall, France Castellet Grand Prix of Painting, Castellet, France 1st Festival “Panier Taro”, Marseille, France TUILLIER Gallery, Paris, France “Tarot”, Marseille, France 2005 La Valentine Golf club, Marseille, France Septemes Les Vallons Town hall, France “Tarot”, Marseille, France “Neptune’s Kingdom” Exhibition, Marseille, France 2004 “Holidays and Traditions”, Marseille , France Gallery. Landscape Still life Figurative Printing