Our “seven” is opened by Anatoly Krivolap. In October 2011, his work “Horse. Night" was sold for 124 thousand dollars at an auction in London.
"Horse. Night" by Anatoly Krivolap
Two years later it went under the hammer work “Horse. Evening" for 186 thousand dollars. Crookedfoot is called a master of non-figurative painting.
"Horse. Evening" by Anatoly Krivolap
The artist calls red his favorite color. And he claims to have found more than fifty variations of this shade!
“Red is a very strong color. It can be festive and tragic. The entire emotional palette is in this one color. I have always been interested in how colors can be used to convey what you are experiencing. The palette is just a set of shades, behind which there are real feelings or the lack thereof.”
Once Anatoly Krivolap burned about two thousand of his sketches. Here is how the artist himself tells about this story:
“In two days I burned about two thousand of my sketches. All of them are written on cardboard. You can’t even call them paintings; many remained unfinished. He deliberately painted on cardboard, knowing that no one would buy such works - galleries did not accept them, collectors were not interested in them. Only my Pole bought it. But I needed to train and grow. Now that I have become noticeable, I want only the best things to remain after me. Why sell the stages of your formation, such as half Crookedfoot? Then I decided to burn everything. He burned for two days, starting a fire in his own area. And my grandson brought me work in a wheelbarrow. Only a small part of those paintings remains. But when I have time, I’ll sleep them too.”
Ivan Marchuk - Ukrainian artist, which the British included in the list "100 geniuses of our time." His creative heritage includes more than 4,000 thousand paintings and more than 100 personal exhibitions.
The works of the Ukrainian artist were sold out for collections in different countries peace. Ivan Marchuk founded a new style in art. He himself, jokingly, calls this style pleintanism - from the word “to weave”. His paintings seem to be created from balls of wonderful threads.
“Mystery is hard labor. I work 365 days a day and I can’t live without it. This is the award of share, karma, virok, adjective. And you’re not going anywhere. I want to bask on the beach, lie by the grass, hearing how tall it is, I want to marvel at how gloomy the sky floats, I want to be quiet, have fun, get together in company, without having to worry about going to school to learn something. And then I think: I still want to earn something myself. The thought is unbearable!
Odessa resident Alexander Roytburd became famous all over the world in 2009.
His painting “Farewell Caravaggio” was sold in London for $97,000.
He wrote this work under the impression of the theft of “The Kiss of Judas” from the Odessa Museum of Western and Eastern Art. Roitburd's painting has two layers - the bottom layer is a copy of Caravaggio, the top layer is the author's abstraction.
Another leader of contemporary Ukrainian art is Viktor Sidorenko. One of his paintings, “Untitled” from the series Reflection into the unknown, was sold at a British auction for $32,800. Viktor Sidorenko’s works are characterized as bright and expressive. He is a candidate of art history and professor at the Kharkov State Academy of Design and Arts, as well as the founder of the Institute of Problems contemporary art.
The artist’s sphere of creative interests includes the specific realities of our time: problems of memory, the legacy of post-totalitarian regimes, issues of personal identification in the modern increasingly complex world, human prospects in the new globalization model of life.
Tiberiy Silvashi – leader of the Ukrainian school of abstractionists. His paintings are in museums in Munich, Vienna, New Jersey, Kyiv, Uzhgorod, Zaporozhye, Kharkov, as well as in private collections in Europe and the USA.
“I have a lot of readers. Our dads are in front of us. Father's love is a headache for creativity. If I only thought about becoming an artist and borrowed all kinds of books from libraries, then Tetyana Yablonska was everything to me. I never suspected that I would read into it. We learned both professional skills and specialties from these hands. Diligence, from morning until evening, work in the mine, love and drink. The process will begin until the rest of my days. Until now I love Rembrandt. I respect him as one of the most important stages of light mysticism. If Velazquez’s “Portrait of the Infante Margarita” had not been produced in Kiev, my creative path would have been known very differently.”
- a fan of bright realistic painting. The artist writes his works about the world around him - about what is understandable and close to everyone. In 2009, at the auction of Phillips de Pury & Company, his “Battleship” was bought for 35 thousand dollars.
annually holds more than a dozen new exhibitions in Ukraine, Russia, France, Belgium, England, the Netherlands and other countries. Has several of its own galleries. Her works are kept in European museums and private collections of connoisseurs and artists.
Gapchinska’s popularity is also evidenced by the fact that many artists paint copies of her paintings or paintings “like Gapchinska.” The price of her paintings ranges from 10 to 40 thousand dollars.
Receiving more and more orders to print reproductions of world works, we asked ourselves: “What famous paintings were painted by our compatriots?” You will be surprised by the results - some of the paintings you definitely didn’t know about!
It so happened that the work of contemporary Ukrainian artists is better known in Europe and America, and in home country their works are recognized only by rare art connoisseurs. We decided that if you don’t know our heroes by sight, then at least know them famous works admired all over the world. Since we cannot objectively judge the beauty of paintings and the skill of the author, we will evaluate contemporary artists by their popularity, financial success and the scale of their exhibitions around the world.
We have selected 10 best, in our opinion, paintings by Ukrainian artists, whose work you may not have heard of or did not know about their origin. In this article we will talk about modern masters, whose works are sold for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars at Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips auctions.
Aivazovsky "The Ninth Wave" . This is one of his most famous works, and he himself is one of the most famous marine painters not only in our country, but throughout the world, and we want to start our list with him.
. “A talented person is talented in everything” - this can absolutely be said about the most famous Ukrainian in the whole world. A poet and writer - he was also an excellent painter and the painting “Katerina” is proof of this. The work illustrates one of the scenes from the poem of the same name, fully conveying Shevchenko’s feelings and experiences.
Yes, yes, Repin... For reference: the artist was born in the small town of Chuguev (Kharkov province), sufficiently knew the history of Ukraine, and when creating his famous work, as he himself said, he was on a “creative binge.” According to the recollections of his relatives, while working on the picture, the whole family lived only as Cossacks: the children knew all the heroes of the stories about the Cossacks, they could recite by heart the lines from “Taras Bulba” and the text from the Cossacks’ letter to the Sultan.
The most famous and expensive Ukrainian artist of our time, whose work in 2013 was auctioned at Phillips for a record price Ukrainian painting $186,200.
To date, Krivolap continues to hold the position of the most “expensive” contemporary artist Ukraine.
One of the founders of Ukrainian postmodernism glorified our country with his talented works at art exhibitions around the world; his works take pride of place in the Museum of Modern Art (New York). Goodbye Caravaggio sold for $97,179 in 2009.
His outrageous installations and projects brought him fame all over the world; his most popular and recognizable works involve the representation of famous people in the form of monkeys. The painting “It” brought him not only popularity, but also considerable profit - in 2008 it was sold for $70,000.
The master of “paintings with double meanings” never ceases to amaze with his artistic puzzles and optical illusions. The author's works have been presented at many exhibitions of contemporary painting in Europe and America. And let's be honest, it was difficult for us to single out one picture - they are simply mesmerizing!
The author continues to live and work in Kyiv, and his paintings have been participating in exhibitions in Poland, Russia, France, Germany, Finland and other European cities for more than 20 years, and are presented in the collections of museums in Ukraine and in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna). His unusual works are laconically signed, but clearly reveal the master’s talent. “Work No. 5” is perhaps the most famous painting, but we advise you to review other, no less profound works of the artist.
The top lot of Sotheby's Contemporary East in 2014 became the most expensive Ukrainian painting at auction and went under the hammer for $31,400. You definitely won’t be able to tear yourself away - the picture seems to be “addicting.”
The modern Ukrainian artist is a key figure in the “Ukrainian New Wave”; he attracted the attention of the world community with his project “Ukrainian Money”. “Coloring Book” was auctioned at Phillips for $53.9 thousand. The subtle connoisseur of contemporary art wished to remain anonymous.
Our Top 10 are famous works that are worth a fortune, are in private collections and reputable art galleries, but thanks to modern printing capabilities, reproductions of masterpieces become available to everyone. In our catalogs you will find these images for printing on canvas, which were painted by modern Ukrainian artists. Discover the beauty of the works of our famous compatriots.
Ukraine has long been famous for its artists. Taras Shevchenko, Ilya Repin, Kazimir Malevich... - the list of outstanding masters of brushes and palettes can be continued for a long time. Who is the pride of Russian fine art today? Here is a list of the 10 highest paid (read: most talented) contemporary Ukrainian artists.
1. Anatoly Krivolap
Today he is one of the most successful and best-selling Ukrainian artists. Fans and collectors are acquiring his works at an incredible rate (some already have more than 50 works). Krivolap's paintings are sold at crazy prices at the world's leading auctions and are exhibited in almost all Ukrainian museums.
Anatoly Krivolap was always worried about the question of how to paint a picture with pure colors and so that they match perfectly. He has been working on this problem since the 1970s. Incredible warm sunsets, mysterious silhouettes of people and animals, houses and shadows of trees - all this miraculously appeared from under his brush.
Since the 1990s, Krivolap has become one of the most expensive Ukrainian artists. The last successfully sold work is “Night. Horse" ($124,343) - entered the TOP 10 most expensive daily lots by Phillips de Pury & Co. Prices for his works are rising every year, and experts say that in five years his paintings could cost about half a million dollars.
A. Krivolap. From the series "Ukrainian motive"
A. Krivolap. "Horse. Evening"
A. Krivolan. "Horse. Night"
2. Alexander Roitburd
Alexander Roitburd participated in more than a hundred exhibitions and art projects. His works are presented in Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, in art museums Ukraine, Russia, USA, Slovenia, in many public and private collections. In addition, Roitburd has participated in the Venice Biennale and Documenta. The most famous works: “Geisha” ($20,641), “Goodbye Caravaggio” ($97,179) and “Flight into Egypt” ($57,700).
A. Roitburd, "Geisha"
A. Roitburd, "Self-portrait"
3. Oleg Tistol
Oleg Tistol is a key figure in the Ukrainian New Wave. He represented Ukraine at the Sao Paulo Biennale (1994) and the 49th Venice Biennale (2001).
Oleg Tistol was the only one who managed to make Ukrainian national symbols interesting and understandable in the West: native hryvnias (the “Ukrainian Money” project) and Crimean palm trees (the “U. Be. Ka” project). The most famous works: “Lamp” ($26,225), “Gurzuf” ($12,300) and “Stranger No. 17” ($20,000).
O. Tistol, "The Third Rome"
O. Tistol, "Roksolana"
O. Tistol, "Gurzuf"
4.Ilya Chichkan
Ilya Chichkan is one of the most famous, exhibited, highly paid Ukrainian artists. Works in different types fine arts: painting, photography, installation, video. He filmed rabbits after injecting them with LSD, photographed the mentally ill and children of mutants, and drew A.S. as monkeys. Pushkin and the Pope. Once the artist was commissioned to paint a portrait of Joseph Kobzon. At first he refused, but then changed his mind. Having finished the work, Chichkan wrote the title on the back: “Kobzon oh...yy,” which the singer really liked.
Ilya Chichkan’s works have been exhibited in leading galleries and museums in Europe, the USA and South America, as well as at prestigious international forums and festivals of contemporary art: the Biennale in Sao Paulo (1996), Johannesburg (1997), Prague (2003), Belgrade (2004) , at the European Biennale Manifesta (2004), as well as the Venice Biennale (2009). The most famous works: “From the Life of Insects” ($24,700) and “Heavyweight Curator” ($8146).
I. Chichkan, "Geisha"
I. Chichkan, "Pushkin"
Ukrainian art is a new powerful impetus in the world of culture. The works of our artists are popular outside their homeland. We present to your attention a selection of those Ukrainian artists who are known and respected in the world.
Alexander Roitburd
Alexander Roitburd is a multifaceted personality, one of the most famous contemporary Ukrainian artists in the whole world. He was born in 1964 in Odessa. Now he is engaged not only in painting, but also in photography, video, and graphics.
His creations are even exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is his painting “Farewell, Caravaggio” that is considered the most expensive (97 thousand dollars) Ukrainian work of art.
Alexander Roitburd. Goodbye Caravaggio
Vasily Tsagolov
Another famous and respected Ukrainian artist all over the world is Vasily Tsagolov. He was born in Russia, but student years he lives and works in Kyiv.
One of his works, Office Love 2, was sold at auction by Phillips de Pury & Company in early June 2009 for $53,600.
He creates his masterpieces by combining mythology with popular culture, on the basic principles of modern postmodernism.
Vasily Tsagolov. Evander Holyfield - Van Gogh randomly
Alexander Gnilitsky
This Ukrainian artist, unfortunately, died in 2009. But he managed to present the culture of Ukraine at the 2007 Venice Biennale. Also, his paintings were exhibited in art galleries in Ukraine, Russia, Croatia, USA, France, Norway, Finland, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland.
Gnilitsky’s masterpieces are valued at a high price; for example, “Sky. Olegovskaya” was sold for $41,250.
Alexander Gnilitsky. Reflection in the dome
Yuri Senchenko
Yuri Senchenko is rightfully considered the patriarch of Ukrainian art. True, Senchenko mostly worked in tandem with Arsen Savadov. It's them big picture“The Sorrow of Cleopatra” is considered to be the starting point of new Ukrainian art.
His paintings were seen by art connoisseurs in Chicago, New York, Munich, Edinburgh, Moscow and many other foreign cities.
Yuri Senchenko, Arsen Savadov. Cleopatra's Sorrow
Arsen Savadov
Arsen Savadov, a Ukrainian artist in whom the KGB was at one time actively interested. On the territory of art, he now actively represents Ukrainian culture in Europe and America.
The artist tries to combine postmodernism with baroque culture in his paintings.
The artist’s greatest fame came from his provocative paintings “Donbass Chocolate” and “Book of the Dead.”
Arsen Savadov. Toys
Oleg Tistol
Continuing the list of world-famous Ukrainian artists, we must not forget about Oleg Tistol.
Among all Ukrainian artists, he is qualitatively different in his manner of painting, which is probably why he is so respected in Europe.
Among his outstanding works are: “Project of Ukrainian money. Roksolana”, “TV + Realism”, “U.Be. Ka”.
One of the most important projects in which Tistol participated is the 2014 exhibition “I am a Drop in the Ocean” at the Vienna Museum Künstlerhaus.
Oleg Tistol. Ukrainian money project. Roksolana
Ilya Chichkan
Ilya Chichkan is a bright representative of the new wave of Ukrainian art. His works are often exhibited in Ukrainian galleries.
His works are highly valued in Europe. One of his paintings, “It,” was sold in 2007 for $70,000.
Ilya Chichkan. From the life of insects
Ivan Marchuk
This artist is called a modern Ukrainian genius of art. The British even included him in the list of “100 modern geniuses” in 2007, in which, by the way, he is the only Ukrainian.
It was Ivan Marchuk who introduced a new method of drawing into art, which critics call plenticism.
Ivan Marchuk. Portrait of B. Mortar
Boris Mikhailov
Boris Mikhailov is the only Ukrainian artist who exhibited at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (2011). He is a member of the German Academy of Arts, a lecturer at Harvard University, and his works are in such famous collections as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Munich Pinakothek nouveau, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Mikhailov mainly became famous for photography, although he also draws. In particular, Mikhailov at one time shocked Ukrainians with paintings of naked men.
Boris Mikhailov. Naked Mikhailov
Maxim Mamsikov
His paintings, in addition to Ukraine, were seen by France, Germany and Russia. For some reason, Mamsikov’s creativity is not as highly valued in his homeland as, for example, in France.
In 2009, at the auction of Phillips de Pury & Company, his “Battleship” was bought for 35 thousand dollars.
Maxim Mamsikov. Untitled
Oksana Mas
Famous Odessa artist working in various genres. For example, Ukrainians could see her work “Virgin Mary” right on the street, which she compiled from 15 thousand Easter eggs.
Over the past two years, the artist has had a dozen foreign exhibitions, including in Zurich, Paris, London and Moscow.
At Sotheby's auction in 2009, one of Mas's paintings was bought for 55.2 thousand dollars.
Oksana Mas. Altar of Nations
Tiberius Silvasi
The painter Tiberiy Silvashi is a bright representative of Ukrainian contemporary art. He constantly experiments and displays his results to the public.
Contemporaries consider Silvashy to be the leader of the school of Ukrainian abstractionists.
Tiberius Silvasi. Display
Gritsya Erde
A very young, very talented and very ambitious girl who creates mainly fantasy collages with subtext, but also does graphics and drawing. Right now Gritsya Erde is holding her own exhibition in Berlin, Germany.
The young artist also makes covers and illustrations for books and albums of Ukrainian singers.
Gritsya Erde. Horror inspires
Oleg Golosiy
This artist did not have time to be an artist of independent Ukraine for long, because in 1993 he died at the age of 28. But for my short life he managed to take part in exhibitions in England, Germany, France, and Russia.
Anatoly Krivolap
The most expensive work Anatoly Krivolap's "Horse. Evening" was sold at Phillips London on June 28, 2013 for $186,000.
The artist mainly paints landscapes and experiments with color. He recently opened two personal exhibitions in Kyiv in the Triptych ART and Mironova Gallery galleries.
Anatoly Krivolap. Evening
Victor Sidorenko
Bright and expressive - this is what his works are called. Victor Sidorenko is a candidate of art history and professor at the Kharkov State Academy of Design and Arts, as well as the founder of the Institute of Contemporary Art.
His last painting, “Untitled,” from the series Reflection into the unknown, was sold at a British auction for $32,800.
Victor Sidorenko. Energy flow
Nikita Kadan
Another young, but very talented and world-famous Ukrainian artist.
Nikita Kadan only for recent years There were 4 personal exhibitions, of which only one was held in Ukraine. In addition, he has about 50 group exhibitions abroad. Even New York knows his name.
Nikita Kadan. The Rape of Europa.
Vinny Reunov
Konstantin "Vinny" Reunov was born and spent his childhood in Ukraine. Then he started moving constantly. But still he returned to his homeland.
His canvases hang even in the UK, in the Saatchi Gallery. Last summer, Vinny presented the “Made in Ukraine” project in Kyiv gallery"Crucian carp."
Vinny Reunov. THIS CULTURAL NOVELTY WILL CHANGE THE WAY HIGH-EXCLUSIVE ART IS PRESENTED TO MASS AUDIENCE
Andrey Sagaidakovsky
Shy but talented Lviv artist. Once upon a time, he painted on canvas, like everyone else, knowing where to get it for next to nothing. But then the point closed. Sagaidakovsky could not come to terms with this, because the love of art flows in his blood. Then he began to paint on carpets and mats.
It was this drawing technique that brought Mr. Andrey fame throughout the world.
Andrey Sagaidakovsky. Conversations
Ivan Semesyuk
Ivan Semesyuk is the first artist in Ukraine who began painting in the “redneck art” style. And immediately his paintings scattered throughout Ukraine and the world.
He became the chairman of the union of free artists "Will or Death".
His works have participated in more than 80 exhibitions. Semesyuk's paintings were exhibited in France, Norway, Poland, and Russia.
Ivan Semesyuk. Portrait of Nestor Makhno
Vlada Ralko
Vlada Ralko is an expressive Ukrainian artist, without whose works not a single exhibition in Ukraine is complete.
Her creations have their own specific style and charm. They are distinguished by their bright, “stable” color. Vlada Ralko tries to show her feelings and thoughts about the world around her through paintings.
Vlad Ralko. Inside
Nikolay Matsenko
Nikolay Matsenko is an artist who never forgets his roots. He was born in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. All his works are imbued with nationality and childhood memories. Matsenko mainly makes carpets and coats of arms.
The artist claims that thanks to coats of arms he realizes himself, and carpets are his memories from childhood.
Nikolay Matsenko. Not yet... (Sketch of the Great Coat of Arms)
Alexander Voytovych
Sasha Voitovich is a true connoisseur of female nature; it is not without reason that the main theme of his works is a woman and her body.
The Lviv artist has repeatedly exhibited not only at group foreign exhibitions, but also at personal ones. In particular, in Hungary and several cities in Spain.
And in 2009 he opened his own gallery.
Alexander Voytovych. Summer Time
Igor Gusev
Once upon a time, back in the early 90s, Odessa artist Igor Gusev drew illustrations for magazines, zodiac signs and naked girls.
But with the end of the “hard” years, the artist’s work also changed. It became serious and balanced. For example, in 2013, at the Dymchuk Gallery, Gusev presented his paintings with retro images.
In 2012, at a London auction, Igor Gusev’s painting “Club 27 Emmys” was sold for $19,500.
Igor Gusev. Snow simulator. inner voice
For Independence Day, the “24” website has prepared 24 materials about Ukraine for you. Learn interesting things about your native country every day!
Consistently experienced the stages of Baroque, Rococo and Classicism. This influence is already evident in two portraits from 1652 of the children of B. Khmelnitsky, Timofey and Rozanda. At the same time, the style of early Ukrainian painting is very diverse and unequal in skill.
Ukrainian culture of the second half of the 17th and early 18th centuries
Most of the ceremonial portraits (parsun) of Cossack colonels that survived were painted by local Cossack craftsmen, who, however, knew how to convey the mood and character of the elders depicted. Pavel Alepsky wrote about the realistic skill of Cossack painters in the mid-17th century.
Unfortunately, only a small proportion of paintings created by Ukrainian artists of the 18th century have survived to this day. In the second half of the 17th century. Schools of icon painters are already being created. The most famous examples are the paintings of the Assumption Cathedral and the Trinity Gate Church in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, which have a soft, pastel form of writing. Sensuality and rounded smooth lines set viewers into a somewhat melancholy mood and try to maintain a cheerful worldview. At the same time dramatic stories, such as “The Expulsion of the Merchants from the Temple,” and especially the passion scenes, are executed with the transmission of militant tension corresponding to the turbulent era. The figures depicted on the frescoes exuded physical and mental health, their movements lost all stiffness and generally emphasized the sublimity of their mood.
The images created by the Kiev-Pechersk art workshop became a canon, a role model in all other parts of Ukraine.
Temple painting
At that time, the so-called priest portrait became a characteristic component of temple painting. Ktitorami ( vernacular- headman) called the founders, donors and guardians of a particular church, as well as the current ones (heads of the parish council). In the Kyiv churches there were a lot of such guardians throughout their history. In the altar part of the Assumption Church of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, before it was blown up in 1941, 85 historical figures were depicted - from princes Kievan Rus before Peter I (it is clear that this is not all). The senior church hierarchs are depicted as unshakable, but the closer to that period it was historical figure, the more lively the portraits became, the more expression and individuality was reflected in the faces.
Church iconostases, in which icons were arranged in four or even five rows, acquired extraordinary splendor in the Baroque era. The most famous of the surviving baroque iconostases of this kind are the iconostases from the Churches of the Holy Spirit in Rohatyn, Galicia (mid-17th century) and the tomb church of Hetman D. Apostol in Velyki Sorochintsy (first half of the 18th century). The pinnacle of easel icon painting of the 17th century. there is the Bogorodchansky (Manyavsky) iconostasis, which was completed during 1698-1705. master Job Kondzelevich. Traditional biblical scenes are re-enacted here in a new way. Depicted alive real people, full of speakers, even dressed in local costumes.
Quite early, elements of the Rococo style appeared in icon painting, which is associated with the active use by students of the Lavra art workshop as examples of drawings, the parents of the French Rococo, Watteau and Boucher, presented in student album collections. Rococo brings greater lightness and gallantry to portraits, adds characteristic small details, and a fashion appears for the execution of women's parsuns.
The development of classicism in art in the second half of the 17th century
In the second half of the 17th century, copper engraving developed. The development of engraving took place in close connection with the production of student theses, the needs of book printing, as well as orders for panegyrics. At the same time, among the works of the Tarasevich brothers and their later colleagues one can find not only luxurious allegorical compositions of a secular and religious nature, but also realistic engraving sketches of landscapes, seasons and agricultural work. In 1753, Empress Elizabeth issued a decree: three Ukrainian children from the court chapel who had lost their voice should be sent to artistic science. These guys were the future famous Ukrainian artists Kirill Golovachevsky, Ivan Sabluchok and Anton Losenko. Each of them made a significant contribution to the development of classicist art.
Art education in Ukraine in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries
Professional artistic and creative training of Ukrainian masters in the 19th century took place at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts and at the then popular European higher art institutions, where the main emphasis was on academicism and classicism. According to the conditions of the development of aesthetics, this had the opportunity to create resistance artistic development Ukraine, to create a gap between folk and “lordly” art.
The best art paintings Ukrainian artists of the 19th century are represented by people with an academic education, and this is primarily T. Shevchenko, and then with him Napoleon Buyalsky, Nikolai and Alexander Muravyov, Ilya Repin and others, who sought to create a national school of art. Center for the Development of Cultural and artistic life was Kyiv. Afterwards, the constant formation of art schools began. The Kiev Drawing School became one of the first art institutions and played an important role in the development of fine arts in Ukraine. IN different times I. Levitan, M. Vrubel, V. Serov, K. Krizhitsky, S. Yaremich and others studied here. They received their primary art education at the school famous artists: G. Dyadchenko, A. Murashko, S. Kostenko, I. Izhakevich, G. Svetlitsky, A. Moravov.
The art school provided thorough training for creating works of art. There was even a museum founded at the establishment where they received various sketches and drawings by Repin, Kramskoy, Shishkin, Perov, Aivazovsky, Myasoedov, Savitsky, Orlovsky, etc. The school’s teachers used progressive methods, which were based on the requirements of drawing from life, strict adherence to the principle “from easy to more complex,” ensuring individual approach, an organic combination of special and general education training, that is, focusing on the development of a comprehensive art education.
Professor P. Pavlov, the famous Russian geographer P. Semenov-Tien-Shansky, as well as local collectors of works V. Tarnovsky and I. Tereshchenko helped in organizing M. Murashko’s school. Experienced teachers of the school at different times were M. Vrubel, I. Seleznev, V. Fabricius, I. Kostenko and others. M. Murashko’s school existed until 1901, thanks to which students had the opportunity to develop their natural talent, and then receive artistic education. The future famous Ukrainian artists P. Volokidin, P. Aleshin, M. Verbitsky, V. Zabolotnaya, V. Rykov, F. Krichevsky, K. Trofimenko, A. Shovkunenko and others were students of the Academy of Art. Art education in Ukraine, the second half of the 19th century - the beginning of the 20th century. represented by schools that were concentrated in Odessa, Kyiv and Kharkov.
Art of Ukraine of the late 19th - early 20th centuries
A particularly prominent place in Ukrainian art belongs to T. Shevchenko, who graduated in 1844 and was a student of Karl Bryullov himself, the author famous painting"The Last Day of Pompeii". T. Shevchenko created a number of paintings from the life of the peasantry (“Gypsy Fortune Teller”, “Katerina”, “Peasant Family”, etc.). Poetic and artistic heritage T. Shevchenko had a huge influence on the development of Ukrainian culture and in particular fine arts. It determined its democratic orientation, which was clearly reflected in the work of graduates of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts L. Zhemchuzhnikov and K. Trutovsky. Konstantin Trutovsky is also known for his illustrations to the works of N. Gogol, T. Shevchenko, Marko Vovchok, and he also captured the biography of the Ukrainian artist T. Shevchenko.
Subsequently, progressive artists shared the ideas of the “Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions” created in 1870 and its leaders: I. Kramskoy, V. Surikov, I. Repin, V. Perov. Taking an example from the Russian “Peredvizhniki”, Ukrainian artists strove to use a realistic artistic language in their work that people understand, and to show their paintings to residents of different cities. In particular, the “Society of South Russian Artists” was created in Odessa, which was actively involved in exhibitions.
Artistic perfection and high realism are inherent in the paintings of Nikolai Pimonenko. His most famous works are “Seeing off the recruits”, “Haymaking”, “Rivals”, “Matchmakers”. IN historical genre A. Murashko showed his talent. He is the author of the famous painting “The Funeral of Koshevoy,” for which Staritsky posed for the central figure. In landscape painting, Sergei Vasilkovsky showed more talent, whose work is closely connected with the Kharkov region. He discovered Ukrainian painting in Europe, where he was honored to exhibit his paintings at the Paris Salon “out of turn.” A unique phenomenon in world art has become seascapes marine painter I. Aivazovsky. Unsurpassed effect moonlight The painting “Night over the Dnieper” by Arkhip Kuindzhi was celebrated. Ukrainian artists of the 19th century were remarkable masters of landscape painting: S. Svetoslavsky, K. Kostandi, V. Orlovsky, I. Pokhitonov.
Ilya Repin, who was born in Chuguev in Slobozhanshchina, constantly maintained his connection with Ukraine. Among many works outstanding master His painting “Cossacks writing a letter to the Turkish Sultan” occupies a special place. For this painting, his comrade Dmitry Ivanovich Yavornitsky, who devoted his entire life to studying the history of the Zaporozhye Cossacks and who was called Nestor of the Zaporozhye Sich, posed for the artist in the role of the Koshevoy clerk, depicted in the center of the canvas. The film depicts General Mikhail Dragomirov as Koshev's ataman Ivan Sirko.
In Galicia, the soul of the national artistic life was the talented artist (landscape-lyricist and portrait painter) Ivan Trush, Drahomanov's son-in-law. He is the author of portraits of famous figures of Ukrainian culture I. Franko, V. Stefanik, Lysenko and others.
So everything cultural development Ukraine took place in inextricable connection with the progressive culture of the Russian people.
Painting in the 30s of the 20th century
In the 30s, Ukrainian artists continued to develop different directions artistic thought. The classic of Ukrainian painting F. Krichevsky (“Winners of Wrangel”), as well as landscape painters Karp Trokhimenko (“Personnel of the Dneprostroy”, “Kiev Harbor”, “Above the High Road”, “Morning on the Collective Farm”) and Nikolai Burachek (“Apple Trees in Bloom” , " Golden autumn”, “Clouds are approaching”, “Road to the collective farm”, “The wide Dnieper roars and groans”), which masterfully reproduced the states of nature depending on the characteristics of solar lighting. Significant achievements of Ukrainian painting of this period are associated with the development of the portrait genre, represented by such artists as: Pyotr Volokidin (“Portrait of the Artist’s Wife”, “Portrait of the Singer Zoya Gaidai”), Alexey Shovkunenko (“Portrait of a Girl. Ninotchka”), Nikolai Glushchenko (“Portrait of a Girl. Ninotchka”), Nikolai Glushchenko (“Portrait of a Girl. Ninotchka”). Portrait of R. Rolland"). At this time, the work of the artist Ekaterina Bilokur (1900-1961) flourished. The element of her painting is flowers; they form compositions of extreme beauty. The paintings “Flowers behind the fence”, “Flowers on a blue background”, “Still life with spikelets and a jug” enchant with the combination of the real and the fantastic, a sense of harmony, a variety of colors, and a filigree manner of execution. With the annexation of Transcarpathia to Ukraine in 1945, the number of Ukrainian artists was supplemented by Adalbert Erdeli (“The Betrothed,” “Woman”), Berlogi lo Gluck (“Lumberjacks”), Fyodor Manailo (“On the Pasture”). The Transcarpathian art school was characterized by professional culture, coloristic richness, and creative search.
Painting from the Great Patriotic War
The Great Patriotic War remained one of the leading themes of Ukrainian easel painting for a long time. Artists painted the heroism of warriors and the pathos of struggle. However, philosophical paintings: “Nurse” by Askhat Safargalin, “In the Name of Life” by Alexander Khmelnitsky, “Flax is Blooming” by Vasily Gurin. Many artists continued the development of Ukrainian fine art, trying to give own interpretation personality and creativity of the Great Kobzar: Mikhail Bozhi “My Thoughts, Thoughts” and the like. The pride of Ukrainian culture is the work of artist Tatyana Yablonskaya (1917-2005). Back in post-war years T. Yablonskaya created one of the best paintings of that time - “Bread”. Paintings by the artist early period- “Spring”, “Above the Dnieper”, “Mother” - made in the best academic traditions, full of movement, feeling and pictorial freedom.
Painting in the 50s of the 20th century
At the end of the 50s in Ukraine, ideological pressure on the creativity of artists somewhat weakened. And although adherence to the “principle socialist realism» remained mandatory for Soviet artists, its narrow confines expanded. IN fine arts there has been more freedom in choosing topics and means of implementation compared to the previous period artistic design, identifying national identity. Many Ukrainian artists sought to move away from straightforward copying of life; they turned to symbolic images, a poetic interpretation of the previous world. It is poeticization that has become one of the leading trends in various types art. This period is characterized by a desire for national roots. Ukrainian artists of the 20th century turned to the images of outstanding figures of history and culture, studied folk art and customs. In which bold experimental searches took place became of great importance. Among the original ones: the Dnieper hydroelectric power station (DneproGES), 18 striking works of Ukrainian monumentalists - a stained glass triptych at the National University. T. Shevchenko, mosaic “Academy of the 17th century.” at the Institute of Theoretical Physics, interior decoration of the Palace of Children and Youth in Kyiv, and the like.
Painting in the 60s of the 20th century
In the early 1960s, the artist T. Yablonskaya turned to folk art, which led to a change in her artistic style(“Indian Summer”, “Swans”, “Bride”, “Paper Flowers”, “Summer”). These paintings are characterized by a flat interpretation, plasticity and expressiveness of silhouettes, and the construction of color based on the relationship of pure, ringing colors.
The work of the Transcarpathian artist Fedor Manail (1910-1978), who became one of the best European artists even in the pre-war years, is striking. At the epicenter of the artist’s creative quest is the nature of the Carpathians and the elements folk life: “Wedding”, “Breakfast”, “In the Forest”, “Sunny Moment”, “Mountains and Valleys”, etc. F. Manailo was a consultant on the filming of S. Parajanov’s film “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors”, which, thanks to him contribution, acquired special expressiveness and ethnographic accuracy.
Lviv is distinguished by its spirit of experimentation and its attraction to the European cultural tradition. art school. If the Transcarpathian school is characterized by picturesque emotionality, then the Lviv school is characterized by a graphic manner of execution, sophistication and intellectuality. Obvious representatives of these trends of that time are the famous Ukrainian artists: Zinovy Flint (“Autumn”, “Indian Summer”, “Bach’s Melodies”, “Reflections”), Lyubomir Medved (the cycle “The First Collective Farms in the Lviv Region”, the triptych “Emigrants”, “ Fluidity of time”, etc.). The works of these masters in the portrait genre became a real achievement in art. Portraits of cultural figures by L. Medved (Lesya Ukrainka, S. Lyudkevich, N. Gogol, L. Tolstoy) attract attention with the originality of the manner of execution, the unexpectedness of the compositional structure, the depth and special sharpness of the images.
The original artist Valentin Zadorozhny (1921-1988) worked in different genres - monumental and easel painting, graphics, tapestry, wood carving. The artist used and creatively reinterpreted the best traditions folk art, deeply understood the foundations of national culture: the paintings “Marusya Churay”, “Ecumenical Dinner”, “Chuchinskaya Oranta”, “Daily Bread”, “And there will be a son and a mother...” and others captivate with the saturation and contrasting juxtaposition of colors, expressiveness of lines, ease of rhythm, decorative sound.
In the work of the artist Ivan Marchuk there are different artistic directions and methods (from realism to surrealism and abstractionism); genres (portraits, still lifes, landscapes and original fantastic compositions similar to dreams). Tradition and innovation are intertwined in his paintings, all works have a deep spiritual basis: “Blossom”, “Blossoming Planet”, “Lost Music”, “Sprouting”, “The Voice of My Soul”, “The Last Ray”, “The Moon Has Rising Over the Dnieper” , “Monthly Night”, etc. Among the artist’s many works, the painting “Awakening” attracts attention, in which a face appears among the herbs and flowers beautiful woman, her fragile transparent hands. This is Ukraine, which is awakening from a long, heavy sleep.
Ukraine is rightfully proud of its folk artists: Maria Primachenko, Praskovya Vlasenko, Elizaveta Mironova, Ivan Skolozdra, Tatyana Pato, Fedor Pank, etc. At one time, P. Picasso was amazed by the works of M. Primachenko. She created her own world in which fantastic creatures and characters live folklore, the flowers seem to be endowed human soul(“Wedding”, “Holiday”, “Bouquet”, “Magpies - white-sided”, “Three grandfathers”, “A wild otter grabbed a bird”, “Threat of war” and others).
Art of the late 20th century
The end of the 20th century can be considered a time of new beginning in the history of Ukrainian creative art. The formation of an independent state created a new cultural and creative situation in Ukraine. The principle of socialist realism became a thing of the past, Ukrainian artists began to work in conditions of creative freedom. Art exhibitions that took place at that time showed the high creative capabilities of Ukrainian fine art, its diversity, coexistence in it various directions, forms and means of expressing artistic ideas. Ukrainian fine art of the late 20th century. received the name “New Wave”, picking up the movement of the Ukrainian avant-garde of the 10-20s, but continuing to develop it in new conditions.
Contemporary Ukrainian artists and their paintings do not fit into the framework of any one style, direction or method. Masters of the older generation prefer traditional to realistic art. Abstractionism became widespread (Tibery Silvashi, Alexey Zhivotkov, Pyotr Malyshko, Oleg Tistol, Alexander Dubovik, Alexander Budnikov, etc.). And yet, the main feature of modern Ukrainian art is the combination of figurative and abstract methods of creativity (Viktor Ivanov, Vasily Khodakovsky, Oleg Yasenev, Andrey Bludov, Nikolay Butkovsky, Alexey Vladimirov, etc.).
New Ukrainian art
Contemporary Ukrainian art has been influenced by Western modernism. Surrealism (from the French "superrealism") is one of the main movements of the artistic avant-garde; it arose in France in the 20s. According to the main theorist of surrealism A. Breton, its goal is to resolve the contradiction between dream and reality. The ways to achieve this goal were varied: Ukrainian artists and their paintings depicted scenes devoid of logic with photographic precision, created fragments of familiar objects and strange creatures.
Op art (abbreviated English as optical art) is an abstract art movement that was popular in the West in the 60s. Op art works are based on the effects of visual illusion, while the selection of shapes and colors is aimed at creating the optical illusion of movement.
Pop art (abbreviated English popular art) arose in the USA and Britain under the influence popular culture. The source of his images were popular comics, advertising and industrial products. The simultaneity of the plot in pop art painting is sometimes emphasized by technique, which is reminiscent of the effect of photography.
Conceptualism, conceptual art (from Latin thought, concept) - leading direction Western art of the 60s. According to its representatives, the idea (concept) underlying the work has intrinsic value and is placed above skill. A variety of means can be used to implement the concept: texts, maps, photographs, videos, and the like.
The work may be exhibited in a gallery or created 'on site', e.g. natural landscape, which sometimes becomes its component. At the same time, the image of the artist undermines the traditional idea of the status of the authors of art. In an installation, individual elements located within a given space form a single artistic whole and are often designed for a specific gallery. Such a work cannot be transferred to another place, since the surrounding environment is an equal part of it.
Performance (from English performance) - artistic phenomenon, closely related to dance and theatrical performance. The language of pop art is skillfully and often used in their works by such Ukrainian artists as Stepan Ryabchenko, Ilya Chichkan, Masha Shubina, Marina Talutto, Ksenia Gnilitskaya, Victor Melnichuk and others.
Ukrainian postmodernism
Assemblage is an introduction to three-dimensional non-art materials and so-called found objects - ordinary everyday objects. Derived from collage, a technique in which pieces of paper, fabric, etc. are mounted on a flat surface. The art of assemblage was originated by P. Picasso at the beginning of the 20th century; among Ukrainian artists, the assemblage technique was widely used by A. Archipenko, I. Ermilov, A. Baranov and others. Modern Ukrainian artists today creative process in Ukraine, by analogy with the West, they call it the era of postmodernism (that is, the era that came after modernism). Postmodernism in the fine arts resembles the intricately mixed fragments of all previous styles, directions and movements, in which it is pointless to look for at least the slightest manifestations of integrity. Ukrainian postmodernism is most often a borrowing, or even outright plagiarism, of Western models.