Yuri Shneyderman’s watercolours of Alma-Ata

Yuri Shneyderman worked as an engineer in Alma-Ata for many years. Meeting architect and artist Viktor Tkachyov in 1963 brought him back to drawing. Shneyderman chose watercolour; Alma-Ata’s streets and courtyards later became a recurring subject in his work. This is described in an essay by Elena Brusilovskaya, based in part on conversations with the artist. 1

The city in watercolour

Shneyderman devoted the series Walks through Alma-Ata, Courtyards Large and Small and Alma-Ata’s Backyards to the city. He was interested in familiar places and changes in the city’s appearance. The guide to personal collections at the State Archive of Almaty lists works held there, including The Outskirts of Alma-Ata from 2001 and Old Alma-Ata from 2013. 1 2

War was also part of the artist’s life. Brusilovskaya’s essay says that he did not turn to wartime subjects in his painting until decades later. His watercolours showed roads rather than battle scenes; one exhibition was called The Roads That Brought Us Home. The Almaty archive also holds collections of his work on the subject of war. 1 2

Shneyderman died in 2015. His watercolours, exhibition materials and personal documents remain in the city archive. According to Brusilovskaya, his works are also held in private collections in Israel. Reproductions and descriptions of his series can be seen on the Arvest gallery’s page. 2 1 3