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About - Exhibition archive - 2016

“Shevchenkiana” Virtual Exhibition in the stock collection of Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum

We know that the legacy of Taras Shevchenko is a part of the treasures of world’s most valuable culture heritage. The topic about Shevchenko became one of the leading at opening days, in the works of many painters, graphic artists, sculptors and the masters of arts and crafts. Nearly 60 works of different directions, revealing the “Shevchenkiana” theme remain in the art museums’ stock collection. Some of these works were purchased and transferred to the former art gallery, which was the department of Kirovohrad regional museum at that time, by the Directorate of Art Exhibitions of the USSR in the 70s of the last century; some were purchased from artists or donated.

A significant contribution to the development of the subject Shevchenko made primarily Kyiv Art Institute graduates, who had orders from the previous government to the image of the poet and his life to the celebration of the anniversary of the poet. They coped with their task pretty well: Shevchenko’s images are really touching, authentic and cause only admiration and respect. Most of these works were created within 1961-1964 of the XX century to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko. Some of the works are large: from 1 to 2.5 meters! There are wonderful, professionally made oil paintings by famous artists in the museum’s collection: "I was thirteen" by V. Karmazin, “Shevchenko, a student of the St. Petersburg Academy” by H. Neledva, “Lie and Slavery All Around” by V. Kravchenko, "Shevchenko in Ukraine” by V.Adamkevych, “Brethren T. Shevchenko and A. Oldridzh in St. Petersburg” by P. Karimov, "One fate” by V. Yuhay, "Countrymen” by F. Shevchenko, "Last Poems of Kobzar” by M. Bondarenko, "Meeting the Coffin of Shevchenko in Kyiv” by V. Boldyrieva, “In the Studio,” by I. Vasylchenko, “Near Kaniv” by M. Syrotenko and O. Vovk, "Ballad of Ukraine” by I. Marchenko, “In the Park in Spring” by S. Shyshko, “Taras’ Grandchildren on a Renewed Earth” by H. Tolpokin.

A creative heritage of our artists-countrymen who have contributed to the land’s “Shevchenkiana” can also be separated in an individual unit: canvases by L. Kornieieva "Shevchenko in St. Petersburg", "Shevchenko on a Steamer”, colourful linocut by S. Pysmennyi “Last Journey”, graphic work by I. Smychek "Portrait of Shevchenko”, and sketches for the painting "Taras’ Ways" by V. Fedorov. To the 170th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko (1984) the museum chanced to get the original themed plot tapestry by honored artist of Ukraine E. Rudenko "O my thoughts, my heartfelt thoughts" based on the poet’s literary works. The size of this tapestry is 2.40 m by 1.80 m!

It is known that a lot of graphic artists illustrate literature works about Shevchenko. The art of creating graphic images is one of the most difficult forms of art, because it requires not only technical skills but also life experience and knowledge of human psychology. Getting started, the artist thoroughly studies the complex language of Fine Arts and at the same time becoming a psychologist and philosopher who can look into the deepest nooks of human soul and reveal deeply, using paper and lines, the image of man, his character, mood and appearance.

In stock collection of the Art Museum there is a remarkable collection of graphic works, among them "Portrait of Shevchenko" and illustrations to the poem by T. Shevchenko “Gaydamaky" by V. Kasiiana, a graphic artist, art critic, member of USSR Academy of Arts, professor, and People's Artist of the USSR. Graphic works by Kasiian are marked not only with high performance skill, but also with poetry, folk humor, and knowledge of ethnography. The image of the poet and characters of the poem, that live on paper for more than half a century, are clearly defined, deeply individual and marked with author’s reflections and his attitude toward his characters. Vasyl Kasiian was the first artist, noted by the state for Shevchenkiana created to the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Great Kobzar. In 1964 the artist received Shevchenko National Prize for many years of selfless creative work and for creating numerous portraits and posters illustrating the five editions of "Kobzar"!

There ware also engaged in illustration of poetry and the image of Taras Shevchenko such artists as O. Danchenko (lithographs to the poems "The Witch", “Maryna", “The Well of Muscovite”) H. Berkovych (etchings and lithographs "Shevchenko among Kazakhs”) Y. Soloviov ("Waiting” and "Meeting" from the series "Catherine”), D. Hrynets (“T. Shevchenko”), Y. Yehorov ("Portrait of Shevchenko”), V. Novikovskyi ("Catherine", "Shevchenko”) Y. Syrotenko ("Kobzar Volokh" to the poem “Gaydamaky”), H. Horobiyevska (etchings to poem “Sotnyk”), M. Rodin ("Oh, beer and honey are not sipped...” from the series "In Memory of Shevchenko”), I. Pryntsevskyi (“Young kobzar was singing” to the poem “Blind”), S. Pysmennyi (linocuts “Last Journey”), M. Popovych (“Legends about Taras”), M. Bozhko ("Monument to Taras Shevchenko in Kyiv”), M. Marshalkov (“At a Stage" from the series "The Years in Confinement”), V. Hvorost ("Taras Shevchenko”), V. Masyk (Illustration to the poem "Poplar Tree”), A. Reut ("Poltava” from the series “Through Cities of Shevchenko"), V. Fedorov ("Shevchenko among Kazakh fishermen on Aral” to the composition "Hireling”).

I would like to highlight the lithography by Merited Artist of Ukraine, painter and graphic B. Vaks "Arrest" (1961). This work was transferred to the former art gallery by Art Exhibitions Directorate of the USSR in 1968. An interesting fact is that in February 2012 the Art Museum received a letter from Polina Babkova (Moscow), the daughter of the artist Vaks asking to make photos of her father’s pictures and send photos to her email address in order to place them on the site among other works of the artist. Polina noted in the letter that, unfortunately, an album about the life and work of Borys (Bentsion) Vaks, released earlier, did not include the lithograph “Arrest" from the collection of Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum. Of cause the staff of the museum responded to that request, and in acknowledgment Polina gave our museum the album, published by the artist's family to the 100th anniversary of the artist’s birth: “Borys Vaks. Painting, Graphics".

In the artistic world of our city the rumors have been spreading that the museum's collection keeps a unique, mysterious portrait of Taras Shevchenko, engraved before his death(1860). This engraving came to the gallery by surprise. According to a former senior researcher Volodymyr Bosko, the museum bought if from Fedir Shabala, an amateur artist. He traded this portrait from famous collector Oleksander Ilin for the book, lampoon about the intimate life of Emperor Nicholas II (for what Oleksander was very sorry then). Ilin, in turn, brought the work either from Moscow or from Leningrad. He did not mention whom the portrait had belonged before. The portrait of Kobzar is an etching and attracts attention first of all for being a very elaborate work. Etching (from French - strong water, nitric acid) is a kind of engraving that lets you get prints on paper with printing plates that are pretreated with acids. At the portrait we can see half-length full face picture of the poet sitting on a chair in a sheepskin coat and a sheepskin hat. Detached from the outside world, Taras is completely immersed in his inner world instead: he had only several months remained for him to live and he apparently already felt the approach of death. The inscription under the print reported: «Печ. со стали Ф.А.Брокгауза в Лейпциге» (print from steel of F. Brockhaus in Leipzig) and below it there is a facsimile Shevchenko’s autograph. This means that the print was made of steel board of Friedrich Brockhaus in Leipzig, and that Taras Shevchenko saw the print and even attested it with the handwritten signature! It is possible that this was the last autograph of the poet... Moreover, "Brockhaus’ engraving - notes a famous scholar of the iconography of the poet Clavdiia Chumak - is a rarity now, it is not even in the collection of Taras Shevchenko National Museum of in Kyiv".

Medallic art is presented with bronze medals by famous sculptors - medalists, born in Kirovohrad region, A. Nimenko “In the Family that is Free, New" and V. Popov "Taras Shevchenko".

One of the museum’s priorities is to popularize the Shevchenko’s creative heritage. For the creative heritage of the artist Taras Shevchenko complies more than five hundred works: portraits, genre scenes, landscapes, paintings of biblical, historical, literary scenes and illustrations. He made his complex way from Bryullov’s school and romantic tendencies to realism, without abandoning the traditions of the past and not limiting himself with some single direction or genre. He fruitfully worked in the technique of oil painting on canvas, watercolor, sepia, mascara, Italian pencil and in the technique of etching and aquatint.

An exhibition of reproductions and lithographs "Taras Shevchenko, the artist" from Taras Shevchenko National Museum opened in Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum on 29 October 2010 for the first time. Of course, the occasion was a resonance for Kirovohrad region, and everybody willing had an opportunity to see the artistic heritage of Kobzar.

And in the end of the exhibition we would like to present a picture «And on a renewed earth ...» by I. Tykhyi, a famous artist, Honored Artist of the USSR. The picture is based on the concluding lines of the poem “I Arkhimed i Halilei” (Both Archimedes and Galileo, 1860):

‘And on the reborn earth

There will be no enemy, no tyrant

There will be a son, and there will be a mother.

And there will be people on the earth.

These lines vital in our difficult and full of contradictions time, and we hope that the war still will end, that we will chuck our enemies out from our land, and this long-awaited peace, harmony and humanity will reign in Ukraine...

Lesia Dmitriieva, research assistant

of Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum’s

scientific-educational activity department