The painter Viktor Pavlovich Golovii was born in the city of Kaliningrad (Königsberg) in 1955.

His facility for fine art was noted at an early age when he began to attend secondary school and on the recommendation of his teacher he took up study at his local art school where he acquired the initial skills of working from the model while also developing the use of art materials.

The most attractive subjects for his sketches and drawings of that time were architecture and the post-war ruins of the old city of Königsberg - the Royal Castle, Die Kirche and the narrow streets of the small towns of the Baltic Sea coast - but, after three years of study and following in the footsteps of the new friends that he had made, Viktor decided to move to Leningrad where he successfully entered the Secondary Art School at the Academy of Arts, a special school for particularly gifted children.

Viktor recalls this period as an amazing and fantastic time - new friends and the special location of the school in the Academy of Arts building situated opposite the sphinxes on the University Quay - not to mention the atmosphere and the teachers, "legends" who exerted a huge influence on hearts and minds and who were adored by their pupils. But, most importantly, here was an ambience conducive to creative work and freedom.

Viktor's first attempt to enter the Academy of Arts in 1973 was not successful as the young artist did not pass the competitive examination and so he went to serve in the Soviet Army.

He did his military service in the resort town of Sochi, where he gained a good artistic grounding and developed his practice. Here his military unit was engaged in service provision for the rest houses and resorts of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR and, as a painter, he had to prepare many sketches for various mosaics, panels and fountains which embodied his conceptions. Many drawings were prepared for the restoration of parquet floors in these splendid buildings and he regularly made portrait sketches of his comrades-in-arms during his leisure time.

After demobilization in 1975, Viktor returned to Leningrad full of energy and feeling as fresh as paint!

He was 20 years old and the professors of the Academy allowed him to attend classes in drawing and painting alongside their students. He painted a great deal, in particular working from the model in oils. Concurrently he worked as an interior decorator for an organisation in the center of the city, where he was given a workshop with a view onto the Mikhailovsky Gardens and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

In 1976 the young artist entered the Faculty of Painting of the Academy of Arts whose graduates include such names as Bryullov, Semiradsky, Repin, Feshin and Malyavin as well as many other outstanding masters of Russian Art. With these great painters as examples the premises of the Academy served as a source of inspiration for the next generation of talented students.

Among the professors and teachers of the Academy there were many who had participated in the Great Patriotic War and, as great artists, these people passed on their knowledge and mastery to the new students, treating the peculiarities of each individual solicitously. The students spent long hours in the splendid, scientific library of the Academy, collecting preparatory material for sketches for prospective paintings and making drafts of compositions while also spending long hours in the Anatomy Class. Thus, the Academy provided a powerful basis for further practical work as well as opportunities for each aspiring painter to make progress in his or her chosen direction.

In 1982, Viktor defended his diploma work and was set free to make his way in the world of art.

The young artist worked hard - studying the creative approach of such painters as Munkacsy, Grigorescu and Cornelio Baba while also being influenced by the works of El Greco during this period. A fixation with color and tonal contrast and the use of large, expressive brushstrokes, often using the palette-knife, characterized the artist\'s manner of working during this time.

Based on the presentation of a series of portraits and still-life paintings and through participation in Republic-and Union-wide exhibitions in Leningrad and Moscow, Viktor was admitted to the Union of Artists of Russia and was given the opportunity to rent a workshop and exhibit his art in the most prestigious halls of the country. At the same time he was able to rely on guaranteed orders and benefits from the Union which was important as by now the artist was married and had two sons. In addition, he began his teaching career at the School of Arts named after G.V.Sviridov.

Like many of his artist colleagues, with the beginning of “Perestroyka”, Viktor had the chance to exhibit his works abroad and during this period there were exhibitions in New York, the USA (1989) and, within the context of cultural exchanges, in the United Kingdom in such places as Newcastle, Leamington Spa, Warwick (East Gate Fine Art Gallery in 1998), Banbury, as well as in other places.There were also exhibitions in Paris, France, and in Hamburg, Germany. These trips were very interesting for Viktor and he was able to make many contacts, links, new friendships and new acquaintance ships and these friendly relations have continued until the present time, a period of more than 25 years.

Over time, the creative approach of the artist has gradually changed and, as his use of color has become brighter and more complex, various patterns have appeared with ornamentality becoming stronger, allowing the artist to transform form freely in order to achieve expressiveness. As a result, his compositions and still-life paintings resemble a peculiar mosaic with unusual shapes, patterns and colored pieces forming the work.

Many private individuals and collectors have responded to and acquired Viktor's work and he has participated in major exhibitions each year with the number of exhibitions exceeding a total of eighty. The result is that numerous hallmark pieces are now held in private collections in Russia, the USA, the UK, Germany, Japan and China. In the January 2002 issue of the magazine “Empire of Arts” an article was published on the artist's creative activity under the title “Through fragments of the mirror”.

Like any other author Viktor has his own favored techniques but notwithstanding the success of many pieces, he does not “duplicate” his compositions nor offers various versions, but, rather, he tries to find new solutions each time.

In 2000, after completion of the construction of a house, Viktor began to work in his new, out-of-town studio on a permanent basis and this has given him quietude and solitude, important conditions for his creative work. This environment has allowed him to develop a specific direction for his creative activity, namely the production of several major series of canvasses with combinations of colors which take the form of bright and expressive paintings, full of movement and life. Indeed, as the windows of his out-of-town workshop overlook a vast field - thick-sown with camomiles, sunflowers and poppies and with manifold roses growing in his garden - this splendor invites itself onto the canvas!

The artist takes part constantly in design projects created by his wife, Viktoriya Frolova, a professional architect and successful interior designer, and beside seeking out furniture and accessories they spend time together choosing artifacts - paintings, graphics and sculpture - to use in her many, varied business projects or within their own beautifully appointed home.

Over the past 15 years the artist and his wife have made visits to many of the great museums of Europe in such countries as Italy, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Spain and Portugal and these trips and encounters with the masterpieces of world art have given Viktor many impressions which have enriched his artistic experience and expertise and have contributed to the creation of new and interesting works.