Yuri Sidorenko was born in 1958 in Sarov, Russia, a small city
east of Moscow. He first began painting as a young child after
receiving a set of watercolors from his parents for his birthday.
The subsequent encouragement he received from his father and teachers
fueled his desire to be an artist. He received an education in
art from the Moscow Art School (1968-73); and in 1981, was awarded
a Master of Arts Degree in Architecture and Interior Design by
the Moscow Architectural College.
He has worked for the General Moscow Architectural Planning Committee
designing the Soviet embassy in Vienna, Austria and in 1982, was
accepted as a member of the Moscow Union of Graphic Artists -–a
group known for protesting Soviet official art.
The artist has spent several years studying the Renaissance techniques
of oil painting and drawing. Despite the lack of art materials
in Russia, Sidorenko uses only the best art supplies that guarantee
a longer life of his oil painting and graphic works. He uses the
Rembrandt oil colors based on natural pigments, and makes the
varnish himself using an old recipe with lavender oil and natural
resins. His oil works and religious compositions are in private
collections throughout the United States, Holland, Denmark, Hong
Kong, Japan, and in Constantinople and the Russian Orthodox Mission
in Damascas, Syria.
Since 1990, Sidorenko has been living in Alaska as the guest
of St John Orthodox Cathedral Community. He has completed the
architectural design of the Chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh,
a private chapel adjoining St. John Cathedral, and all icons for
the interior. He has recently donated an icon of St. Innocent
of Alaska to the St. Innocent Orthodox Cathedral in Anchorage,
and was commissioned to paint a special icon presented to Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew I of Contantinople, head of all Eastern
Orthodox Christian Churches. Sidorenko has also participated in
several successful art exhibits in Alaska, California, Hong Kong,
and Japan.
Although he feels he has been most influenced by Rubens and Van
Dyck, he feels that it is Sermiradsky, a Russian artist, who is
a master of composition; he also highly admires the American painter
Sargent for his free, colorful style. With regards to his own
work, he says "In explaining my choice of style, I can say
that eternal beauty can be expressed differently, but (that) my
goal today is to continue the great tradition of European Romantic
Realism".
Sidorenko shares his love of art with his wife Vera, a Russian
folk artist.
