What do you know about Ukrainian culture?
The war in Ukraine rages on with unimaginable destruction to the fabric of the country and thousands of civilian lives lost. Yet attention spans are shortening and news exposure can be a double-edged sword, normalizing the violence in the public eye. Beyond this view of Ukraine's war-torn present, what do we really know about Ukrainian culture?
In a recent team meeting, a member of the TRIPTK Design team Lina Zaika shared a presentation on the celebrated Ukrainian artists that are meaningful to her and her compatriots. Against the backdrop of the country’s turmoil, it was a moving immersion into Ukraine’s identity, culture, values, and traditions - and a potent reminder of the beauty that’s threatened by invasion and repression.???
I wanted to share Lina Zaika ’s artist spotlight here with our community - from Ivan Marchuk’s masterful and visceral depiction of the torture of war, to Mykola Pymonenko’s exquisite portrayal of the agricultural heartland of Ukraine, to the vivid characters of Maria Prymachenko. I hope, like me, you learn something about Ukrainian culture from Lina's content and art’s unique ability to speak to our shared humanity.
Let us know what you think, and what else you've come to know about Ukrainian culture in the comments.
[Words and image curation by Lina Zaika ]
Image: https://rudenko.kiev.ua/
?ван Марчук (Ivan Marchuk)
1936 - Present
Ivan Marchuk is a patriarch of the Ukrainian avant-garde, a genius who created about 5,000 works. His talent is so multifaceted that it is difficult to overestimate his role in Ukrainian art.
He was born in 1936 in a small village in western Ukraine. When Marchuk was a child, due to a lack of paints, he painted with vegetable juice. He says: “When I was still a kid, these long yellow peonies grew under our house. So, I rubbed the yellow color of the flowers on the paper, got some blue somewhere… and there it was, my blue and yellow flag…”.
Marchuk has his own vision of the world. He creates magnificent parallel universes, which he shares with the viewer. Marchuk worked intensively to create his own pictorial style, and eventually created his own art technique, which he calls “Pliontanism” (from the Ukrainian “pliontaty” – to weave, knit). Instead of painting with the usual strokes, he traces and weaves lace networks on his canvas. And due to his unique style, his art could never be confused with any other painter’s works.?
Image: https://www.facebook.com/Ivanmarchukartist
No name, 2022
Image: https://www.facebook.com/Ivanmarchukartist
“? почув в?н голос давн?й” (“And he heard an ancient voice”), 1995
Image: https://www.facebook.com/Ivanmarchukartist
??ва? (“Eve”), 2007
Source: https://www.facebook.com/Ivanmarchukartist
?Материнська земля. Лети, метелику? (“Motherland. Butterfly, fly”), 198
Image: Shevchenko’s portrait by Ivan Kramskoi, 1871
Тарас Шевченко (Taras Shevchenko)
1814 - 1861
Taras Shevchenko was an outstanding Ukrainian artist and poet. Born to a peasant family, he became a Ukrainian liberty idol and national artistic hero. His artworks reflect critical problems in 19th-century Ukrainian society. Today, his ideas are still fresh and relevant.
Shevchenko’s art overwhelmed Ukrainian society. He was the only Ukrainian painter at the time who brought up themes of liberty that resist the cynicism of powerful aristocrats.?
Through his art and poems, he awakened thoughts of liberty within the hearts of the Ukrainian people, crystallized these thoughts and finally showed the people the only road to freedom - by way of fearlessness, unity and brotherly love.?
For his active position he was repressed and spent over 10 years in prison and in exile. At the time, he was forbidden to write and draw. Nevertheless, he carried on creating poems and art on small pieces of paper. There aren’t enough words to fully cover the scope and uniqueness of Taras Shevchenko’s legacy.?
Image: https://www.wikiart.org/en/taras-shevchenko/kateryna-1842
“Катерина” (“Kateryna”), 1842
Image: https://www.wikiart.org/en/taras-shevchenko/peasant-family-1843
“Селянська родина” (“Peasant family”), 1843
Image: Self portrait, 1886
领英推荐
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mykola_Pymonenko
Микола Пимоненко (Mykola Pymonenko)
1862 - 1912
Pymonenko was born and lived in Kyiv, but since childhood he felt in love with the indescribable beauty of the Ukrainian village, its’ traditions, the sincerity of the people, so he devoted his life to?depiction of the Ukrainian village, its’ people, traditions and customs and the beauty of nature.
When you look at his paintings, it seems that you smell thyme or the unique aroma of cherry blossoms and the sun-warmed fields of wheat.?
Pymonenko also made a great contribution to the future of Ukrainian art, as in 1900 he became one of the founders of the Kyiv School of Art.
Image: https://museum.net.ua/
?Жнива на Укра?н??, (“Harvest in Ukraine”), 1896
Image: https://museum.net.ua/
?Бр?д?, (“The Ford”), 1901
Image: https://museum.net.ua/
“Святочне ворож?ння” (“Festive fortune-telling”), 1888
Image: https://museum.net.ua/
“Великодня утреня” (“Easter morning”), 1891
Image: https://uartlib.org/
Мар?я Примаченко (Maria Prymachenko)
1908 - 1997
Maria Prymachenko, a genius Ukrainian folk artist, was born in Bolotnia, a small village in Kyiv region. Pablo Picasso once visited Maria Prymachenko's exhibition in Paris. He said, “I bow down before the artistic miracle of this brilliant Ukrainian.”
She left a wonderful world of thousands of magical beings created in her unique astonishing style. Many fairy-tale beasts, she depicted, have their roots in Ukrainian legends, mythology, and folk culture. Despite the fanciful themes and cheerful colors, Prymachenko artworks contain a serious message; she took some of the key issues of her time and leveraged their absurdity up to surreal levels.
Despite the wide acclaim her works garnered, Prymachenko had no desire to leave the village where she grew up. She stayed there all her life, continued painting and teaching children art. Maria’s naive art is deeply embedded in Ukrainian heritage and is the epitome of Ukrainian culture.
Image: https://www.wikiart.org/en/maria-primachenko
“A Fish King Has Caught a Hoopoe and Is Full of Joy”, 1983
Image: https://www.wikiart.org/en/maria-primachenko
Menagerie, 1970
Image: https://www.wikiart.org/en/maria-primachenko
“Wild Bull and Raven Are Friends”, 1983
Image: https://www.wikiart.org/en/maria-primachenko
“May That Nuclear War Be Cursed!”, 1978
Sr. Designer at TRIPTK
2 年It was very exciting to collaborate on this. Thanks so much, Sam!
Insights, Strategy, Marketing & Innovation
2 年The geopolitics with Poland ???? today are quite fascinating given the history Sam Hornsby. Always wanted to visit Lviv (in which people still speak Polish) and Kiev for some party time. Both unlikely now … Also, best brand pivot of 22’ was the brewery called Pravda (which means correct or ‘truth’ in Polish), shifting manufacturing from beers to Molotov cocktails. https://theconversation.com/amp/ukraine-and-poland-why-the-countries-fell-out-in-the-past-and-are-now-closely-allied-184906