Jerome Valery - Bio
“Like my beloved Renoir, I think that to create art is a desire, a passion, almost an illness if you wish, that possesses you and takes all of you, and you follow this desire.”…Jerome Valery
Born in 1964, in Kovrov, Russia. Valery Gromov, A.K.A.Jerome Valery, was the great-grandson of an accomplished artist. Surrounded by the art of his relative, regaled with stories that related the paintings to specific areas of his own childhood experiences, he studied the subjects captured on canvas, learning what inspired his great grandfather.
Valery loved to investigate the world and events around him, especially when spending summers with his grandfather. Valery compared this huge, unsmiling man with a limp, to the paintings on the walls; scenes of his grandfather as a small boy in shorts, running through fields, playing and sleeping by the river. Drawn to oil and canvas at age twelve Valery started painting. Grandfather’s abundant garden inspired his first effort: a blossoming apple tree.
In 1978 Moscow hosted an exhibition of the Premier Collection from the Prado Museum. Valery, age 14, left school unannounced midday, and made the 600-mile train trip in order to see masterpieces by Velasquez, Goya, and El Greco. Never having seen their work, Valery wasn’t prepared for the power and beauty conveyed by these artists. He found a bench and sat for a long time completely overwhelmed by the art of the Masters. Sitting there, Valery determined to express himself through painting, hoping to transport people similarly with his art.
At age seventeen he left his small southern hometown for the great citadel of art, St. Petersburg. Without money or contacts, Valery found work guarding a weapons storage facility in the woods. Valery used his Guard’s position to advantage; alone in the woods he could paint undisturbed. Northern Russia’s countryside was very different than the landscapes his great grandfather painted of his southern home, and Valery got carried away by the beauty and hidden power of St Petersburg.
St. Petersburg’s artists lived on the Petrograd bank of Neva River in studios converted from attics. Valery lived with other struggling artists, the loft often without electricity, water, or gas for weeks. During winter, everyone slept wearing all the clothes they could find, covering themselves with blankets, and mattresses as well. Valery spent months cleaning streets at sub zero temperatures.
Moving from lofts to attics brought Valery to a part of the
city that was Old St. Petersburg. Built during the era of Peter the Great
through the end of the nineteenth century, this historical area was full
of wonderful hidden corners, stained glass windows, angels and animals adorning
ornate iron gates, exquisitely carved wooden doors and an atmosphere possessed
by only two cities in the world – St. Petersburg and Paris. This
is where Valery fell in love with rainy days, subtle light glowing from windows,
reflection of lights and life on the wet asphalt: all that surrounds that
memorable era of beauty and hope. Valery wandered through bookstores, second
hand clothing stores, small boutiques and antique shops of old St Petersburg.
Many years later he would realize how St. Petersburg resembled Paris: in
autumn, early spring, Paris enchanted; glistening in the rain. The cities
were twins. He fell in love with Paris exactly as he had fallen in
love with St. Petersburg. Deciding that only the French - Parisians, can
understand Paris, he adopted a French name, Jerome Valery, and lived
long periods in the beautiful city. His Paris, rainwashed and nostalgic,
has now become the “true” Paris to many who admire his talent
and ability to see beauty in everything.
Graduating from the Donetsk Art College in 1983, he began to work
as a designer at the Donetsk Art & Décor factory, creating decorative
art for the private sector,official buildings and public spaces, but still
painting for his own satisfaction. Later participating in The “Young
Artists’ Exhibition” in St. Petersburg, Russia, a professor
from St. Petersburg Academy of Art encouraged him to begin preparations
for the Academy’s entrance exam. In 1993 he was accepted as
a student of an esteemed Professor Kichko, participating in annual exhibitions
for the Academy’s students during his five-year studies.
Valery’s mother told him, “always look for the truth and beauty inside others”. Inspired by those words, he would study a person, a landscape, everything, until he began to discover, and be captured by the underlying beauty in the world. In his paintings Valery records his impressions for posterity; an artist must paint what he loves.
He says, “Ilove this momentary feeling of beauty and regret the feeling must pass. This is why in my Paris or St Petersburg so many reflections – people, lights, horses, cabs, trees, are shown both in “real” life and as a memory. Sometimes a figure is gone, but the reflection is still there. I do not see my goal as trying to create new, super-modern style. Like my beloved Renoir I feel creating art is a desire, almost illness if you wish, that possesses you, overpowers and compels you follow this desire. I love French art, love Toulouse Lautrec, Manet, Bonnard, and De La Croix. I love their desire to live, to love; their ability to be carried away. I want those who look at my art to be carried away by the beauty, emotion and nostalgic feel of the artwork I create. This and love for my wife and children are the most important things in my life.”
Valery’s own life was lifted when he met his future wife. She lived with her parents in a small military town just outside of St. Petersburg and brought to his life much needed peace, beauty and love. They married and have two daughters, Lubov (“love” in Russian), and Irina (“peace” in Greek). Valery continually learns from their excitement in the world surrounding us. He learns anew how to get carried away by their love and curiosity.
Starting in 2000 Valery has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Marseilles, Strasbourg, St Petersburg, Nant, Paris, and many other European cities. It is with great pride that we now introduce him the United States of America.
The Jerome Valery Gallery