The exhibition of the works of the Honored Artist of Ukraine Serhiy Shapovalov "Painting Palette of Serhiy Shapovalov" is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the birth of the famous Ukrainian artist. He was called the Poet of the steppe rainbow, because his works are saturated with a colorful rainbow, which impress with the expression of performance and inexhaustible optimism, fill with positive emotions and rise above the commonplace, instilling faith in the victory of beauty and art.
    Serhii Gavrylovych Shapovalov (May 15, 1943, Ingulo-Kamianka village, Novhorodka district, Kirovohrad region - November 4, 2021, Kropyvnytskyi). Honored Artist of Ukraine (2008). Member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (1989).
    Laureate of the regional award in the field of fine arts and art history named after Oleksandr Osmerkin in the nomination "national tradition" (2006). Laureate of the city art award named after Borys Vintenko (2020). He was awarded a presentation on the City Board of Honor in the nomination "Best Artist" (2011) and the Award of the City Council and the Executive Committee of the city of Kropyvnytskyi "For Merit" II degree (2019).
    He graduated from the Kyiv State Art Institute, now the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, majoring in "painting" (1974), the teachers of the specialty are People's Artists of Ukraine Tetiana Holembiievska and Viktor Shatalin. He worked as a painter in the Kirovohrad art and production workshops of the Art Fund of the Ukrainian SSR (1974-1989)
    He started exhibiting in 1981. Participant of city, regional, all-Ukrainian and foreign exhibitions - All-Ukrainian art exhibition "Picturesque Ukraine" for the Shevchenko holiday "In a free, new family" (1986-2019), All-Ukrainian art exhibition "Our time - our space" (2008), International biennale "Impreza-89" Ivano-Frankivsk, Art exhibition "New York. Inter-EXPO 2002" USA, Art Exhibition "Russian House" Berlin, Germany (2002), Art Exhibition "Art of Ukraine" Moscow, Russia (2002).
    Personal exhibitions were exhibited in the Kropyvnytskyi Art Gallery (1991), the regional universal scientific library named after D.I.Chizhevskyi (1998), O.O.Osmerkin Art Memorial Museum (2002, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2020), Art Museum (2003, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2018), in Kyiv at the National Museum named after Taras Shevchenko (2010), in Guadalajara, Spain (2004).
    The works are stored in the Directorate of Art Exhibitions of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, the Art Museum and the O.O.Osmerkin Art Memorial Museum in Kropyvnytskyi, Izmailskyi and Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi art museums, private collections in Ukraine and abroad.
    In his work, he gave preference to the realistic style of painting, the artistic genres of still life and landscape, he performed works in the technique of pastose painting, which was a kind of artist's visiting card.
    In the introductory article to the catalog of the exhibition "Color Expression of Serhii Shapovalov", which was exhibited in the O.O.Osmerkin Memorial Art Museum as part of the art project "Laureates of the Regional Prize in the Field of Fine Arts and Art History named after Oleksandr Osmerkin" in 2014, the leading researcher of the museum, art critic, Honored Artist of Ukraine Andrii Nadiezhdin described the artist's work as follows: "He works with a brush and palette knife. The practice of working in this technique opened the artist up to new possibilities of using color. The artist learned to use the bright coincidences that were born under the movements of the hand as regularities.
    From the second half of the 1980s, Serhii Shapovalov began to test this technique for suitability for easel painting... At the same time, Serhii Shapovalov was actively engaged in landscape painting. The artist is fascinated by the old city with its cobbled streets, modern "palazzo" and classical churches. To portray them, he looks for original, never-before-seen perspectives and twists. "Autumn. Kovalivska Church", "House of O.O.Osmerkin", "House of O.O.Osmerkin. Frost", "Transfiguration Church", "Museum Motif" are actually portraits of buildings whose history preserves the memory of human lives and destinies. Houses, like people, come to life when they are treated with love, and when they are left, they die lonely... The landscape "House of O.O.Osmerkin" is saturated with elegiac, lyrical feelings. Frost". The artist repeatedly refers to the motif of O.O.Osmerkin's house, which is the main "person" of the painting. In this composition, he seems to contemplate the plot through a closed window, covered with a windowpane, behind which the airy, light, almost illusory image of the building dissolves in a white-blue, diluted with shades of pink, picturesque color... Still, a landscape is a landscape, and the most freely and Serhii Shapovalov feels comfortable in a still life. This is his kingdom, here he rests with his soul and heart. A favorite subject is flowers. Their various natural colors provide an opportunity to fully express emotions saturated with color impressions... The series of "field" still lifes with the telling name "Steppe Elada" at one time became a vivid testimony of Serhii Shapovalov's love for his native land..."
    "I became aware of myself as a painter while studying in Odesa, and I have been drawing since childhood. I draw immediately, without sketches, with a burst of color ratios. When I paint outdoors in the garden, everything turns out much better. I love daisies, hatchets, bells, roosters. My soul sings when I paint!" - the artist talked about his work during an interview in his workshop, published in the catalog of the exhibition "Painting Impromptu by Serhii Shapovalov", which was presented at the Oleksandr Osmerkin Memorial Art Museum as part of the art project "In the Artist's Workshop" in 2020. This personal vernissage turned out to be the last in the life of the talented artist.
    The exposition of the memorial exhibition consists of ten paintings of the Honored Artist of Ukraine Serhii Shapovalov from the museum collection "Contemporary Ukrainian Fine Art" of different years, which the painter donated during the presentations of personal exhibitions.
    The exhibition is complemented by photos of the Honored Artist of Ukraine Serhii Shapovalov in the workshop, in the open air and during art events in the O.O.Osmerkin Art Memorial Museum - presentation of the Olexandr Osmerkin regional prize in the field of fine arts and art history (2006) and the state award "Honored Artist of Ukraine" (2008), presentations of personal exhibitions of the works "Red Bunches of Rowan" for the Day of the City (2011), "Color Expression of Serhii Shapovalov" as part of the art project "Laureates of the Oleksandr Osmerkin Regional Prize in the Field of Fine Arts and Art History" (2014) , "Painting palette of Serhii and Anatolii Shapovalov" for City Day (2019), "Painting impromptu works of Serhii Shapovalov" as part of the art project "In the artist's workshop" (2020), a creative meeting on the artist's birthday during the cultural and artistic event "Museum guests" to the International Day of Museums (2021).