Born in besieged Leningrad
In 1941 Svetozar was evacuated to Tomsk. The artist still remembers how his grandmother passed him, wrapped in a blanket, to his grandfather through the window; the winter landscapes of Tomsk; the moment he learned to read; and the celebratory salvo marking the end of the Great Patriotic War.
Started drawing at the age of five
Svetozar was born into a family of artists and showed an early talent for drawing. His father, Petr Belousov, is the author of the well-known patriotic painting “We Will Go a Different Way!”, which is in the collection of the State Historical Museum. His mother, Lidiya Ostrova, studied at the I.E. Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alongside the monumental painter Andrei Mylnikov and the graphic artist Mikhail Taranov. Her works are also in the State Historical Museum collection and in private collections around the world.
Continued the artistic dynasty
Svetozar graduated from the Secondary Art School (SHSH) and then from the graphic faculty of the I.E. Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. One of his teachers was Mikhail Taranov, who had studied at the same time as his mother.
Drew tickets for concerts
Boris Doktorov, a friend of Ostrov's, recalled that art students were excellent at copying entrance tickets for concerts and theatrical performances and led a rich cultural life.
Received his first payment at the same time as his diploma defense
Ostrov became a successor to the traditions of the Lebedev school of the Leningrad 'Detgiz'. The academic school did not diminish the artist's natural charm and distinctive creative style. His first published work was illustrations for Alexander Volodin's play “Don't Part with Your Loved Ones” in the magazine Neva.
Illustrated more than 200 books
The artist has worked in book illustration since 1964, illustrating works by Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen, J.R.R. Tolkien, Herman Melville, Dr. Seuss, Astrid Lindgren, Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Korney Chukovsky, Alexander Kuprin, Boris Zakhoder, Daniil Kharms.
Skilled in a variety of techniques
Svetozar Ostrov's illustrations are dominated by watercolor, but the artist is also brilliant in the techniques of etching, monotype, easel and applied graphics, and pen drawing. Ostrov's works are distinguished by vivid individuality, masterful draftsmanship, a strong sense of color, and exquisite handling of artistic materials.
Books illustrated by him can be found in nearly every home
Ostrov worked for many years with the Moscow and Leningrad 'Detgiz', the magazine Kostyor, and the publishers Malysh and Detskaya Literatura. His main specialization was children's illustration, though he also designed adult literature. Books illustrated by Svetozar Ostrov can be found in practically every Soviet library.
The artist gained international recognition
Svetozar Ostrov has exhibited and been a member of the Union of Artists since 1970. His works have been awarded the Silver Medal of the Russian Academy of Arts. Ostrov's works are held in museums and private collections in the United Kingdom, Russia, the United States, France and other countries, including the Osaka Museum of Children's Books in Japan.
His son also became an artist
The name of Yegor Ostrov is closely associated with the St. Petersburg New Academy of Fine Arts. Ostrov began his career alongside Timur Novikov and works in the style of neo-academicism.
