Born into a family of Ukrainian origin, Vladimir Horik was born on February 14, 1939 in Edmonton, Alberta. Raised in Western Canada, he retained his love of the forest and the land.
At 17, driven by a taste for adventure and travel, Vladimir joined the army. For nine years, as a paratrooper and communications specialist, he had the opportunity to live in several Canadian provinces. In the early 1960s, he chose to settle in Quebec and left the military to pursue academic studies in art. He obtained his diploma from the École des beaux-arts de Québec and a teaching certificate in visual arts from Laval University.
Since 1971, Horik has lived in the Charlevoix hinterland, a grandiose space that he has made his own to find peace and inspiration. In his studio, invaded by light and opening wide on the valley and the mountain, Vladimir delivers his Charlevoix while peacefully smoking his pipe, surrounded by a host of evocative objects, colours and brushes. A mature painter, the artist has been successful for several years across Canada and in Europe.
Vladimir Horik explores his world of luminosity in such a personal way that one recognizes at first glance his generous brushstrokes and his marked contrasts. Vladimir throws bright colours and powerful gradations borrowed from the ends of the day onto his canvases. His landscapes literally burst into flame under the light of the blazing fires that are barely calmed by the first snow. His fiery brushstrokes invent skies that have to be seen to be believed!
The development of space is one of the essential features of Horik’s work. A plunging or low-angle perspective creates a feeling of expanse in his paintings, a space that becomes the very breath of his landscapes. Horik does not hesitate to recreate landscapes by juggling with his memories or to recompose them by juxtaposing certain elements that nature and man had not thought of uniting. With his equipment slung over his shoulder, he goes in search of fabulous images that feed his creative spirit. Exploring the interior as well as the coast, he is not afraid to stray from the beaten track and to go and find beauty where it takes refuge, often hidden from the uncaring eye.
Vladimir Horik is an accomplished artist, often mentioned as one of the most talented and influential of his generation.
Vladimir Horik (1939-) CV (PDF)
