I remember how much work I managed to finish, especially during my last school year, to get into the Academy of Arts (Repin Institute). It wasn't easy, even though I studied at an art-oriented school (art lyceum) that the Repin Institute had curated.
I was seventeen at the time. During my lyceum years, my hometown Leningrad was renamed St. Petersburg, and the name of my home country and its president also changed. The most important thing for me was art and moving forward in life on my chosen path.
Usually, the school day ended at 3 PM, after which I would take the tram or bus, backpack full of heavy painting supplies, to the graduation course at the Academy of Arts (Repin Institute). Fortunately, the journey didn't take more than thirty minutes.
In the large classroom, the class started at 4 PM, and painting tools and the palette had to be ready, as other students were not to be disturbed during the class.
The art class hall is full of different people: bearded men, serious young women, all working diligently and quietly, with a terribly demanding teacher who speaks things as they are.
It was quite exciting; I got a glimpse into adult life. Three hours of painting standing from a live model. I arrived home sometimes at eight in the evening. I ate, did my homework, showered, and went to bed.
That's how my weekdays went. On Saturday, I woke up, ate, and went to the professor's for private lessons, all of which took about half a day.
On the weekend: school homework, reading, composition assignments from the academic school. I remember what my classmates doubted, "You won't get far at that pace; soon you won't have enough strength for the entrance exam."
So the year passed, and the tension grew as the entrance exams to the academy approached, but you can endure all that when your parents support and help you. Clear instruction and your own prepared plan, then as a young person you can cope physically and mentally.
At that time, I decided that I would become an artist as an adult – I really wanted to be a painter and get my education specifically from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.
It feels really good when it succeeded. I love this creative work. My work gives me strength and energy for everyday life.
The Art Lyceum was followed by the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (est. 1757), "Repin Academy," which I entered on my first attempt in the summer of 1994 after passing demanding entrance exams. Studies at the Academy of Arts lasted six years, after which a blue or red diploma is awarded. I graduated with a red diploma, which means my grades were excellent. That came as a surprise to me.
The diploma corresponds to a Finnish higher university degree. For example, becoming a doctor also takes six years.
One of my most important teachers at the Academy was the painter and professor Viktor Rehet (1922–2000). One thought he shared with us students particularly stuck with me: if an artist does not occasionally consider themselves the best artist in the world – even for a moment on par with Rembrandt – it is not easy to continue an artistic career. He meant that without strong motivation and belief in one's own abilities, one's strength will not be enough, because the path of an artist is full of challenges. Therefore, it is important to occasionally trust in one's own artistry and always strive for the best possible expression.
Our professor Rehet was so brave that he painted next to us students and openly showed us his own working style and professionalism. After graduating from the Academy of Arts, I became a member of the Union of Artists and got a good studio in the center of St. Petersburg. Intense creative work and participation in various exhibitions began.
From 2002-2012, for 10 years, I worked as a teacher in the same art school under the Academy of Arts that I myself had attended.
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