Romanenkov Vasily visited that place came later and remembered local customs well, which influenced the subjects of his works.
In 1968, after graduating from the eight-year school, he moved to the Moscow regional farm «Kosino» to his mother and got a profession of a joiner. In 1975 – 1980, he studied in Extramural People’s University of Arts (ZNUI) (his teachers were N. Pavlov and N. M. Rotanov). An unusual artistic manner of Romanenkov, which includes drawing in pencils and a peculiar «moiré» texture made with short strokes of different thicknesses did not take its shape at once.
At first he tried to paint in oil, but following the advice of the ZNUI teachers hу got completely engaged in drawing. His first compositions, draw from the bottom, or «from the heels» are characterized by chaotic and heaped figures and ornaments. Later on, his works became more structured and took a form of cycles, consisting of three or more separate works, each of which having its own internal frame. Romanenkov’s cycles are devoted to important topics: human life, his own biography, birth, baptism, death, ancient and modern Russia. The artist revealed his thoughts, resorting to ornamental symbols and drawings, in which he often depicted decorative motifs. In many respects, Romanenkov is associated with traditional national art. At the first stage of his work, he literally scratches figures and basic forms with a hard pencil over a hardboard-based sheet, which is rather characteristic of wood carving methods. Thin plethony of ornaments reflects embroidery and lacework motifs. Figures made by Romanenkov, are always presented facewise or sidewise, they are not just static, but produce a kind of monumental impression. The archaic power of pagan human ancestors can be seen In the rough features of their faces. Large cycles of their construction resemble church polyptychs. The artist’s inclination towards philosophical reflections, the creation of images of the earthly and heavenly world is expressed both in a slow, thoughtful and painstaking method of his work, and in the significance of his topics and subjects. Romanenkov enjoyed wide popularity in Russia and abroad. He was awarded the Grand Prix of the International Triennial of Naive Art in Bratislava ”Insita-2004” and the honorary mention of the Jury at the same exhibition in 1994 and 1997.
