Lyubov Talimonova’s Exhibition Opens in the International Roerich Memorial Trust
On Saturday, April 30, 2016 as a part of the spring festival celebrated in the Roerich Estate in Naggar the exhibition of the reproductions of paintings by Lyubov Talimonova «Wanderings of a Happy Soul» had its grand opening. Mr. Sergei V. Karmalito, Senior Counsellor, Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of India, Mrs. Natalya Cherkashina, Acting Director, Museum named after Nicholas Roerich, Moscow, and renowned Indian scholars Prof. Suneet Chopra and Prof. Arun Mohanty were the esteemed guests of the ceremony.
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Lyubov Talimonova (1971-2011) was a Russian artist, story teller and poet. During her short but eventful life she penned dozens poems and stories and illustrated the same with hundreds of amazing paintings in which she created a world at once luminous and beautiful that never fails to fascinate and beckon the onlookers:
Twinkling stars on a merry go-round
Under the Moon’s yellow gaze,
The Milky Way stretching across the sky vault.
Oh how my soul pines for the far away worlds
And strives to soar high in the limitless space
Where time is not
And my lucky star shines bright...
Her soul lived in a mysterious and happy world, but difficult times awaited both Lyubov and her parents. “In early childhood my daughter suffered fr om influenza which caused complications in the form of diabetes» – says Nila Talimonova, Lyubov’s mother. «In the beginning of 1990s the shortage of medicines and deterioration of Lyubov’s health forced us to leave Russia and settle in the UK. We were able to get medicines there, which meant that Lyubov could live and do creative work.»
The rapid deterioration of eyesight, six eye operations, kidney failure... The last ten and a half years of her life Lyubov Talimonova was on hemodialysis (the artificial method of blood purification not involving kidneys). But in every spare minute she had, she painted and wrote fairy tales. Her mind penetrated the depths of Universe where the past was inextricably connected with the future, and man’s free spirit dived into cosmic and planet mysteries.
«The Path to Singing Stars», «The Light of Other Worlds», «The World of Subtle Radiant Energies», «Pink Angels», «Fire Spirit» – these and other paintings by Lyubov Talimonova depict a strange, magical and luminous world saturated with the feeling of incredible freedom and happiness.
«Sun, Moon and Ancient Stones», «Sounds of the Sky» and «Megaliths Merge into the Infinite» form part of the series «Megaliths.» As one of the visitors to her exhibition in France wrote, «The striking, magical and incredible journey into Eternity wh ere stars merge into and converse with Earth’s megaliths, and stones talk to men.»
Her exhibitions toured many countries including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy and China. She was elected member of the Great Britain Writers’ Guild and the Great Britain Artists’ Guild.
In 1992-93 Lyubov’s paintings travelled to space to the International Space Station «Mir». In 1994 the Spacemen Association awarded her for her original contribution to the development of the philosophy of Russian Cosmism.
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| A good tale | Signs in the sky | Megaliths Merge
into the Infinite | Expectation |
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| Changing epochs | Wanderings of a Happy Soul | Morning Sun and The River | Giving fire |
«...I wish I had a house and a garden to settle my paintings in,» once wrote Lyubov, «so that people could come and see these images of the new world free from vulgarity, hatred and gloom, so that they could fully appreciate this magic and feel happy.»
To her parents these words became her last will. In 2013 Nila and Alexei Talimonov returned to their motherland and brought with them Lyubov’s ashes and her paintings. With the help of friends and art patrons, they built a big two-storey house in the vicinity of Tula half of which was reserved for the art gallery. And in April 2016 the Lyubov Talimonova Art Gallery had a gala opening becoming one more Isle of Good and Beauty in our turbulent world.
Let the sky embellished with singing stars
Stretch for all eternity
Above the good men
Let the Sun rise daily dispelling darkness
To make their world beautiful and bright
Let the Good forever rule
The world of men
In January 2013 Lyubov Talimonova’s parents gifted the exhibition of the reproductions of her paintings to the International Roerich Memorial Trust in Naggar. It was inaugurated in the Devika Rani Gallery which opened its doors to the residents of Naggar and visitors of the IRMT last October. On the completion of the inauguration ceremony the guests trod the new tourist trail connecting the Cultural-Educational Centre to the museum premises of «Urusvati» Himalayan Research Institute.
