Viktor Belik was born in 1937 in Crimea, the peninsula in the South of Ukraine. Crimea is famous in the whole world as a Black Sea resort. Bright and beautiful Crimea’s nature – sea, mountains and a lot of sun - inspired a lot of authors and artists, and it is no wonder, that the land gave the world plenty of artists known as colorists. For centuries the peninsula of Crimea, originally Scythian, attracted different conquerors and was a part of different empires. Thus, it belonged to Greece, Turkish Sultanate, Russian Empire, and many less famous states. Such mixture of cultures determines the unique architecture of Crimean cities, and this, of course, had an effect on artists of the region.

Viktor Belik’s childhood and youth was not very happy. That years Crimea was a part of Soviet Union with its “great leader” Stalin. Belik’s family was not lucky as well as many other Soviet families were. Viktor’s father was repressed as “an enemy of the people”. It meant that Viktor’s entering higher school was a problem, and that he could not enjoy many other rights most people could. He came to Kiev Art Academy without any hope. But the rector noticed the talented young man and offered to write in his application that he had no father. Viktor had to agree to that for it was the only way to become Art Academy student.

After graduating from Art Academy, most artists used to help the country to build socialism, painting and sculpting portraits of Lenin, and scenes of socialistic realism. As a monumentalist Viktor Belik used to decorate the walls with socialistic realism mosaic and paintings. Even these works are accomplished on the high professional level and are in fact pieces of art. These are: Main Post Offices of Kiev and Simpheropol, palaces of culture, waiting rooms of factories and institutes in many cities of former Soviet Union.
All his free time Belik devoted to easel painting. He is famous as the best portraitist of Kiev. The most outstanding are the portraits of Beethoven, Ukrainian poets Taras Shevchenko and Lesya Ukrainka, aircraft designer Antonov, opera singer E.Miroshnichenko, S.Rikhter, O.Kotorovych, S.Turchak and other well-known personalities.
Belik’s landscapes of Crimea, Caucasus, Germany, Bulgaria, Northern region of Russia etc, his various still-lifes are performed in his original technique with large brushstrokes and have rich coloring, which is typical for Crimean school.

Viktor Belik’s works were repeatedly exhibited in Ukraine and other countries. A lot of his pictures can currently be found in many private collections in the United States, Canada, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Austria, Belgium and France.

In 1992 Viktor Belik was going to leave for the United States. But fate decreed differently. In October 1992 he was tragically lost. His wife Svetlana arrived in US alone and is still living in New-York. His son, Pavel Belik (Pavlo Bilyk), also became an artist and is currently living in Kiev.

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Belik V.K. :: The young mechanic ( Scetch to the painting `Bread` ) :: 1976, 47х43, oil on cardboard price on request

Exhibition of works

Belik V.K. :: Girl :: 1980-th, 47х38,5, oil on cardboard

Belik V.K. :: Chernomorets :: 1980-th, 50х35, oil on cardboard

Belik V.K. :: Сabin boy :: 1980-th, 46,7х35, oil on cardboard